Concacaf announces key dates for 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup

Concacaf announced key dates for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup on Thursday, confirming the tournament's format and revealing that the draw will take place on December 9, 2025. 

For the third consecutive year, 27 teams will participate in the Champions Cup, which will be played in a single-elimination format from the first round through to the final. Every matchup until the final will be a home-and-away aggregate tie, with the final being a single-elimination match. 

Up to four Canadian teams could still participate in the 2026 tournament, with two Canadian Premier League teams set to earn a berth through league play, while the Canadian Championship, which will be won by either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Vancouver FC, offers another opportunity to qualify. Lastly, the Whitecaps could also qualify through MLS play, both in the regular season table and in the playoffs, which could open the door for Vancouver FC to qualify no matter how the Canadian Championship final plays out. 

In 2024, three Canadian clubs participated in the Champions Cup - Cavalry FC, Forge FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. There, Cavalry FC fell to Pumas UNAM 3-2 on aggregate in the first round, Forge FC lost 5-0 on aggregate to CF Monterrey in the first round, and the Whitecaps reached the final of the tournament before losing 5-0 to Cruz Azul in that match. 

With that in mind, here is the full list of relevant dates for the 2026 tournament, from Concacaf.

Official Draw: Dec. 9, 2025

Round One: Feb. 3 – 5 (Week 1), Feb. 10 – 12 (Week 2), Feb. 17 – 19 (Week 3), Feb. 24 – 26 (Week 4)

Round of 16: March 10 – 12 (First Legs), March 17 – 19 (Second Legs)

Quarterfinals: April 7 – 9 (First Legs), April 14 – 16 (Second Legs)

Semifinals: April 28 – 30 (First Legs), May 5 – 7 (Second Legs)

Final: May 30, 2026 (Single Leg)