2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup

The 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup was the second season of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the annual continental women's football club competition organized by CONCACAF.[1] On 12 May 2025 CONCACAF released key details of the competition, including a reduction in the number of teams from 11 to 10 and the elimination of the preliminary round.[2] Gotham FC was the defending champion, having defeated Tigres UANL 1–0 in the inaugural final.

2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Estadio Hidalgo served as the venue for the final-four of the 2025/26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Tournament details
Dates19 August 2025 – 23 May 2026
Teams10 (from 6 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsMexico América (1st title)
Runners-upUnited States Washington Spirit
Third placeMexico Pachuca
Fourth placeUnited States Gotham FC
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Goals scored96 (4.36 per match)
Top scorerIvory Coast Rosemonde Kouassi (Washington Spirit) (6 goals)
Best playerMexico Scarlett Camberos (América)
Best young playerMexico Montserrat Saldivar (América)
Best goalkeeperMexico Itzel Velasco (América)
Fair play awardUnited States Washington Spirit
2027
All statistics correct as of 24 May 2026.

The competition began in August 2025. In the final, held on 23 May 2026,[1] Club América triumphed over the Washington Spirit 5-3 to win the cup.

Format

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The second edition of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup featured ten teams from six CONCACAF member associations. Teams were split into two groups of five teams. Teams faced each other in a single round-robin format, with each team playing two matches at home and two matches away in August, September, and October 2025. The top two clubs from each group advanced to the knockout stage, played at a centralized location in May 2026. The knockout stage featured semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final to determine the champions of the competition. The champions qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup and 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup.[3][2]

Tiebreakers

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Teams in the group stage were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were equal on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[4]

  1. Goal difference in all group matches;
  2. Goals scored in all group matches;
  3. Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  4. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  5. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  6. Lower number of disciplinary points (single yellow card = 1 point, double yellow card = 3 points, direct red card = 4 points, direct red card after single yellow card = 5 points);
  7. Drawing of lots.

Association team allocation

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Location of teams of the 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
North American Zone Central American Zone

CONCACAF allocated spots to six of their member associations, based on eligibility criteria. Each association had one spot in the tournament, with the exception of Mexico and the United States, which had three each.[2]

Distribution

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The following was the access list for the 2025–26 tournament.[2]

Access list for 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Round Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
Group stage
(10 teams)
  • 1 team from Canada
  • 1 team from Costa Rica
  • 1 team from El Salvador
  • 3 teams from Mexico
  • 1 team from Panama
  • 3 teams from the United States
N/a
Knockout phase
(4 teams)
N/a
  • 2 group winners from the group stage
  • 2 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

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Teams qualified through their domestic leagues based on sporting merit. The qualification criteria were proposed by each member association and ratified by CONCACAF.[2]

Qualified teams for 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Association Team Qualification method[5] App. (last) Previous best (last)
 Canada
(1 berth)
Vancouver Rise Academy 2024 League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship champions 2nd (2024–25) Group stage (2024–25)
 Costa Rica
(1 berth)
Alajuelense 2024 Costa Rican Women's Premier Division Apertura [es] and Clausura [es] champions 2nd (2024–25) Group stage (2024–25)
 El Salvador
(1 berth)
Alianza 2024–25 Primera División Femenina de El Salvador Apertura and Clausura champions 2nd (2024–25) Preliminary round (2024–25)
 Mexico
(3 berths)
Monterrey 2024 Liga MX Femenil Apertura champions 2nd (2024–25) Group stage (2024–25)
Pachuca 2025 Liga MX Femenil Clausura champions 1st Debut
América Best runners-up of the 2024–25 Liga MX Femenil season based on accumulated points during the regular phase[Note MEX] 2nd (2024–25) 4th (2024–25)
 Panama
(1 berth)
Chorrillo Winner of the 2024 Clausura and 2025 Apertura Champions play-off 1st Debut
 United States
(3 berths)
Orlando Pride 2024 National Women's Soccer League champions and 2024 National Women's Soccer League Shield winners 1st Debut
Washington Spirit 2024 National Women's Soccer League Shield runners-up 1st Debut
Gotham FC Third best club in 2024 National Women's Soccer League Shield standings[Note USA] 2nd (2024–25) Champions (2024–25)
  1. ^
    Mexico (MEX): América was semifinalist in 2024 Liga MX Femenil Apertura and runners-up in 2025 Liga MX Femenil Clausura.
  2. ^
    United States (USA): With Orlando Pride winning both the 2024 National Women's Soccer League Championship and 2024 National Women's Soccer League Shield, the third qualifying spot for the United States went to the next best club in 2024 National Women's Soccer League Shield standings not already qualified, Gotham FC.

