Champions Cup 2026 – Inside World Football

Real CD España have a mountain to climb at free-scoring LAFC

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:26:09 +0000

February 25 – Los Angeles FC return home for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie knowing that only an upset of epic proportion will stop them advancing to the last 16 after a 6-1 demolition of Real CD España in Honduras last week.

The Black and Gold were in imperious form in what was their first competitive game of the season, and seem to be enjoying life under their new head coach,

Nashville in driving seat against newcomers Atletico Ottawa

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:15:30 +0000

February 25 – Nashville are on a roll. Having beaten Atletico Ottawa last week in at TD Place Stadium in Canada, they then opened their MLS campaign with an impressive 4-1 hammering of the New England Revolution at Geodis Park.

In both matches Sam Surridge found the back of the net – once against Ottawa and twice against the Revolution. While Surridge has immediately hot his goalscoring stride, Ottawa are adjusting to life after their,

Vancouver Whitecaps must now turn possession into goals to beat CS Cartaginés

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:10:54 +0000

February 25 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC head into the second leg against CS Cartaginés after a bruising 1st leg in Costa Rica that finished all square.

Without that precious away goal the Whitecaps will be under intense pressure to keep a clean sheet. One mistake will require them to score two goals.

Despite dominating the possession stat by a remarkable 75% to 25% and outshooting CS Cartaginés 15 to 7, the Canadian outfit could not break down a disciplined back line with Kevin Andrés Briceño outstanding between the posts.

LA Galaxy dominate but still have to come from behind at Sporting San Miguelito

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:18:17 +0000

February 20 – Los Angeles Galaxy struggled to find the back of the net in Panama but eventually came away with a draw and a crucial away goal in Panama.

The 2025 season was one to forget for the Los Angeles Galaxy as the MLS Cup Champions completely flamed out and returned one of the worst season records ever for a defending champion.

With a new campaign comes renewed hope in the form of the Concacaf Champions Cup and the 1st leg versus Sporting San Miguelito of Panama,

CS Cartaginés rearguard keeps Whitecaps grounded

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:37:45 +0000

February 19 – Costa Rica’s CS Cartaginés held last year’s Champions Cup finalists to a 0-0 draw in the round one, first leg of their tie at Estadio Fello Meza, Cartago, Costa Rica.

It was a solid defensive performance from the Costa Rican side that won the competition in 1994 but have never played a Canadian club side before.

They were faced with a star-studded line up under head coach Jesper Sørensen that won a fourth straight Canadian Championship in 2025,

Philadelphia Union breach Defence Force’s resistance

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:20:14 +0000

February 19 – Philadelphia Union wasted no time stamping their authority on the Champions Cup with a 5-0 hammering of a shell-shocked Defence Force team in Trinidad and Tobago.

Defence Force did have passages of play, especially in the first half, but ultimately Philadelphia Union dominated where it mattered in front of goal with a shot count of 18 with nine on target. A total of 10 corners peppering the Defence Force rearguard.

Jabbari brace secures FC Cincinnati 4-0 first leg lead at O&M

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:20:10 +0000

February 19 – Two goals in the final 10 minutes from Ayoub Jabbari pushed FC Cincinnati to a 4-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League tie against O&M FC in the Dominican Republic.

O&M were making their debut in the competition and being 2-0 down at half time had battled valiantly to stay in the tie until Jabbari, on as a substitute, scored in the 86th minute and again two minutes into added time at Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago.

Fast starting LAFC hit Real España for six

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:50:49 +0000

February 17 – There are good starts to a game, and then there are dream starts. At Estadio Francisco Morazán in the capital of Honduras, San Pedro Sula, LAFC had the latter.

After just 55 seconds when David Martínez was fouled in the penalty area by Juan Capeluto after a sensational dummy. LAFC all time goal scorer, Denis Bouanga, made no mistake from 12 yards, and the tone was set for a 6-1 thumping in the 1st leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup,

The post Fast starting LAFC hit Real España for six appeared first on Inside World Football.

Nashville take 2-goal lead and Atletico Ottawa back to Tennessee

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:45:49 +0000

February 17 – Nashville SC made it a difficult Champions Cup debut for Atletico Ottawa at Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, securing a 2-0 lead for the second leg at home next Tuesday.

Atleti, who only debuted in the Canadian Premier League in 2025, were playing their ‘home’ leg in Hamilton due to renovations at TD Place, Ottawa City.

Atlético Ottawa started with just five players whos from the CPL Final.

Cartaginés face an all-star Whitecaps line-up in their bid for the summit

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:07:48 +0000

February 18 – History will be written in Cartago as CS Cartaginés face Canadian opposition for the first time in the competition.

Champions in 1994, the Costa Ricans are beginning what they hope will be another deep run – and their first-ever two-legged series against a North American club.

But they have a very tough challenge in seasoned Champions Cup campaigners Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who had a spectacular run to the final last season before being overwhelmed by Cruz Azul.

