Inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup begins group stage

MIAMI – The first matchweek of the 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup begins its group stage on Tuesday with four milestone matches that continue the inaugural edition.

The tournament kicked off last week with the Preliminary Round. Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Canada won 1-nil at Alianza Women FC of El Salvador to determine the last spot in the group stage. The top two teams in Groups A and B will advance to the semifinals in May 2025.

LD Alajuelense vs. Frazsiers Whip

LD Alajuelense will welcome Frazsiers Whip on Tuesday to begin Group A at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Seven times champions of Costa Rica, most recently winning the Apertura 2024, Alajuelense brings international and national team experience in their roster. Captain and goalkeeper Noelia Bermudez is a crucial player for Las Leonas, having the record for most clean sheets in the recent campaign. Alexa Herrera, who represented Costa Rica at the W Gold Cup, scored a decisive goal against Haiti.

Frazsiers Whip arrives as the current champions of the Jamaican Women’s Premier League and the lone representatives of the Caribbean. A roster with U-17 and U-20 national team experience, the club features names like Destiny Powell, who has experience at the Reggae Girlz youth levels, and Shaneil Buckley, who scored with the senior team in the W Gold Cup qualifiers.

Santa Fe FC vs. San Diego Wave FC

Santa Fe FC hosts San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday to start Group B at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, Panama.

After making history by winning the Apertura 2024 in the Liga de Fútbol Femenino in Panama, Santa Fe FC is ready to keep adding to its legacy with the help of key players like goalkeeper Yenith Bailey, who was the Golden Glove winner at the 2018 Concacaf W Championship.

NWSL Shield winners San Diego Wave FC are led by captain Alex Morgan, a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and Concacaf W Gold Cup champion.

The California club also counts with W Gold Cup Best Player award winner and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Jaedyn Shaw.

Club América Femenil vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Club América Femenil hosts Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday in Group B action at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico.

After winning the Preliminary Round last Thursday, the Whitecaps will travel to the Mexican capital to face two-time Liga MX Femenil Champions América Femenil. Captain Kiana Palacions and Sarah Luebbert are two key names to watch for the locals as they look to match their male counterparts, the all-time winners in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Emily Wong scored the first goal in the history of the W Champions Cup to lift Vancouver to a victory at Alianza in El Salvador. Jeneva Hernadez-Gray is also a name to highlight, providing five recoveries in the previous match.

Tigres UANL Femenil vs. CF Monterrey Femenil

Tigres UANL Femenil hosts CF Monterrey Femenil on Thursday in Group A at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico.

One of the most anticipated games of the group stage is the ClásicoRegio, which will see a new chapter written as the derby between the two Monterrey clubs gets contested in the inaugural W Champions Cup.

Six times Liga MX Femenil champions and current Campeon of Campeonas winners, Tigres Femenil will look to extend its record list as the most decorated women’s club in Mexico. W Gold Cup Best XI and Concacaf Award nominee Jaqueline Ovalle is one of the names fans around the region will watch as she embarks to reach new heights. FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion and UEFA Nations League winner, Jennifer Hermoso adds international expertise as the Spaniard plays for another trophy.

Rayadas, the current Clausura 2024 champions, are no strangers to big moments at stake in the rivalry. Captain Rebeca Bernal, a pillar of the Mexican women’s national team, had led Monterrey to their biggest stage so far. Another name to remember is forward Christina Burkenroad, who was vital to Rayadas with key assists in every tournament she has played.