Seeding

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The seeding for the tournament was confirmed on 2 June 2025. Teams were split into five pots based on the Concacaf Women's Club Rankings.[3][5]

Pot Team Pts
1 United States Gotham FC 2,500.25
Mexico América 1,630.15
2 United States Orlando Pride 1,320.07
United States Washington Spirit 1,320.07
3 Mexico Pachuca 1,120.08
Mexico Monterrey 1,120.08
4 Costa Rica Alajuelense 680.06
Canada Vancouver Rise Academy 630.02
5 Panama Chorrillo 355.02
El Salvador Alianza 0

Draw

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The draw for the group stage was held on 3 June 2025 at 20:00 EDT (UTC−4).[2] The draw began by randomly selecting a team from Pot 1, placing them into Group A and then selecting the remaining team from Pot 1 and placing them into Group B. It then continued with the same procedure for the remaining pots.[3]

Schedule

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The schedule of the competition was as follows.[2]

Schedule for 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Phase Round Match date
Group stage Matchday 1 19–21 August 2025
Matchday 2 2–4 September 2025
Matchday 3 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 4 30 September–2 October 2025
Matchday 5 14–16 October 2025
Knockout stage Semi-finals 20–23 May 2026
Third place play-off
Final

Group stage

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AME PAC ORL ALA CHO
1 Mexico América 4 3 1 0 12 0 +12 10 Advanced to knockout stage 1–0 2–0
2 Mexico Pachuca 4 2 1 1 12 2 +10 7 5–0 6–0
3 United States Orlando Pride 4 2 1 1 9 3 +6 7 1–1 3–0
4 Costa Rica Alajuelense 4 1 1 2 1 8 7 4 0–0 1–0
5 Panama Chorrillo 4 0 0 4 0 21 21 0 0–9 0–5
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Pachuca Mexico6–0Panama Chorrillo
Orejel 19'
Mauleón 22'
García 52'
Ihezuo 68'
Nicosia 83', 86'
Report
Referee: Deily Gómez (Costa Rica)
Alajuelense Costa Rica0–0Mexico América
Report
Attendance: 813
Referee: Dilia Bradley (Guatemala)
Orlando Pride United States3–0Costa Rica Alajuelense
Doyle 49'
Pickett 64'
Jackson 81'
Report
Attendance: 1,710
Referee: Janeishka Caban (Puerto Rico
Chorrillo Panama0–9Mexico América
Report
Attendance: 179
Referee: Vimarest Diaz (Dominican Republic)
Chorrillo Panama0–5United States Orlando Pride
Report
Attendance: 179
Referee: Priscila Pérez (Mexico)
América Mexico1–0Mexico Pachuca
Report
Attendance: 1,650
Referee: Alyssa Pennington (United States)
América Mexico2–0United States Orlando Pride
Report
Attendance: 3,866
Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)
Pachuca Mexico5–0Costa Rica Alajuelense
Report
Attendance: 806
Referee: Alex Billeter (United States)
Alajuelense Costa Rica1–0Panama Chorrillo
Report
Attendance: 327
Referee: Neressa Goldson (Jamaica)
Orlando Pride United States1–1Mexico Pachuca
Report
Attendance: 1,801
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (Canada)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WAS GFC MON VNR ALI
1 United States Washington Spirit 4 3 1 0 15 0 +15 10 Advanced to knockout stage 4–0 4–0
2 United States Gotham FC 4 3 1 0 8 2 +6 10 0–0 2–1
3 Mexico Monterrey 4 2 0 2 13 6 +7 6 4–0 8–0
4 Canada Vancouver Rise Academy 4 1 0 3 9 12 3 3 1–4 8–0
5 El Salvador Alianza 4 0 0 4 0 25 25 0 0–7 0–2
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Alianza El Salvador0–7United States Washington Spirit
Report Kouassi 21' (pen.), 52', 60'
Ricketts 24'
Ratcliffe 49'
Rodman 56'
Cantore 89'
Attendance: 211
Referee: Merlin Soto (Honduras)
Gotham FC United States2–1Mexico Monterrey
Bruninha 6'
Harper 24'
Report Restrepo 32'
Attendance: 858
Referee: Vimarest Diaz (Dominican Republic)
Alianza El Salvador0–2United States Gotham FC
Report Geyse 62' (pen.)
Duran 90+4'
Attendance: 294
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala)
Washington Spirit United States4–0Canada Vancouver Rise Academy
Report
Attendance: 1,405
Referee: Crystal Sobers (Trinidad and Tobago)
Vancouver Rise Academy Canada1–4United States Gotham FC
Report
Referee: Lizzet Amairany García Olvera (Mexico)
Monterrey Mexico8–0El Salvador Alianza
Report
Attendance: 1,671
Referee: Saphire Stockman (Costa Rica)
Gotham FC United States0–0United States Washington Spirit
Report
Attendance: 1,257
Referee: Janeishka Caban (Puerto Rico)
Monterrey Mexico4–0Canada Vancouver Rise Academy
Report
Attendance: 1,606
Referee: Dilia Bradley (Guatemala)
Washington Spirit United States4–0Mexico Monterrey
Report
Attendance: 2,087
Referee: Marianela Araya (Costa Rico)
Vancouver Rise Academy Canada8–0El Salvador Alianza
Report
Attendance: 1,046
Referee: Diana Pérez Borja (Mexico)