LA Galaxy to test new look line-up against Sporting San Miguelito

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:09:28 +0000

February 18 – The six-time MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy will be looking to uses Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito as the stepping stone to a deep run in the 2026 Champions Cup and a kick start to their season after a poor 2025.

The LA Galaxy are ranked 18 in Concacaf, while Sporting San Miguelito, ranked 63 – the difference on paper looks to great.

There is no head-to-head history between the teams who meet for the first time with the winner advancing to face 66–ranked Mount Pleasant of Jamaica in the Round of 16.

Nashville hunt for more glory as Atlético Ottawa target a CPL first

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 02:15:44 +0000

February 17 – Nashville closed out their highest ever MLS points tally season (54) only to lose in the first round of the play-offs to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. If they overcome Canada’s Atlético Ottawa in the first round they will meet Miami next.

They qualified for the Champions Cup by beating Austin FC in the US Open Cup final, the first title in club history. This is their second Champions Cup appearance and they will be expecting to build on last season.

Real CD España ready for LAFC challenge

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 02:00:20 +0000

February 17 – Back on the Champions Cup stage for the first time since 2023, Real CD España return with experience on their side — this is appearance number 18 for Los Aurinegros.

Qualification came via a strong run to the semifinals of the 2025 Central American Cup, and there is quiet confidence in Honduras’s San Pedro Sula ahead of another tilt at continental relevance.

Standing in their way is MLS powerhouse,

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FC Cincinnati face the unknown of O&M FC in the Dominican Republic

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:27:23 +0000

February 17 – The Dominican Republic is one of Concacaf’s challenger nations looking to join its elite group of countries that are competitive in qualification for major international tournaments.

Underpinning that is a fast improving and competitive domestic club game that enables its players to develop at home.

The next big test of how fast they are developing is the first round Champions Cup tie between O&M FC (Universidad Organización y Método) and FC Cincinnati.

Defence Force will need to live up to their name against newly built Philly attack

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:03:50 +0000

February 17 – A meeting of old Caribbean pedigree and modern MLS consistency opens in Port of Spain on Wednesday. Defence Force FC, two-time continental champions and the pride of Trinidad and Tobago, face U.S. opposition for the first time.

The visitors, Philadelphia Union, arrive as 2025 Supporters’ Shield winners and with a curious Champions Cup record — unbeaten in every opening match they’ve played in four previous editions.

This will also be their first-ever series against Caribbean opposition.

Romero hat-trick leads Cruz Azul rout of Vancouver FC

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 23:36:41 +0000

February 13 – With a three-nil lead from the 1st leg of their Champions Cup two-legged affair versus Vancouver FC, Mexican powerhouse, Cruz Azul, coasted to an eight-nil aggregate win.

A hat trick from Luka Romero (pictured) underpinned the five-goal dismantling of Vancouver.

At the fourth biggest stadium in Mexico, the Estadio Cuauhtémoc was only partially full for this display of ruthless attacking football.

From the opening whistle, La Máquina Celeste showed that they were a class above their Canadian opposition;

Champions Cup all-time records

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:24:11 +0000

The Concacaf Champions Cup is now in its 61st edition. Here is a look at some of the record holders in the tournament’s history. All stats sourced from Concacaf.

Top Five All-Time Scorers

Javier Orozco (Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna):24 goals
Darwin Quintero (Club América, Santos Laguna): 23 goals
Oribe Peralta (Club América, Santos Laguna): 22 goals
André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres UANL): 20 goals
Emanuel Villa (Cruz Azul, Read more …

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Monterrey clean up at home as Xelajú miss chance

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:09:43 +0000

February 12 – Last week in Guatemala, a 1-1 draw gave both CF Monterrey and CSD Xelajú M.C. plenty to play for as they hunted a last 16 spot. Ultimately Xelajú didn’t have enough and went down 2-0.

A much-changed CF Monterrey XI had six new faces from the first leg as Domènec Torrent looked to play his strongest side. With Sergio Canales and the well-travelled Anthony Martial, supporting the big Serbian striker,

Scoreless draw is enough for Club América to progress past Olimpia

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:04:47 +0000

February 11 – A 0-0 draw at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City was enough to see Club America into the last 16. Olimpia will rue their missed opportunity to upset a giant of the world game.

Club América came into the match with a 2-1 lead after winning the first leg in Honduras with a controlled performance that showed their ability to flex their line up and change their tactics seamlessly.

Vancouver FC have a mountain to climb in Puebla

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:00:46 +0000

February 12 – The Concacaf Champions Cup defending champions Cruz Azul made short work of tournament debutants, Vancouver FC, in British Columbia.

Despite an almost 6,000-mile round trip, La Máquina, scored twice in the first half through Gabriel Fernandez, who was the man-of-the-match, and Amaury Morales.

