Mexican clubs have won North America's club championship 41 times
Since 1962, clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean have competed for a continental crown, and one country has dominated. Mexican teams have taken the title 41 times, while second-placed Costa Rica has six. The two most successful clubs, América and Cruz Azul, each own seven trophies, more than most entire nations.
Thirty different clubs have won the competition, fourteen of them more than once. Saprissa of Costa Rica, with three wins, is the best performer from outside Mexico, and teams from the United States and El Salvador have three apiece as nations. Only four clubs have ever defended the title successfully, and every one is Mexican: América, Cruz Azul, Pachuca and Monterrey. The most recent winners, Toluca, beat Tigres in the 2026 final.
The shape of the tournament has changed repeatedly. In its early years only league champions took part, and the opening rounds were split into three regional zones, with one zone winner often given a bye straight to the final. From 1971 some league runners-up joined and group stages appeared. After Major League Soccer launched, it became an eight-team knockout with a central host for its first editions, switching to home and away legs in 2002.
In 2008 the old Champions' Cup was rebranded as a Champions League on the European model, expanding to 24 teams with a preliminary round and group stage. That growth let Central American clubs qualify directly and killed off their separate regional cup. For a time, American and Mexican sides were kept apart in the group draw. Groups were scrapped from 2018, and in 2024 the tournament reverted to the Champions Cup name.
Today every round is a two-legged tie decided on aggregate, with away goals, extra time and penalties as tie-breakers. One quirk sets it apart from its European and South American counterparts: the holder does not automatically qualify for the next edition. The winner does, however, earn a place at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Source: CONCACAF Champions Cup