Knockout stage

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In the knockout stage, if a match were level at the end of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each). If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. On 20 January 2026, CONCACAF announced that Estadio Hidalgo in Hidalgo, Mexico would host the knockout stage of the tournament on 20-23 May 2026.[6]

Bracket

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
20 May – Pachuca
 
 
Mexico América 4
 
23 May – Pachuca
 
United States Gotham FC1
 
Mexico América 5
 
20 May – Pachuca
 
United States Washington Spirit3
 
United States Washington Spirit1
 
 
Mexico Pachuca0
 
Third place play-off
 
 
23 May – Pachuca
 
 
United States Gotham FC0
 
 
Mexico Pachuca3

Semi-finals

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América Mexico4–1United States Gotham FC
Report
Referee: Marianela Araya (Costa Rica)

Washington Spirit United States1–0Mexico Pachuca
Report
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

Third place play-off

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Gotham FC United States0–3Mexico Pachuca
Report

Final

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Final
América Mexico53United States Washington Spirit
Report
Attendance: 9,035
América
Washington Spirit
GK12Mexico Itzel Velasco
RB3Mexico Karina Rodríguezdownward-facing red arrow 59'
CB2Brazil Isa Haas
CB15Mexico Kimberly Rodríguez
LB28Mexico Sofía Ramos
DM5Venezuela Gabriela GarcíaYellow card 70'
RM19Mexico Montserrat Saldívardownward-facing red arrow 59'
CM18Mexico Nancy Antoniodownward-facing red arrow 90+1'
CM11Mexico Aylín AvilézYellow card 56'downward-facing red arrow 59'
LM10Mexico Scarlett Camberos (c)
CF17Brazil GeyseYellow card 66'
Substitutes:
GK1Spain Sandra Paños
GK51Mexico Valentina Murrieta
DF4Nigeria Chidinma Okekeupward-facing green arrow 90+1'
DF26Mexico Karen Lunaupward-facing green arrow 60'
MF8Spain Irene Guerreroupward-facing green arrow 60'
MF13Mexico Xcaret Pineda
MF14Mexico Alexa Soto
MF16Mexico Julie López
MF22United States Sarah Luebbertupward-facing green arrow 59'
FW21Mexico Daniela Espinosa
FW24Mexico Alondra Cabanillas
FW30United States Giana Riley
Head coach:
Spain Ángel Villacampa
GK18Scotland Sandy MacIver
RB14Canada Gabby Carledownward-facing red arrow 86'
CB9United States Tara Rudd (c)
CB24England Esme Morgan
LB13Italy Lucia Di Guglielmodownward-facing red arrow 86'
CM4Mexico Rebeca Bernal
CM17United States Hal Hershfelt
RW18Ivory Coast Rosemonde Kouassi
AM9Colombia Leicy Santosdownward-facing red arrow 86'
LW2United States Trinity RodmanYellow card 42'downward-facing red arrow 68'
CF27Italy Sofia Cantore
Substitutes:
GK31United States Kaylie Collins
GK26United States Tyler McCamey
DF5Canada Élisabeth Tsé
DF6United States Kate Wiesnerupward-facing green arrow 86'
DF26United States Paige Metayer
DF35United States Madison Haugen
MF20Nigeria Deborah Abiodun
MF34United States Molly Skurcenski
FW11Paraguay Claudia MartínezYellow card 89'upward-facing green arrow 68'
FW12United States Andi Sullivanupward-facing green arrow 86'
FW16Brazil Tamara Bolt
FW21Nigeria Gift Mondayupward-facing green arrow 86'
FW29United States Emma Gaines-Ramos
Head coach:
Spain Adrián González

Statistics

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See also

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References

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