Agustín Palavecino provided the insurance in the 65th minute, and despite a short spell of pressure by the Canadians, Emmanuel Ochoa kept the clean sheet to give Los Cementeros a comfortable 3-0 win as they head back to Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla.

Pumas lack bite as San Diego lay down title creds

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:33:05 +0000

February 11 – After one of the most dominating Champions Cup displays ever seen by a Major League Soccer team, San Diego FC carried a three-goal cushion to the home of Pumas UNAM in the 1st round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

It would prove enough as the three-time winners of the tournament could only find one goal, losing 4-2 on aggregate.

San Diego coach, Mikey Varas, obviously loved what he saw last week at Snapdragon Stadium and named the same team that had scored four in an explosive 20-minute period in the second-half.

Tigres too hot for battling Forge FC

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:10:03 +0000

February 10 – Two goals from Rodrigo Aguirre in a 4-1 win over Forge FC put Tigres UANL into the last 16 of the Champions Cup.

In a game that Tigres dominated from the start, it still took three second half goals to overcome the obstinate Canadian resistance.

Tigres had more than 70% of possession and with all that time on the ball they had 17 shots, but still allowed Forge nine shots of their own who were competitive until the last 10 minutes.

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Pumas have mountain to climb after San Diego rout

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:35:45 +0000

February 10 – Pumas UNAM has the Mt. Everest of comebacks on their hands after a 4-1 loss on the road to tournament debutants San Diego FC in the 1st leg of the opening round of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.

The three-time champions will welcome SDFC to the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City for the Second Leg, knowing the scenarios for advancement are clear but herculean. Win 3-0, by a four-goal margin,

Forge confident as Tigres look to turn up the heat

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:15:14 +0000

February 10 – Tigres go into the home leg of their Round 1 tie at the daunting Estadio Universitario in Nuevo Leon after a 0-0 draw at Forge FC.

The star of the first round was Forge FC’s debut goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud who welded his goal shut to keep out a marauding Tigres.

Bertaud’s seven saves and numerous defensive blocks were the foundation of an improbable result and have kept the tie alive,

Gritty Xelajú ready to test Monterrey resolve

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:12:45 +0000

February 10 – Favourites Monterrey go into the home leg of their tie with CSD Xelajú M.C. tonight (Tuesday) knowing the Guatemalans will be motivated from the first leg which they feel they should have won.

The drama came late in the 1st leg of the round one Concacaf Champions Cup time between Xelajú and five-time champions CF Monterrey.

Playing at the Estadio Cementos Progreso in Guatemala City, the home side struggled against an experienced Monterrey side that has surprisingly been struggling in the Liga MX.

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Club América finding form at wrong time for Olimpia

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:10:34 +0000

February 10 – Mexican giants Club America left it late to take a 2-1 lead over Olimpia back to the Azteca.

Post match, Club America coach André Jardine was adamant that “the score was fair”, but he won’t want the second leg to go down to the wire.

In the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, the Hondurans came close to snatching a surprise result but wasted chances and good game management by the Mexicans proved too much for Olimpia.

Monterrey salvage a draw in added time at Xelajú

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 06:59:17 +0000

February 4 – It took added time and a thunderous strike for LigaMx’s Monterrey to salvage a draw against Xelajú MC in Guatemala City.

Xelajú thought they had done enough to take a 1-0 lead to Monterrey next week with a goal in the 83’. Joffré Escobar headed in powerfully from a deep cross by Javier González.

But with the clock 2’ into added time Jesús Corona equalised for Rayados with a spectacular right-footed hit from outside the box.

Cruz Azul hand Vancouver FC a big league lesson

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:59:15 +0000

February 4 – When making your Concacaf Champions Cup debut, you’re always hopeful of a favorable draw; unfortunately for Canada’s Vancouver FC, they were paired with the defending and seven-time champions, Cruz Azul.

Having earned a Champions Cup berth by reaching the Canadian Championship final last year, VFC prepared in Phoenix to build fitness ahead of the fixture; however, with La Máquina (The Machine) having four games under their belts in Liga MX,

San Diego stun Pumas with four goals in 18 minutes

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:46:31 +0000

February 3 – While not a full house at Snapdragon Stadium, a tasty atmosphere greeted Pumas UNAM as they travelled north to meet San Diego FC.

Without a full pre-season behind them, SDFC, making their debut in the tournament, would have to get off to a hot start against a club that was already four games into their domestic season, and fresh off spanking Santos 4-0 in Liga MX.

Mikey Varas had his team press and press high from the opening whistle.

Club América squeeze past Olimpia in final minutes

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:41:07 +0000

February 3 – Seven times Champions Cup winners Club América opened their quest for an eighth title with a 2-1 away win against CD Olimpia at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

An at times pedestrian first half gave way to a pulsating second half that saw Olimpia equalise Victor Davila’s opener with a Jorge Alvarez beauty from outside the box, only for Ramon Juarez (pictured) to sneak in the winner with three minutes to go.