2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup

2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Estadio Hidalgo served as the venue for the final four of the tournament
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 scorer(s)Ivory Coast Rosemonde Kouassi (Washington Spirit)
6 goals
Best playerMexico Scarlett Camberos (América)[1]
Best young playerMexico Montserrat Saldívar (América)[1]
Best goalkeeperMexico Itzel Velasco (América)[1]
Fair play awardUnited States Washington Spirit[1]
2027 →

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.[2] 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.[3]

The competition began in August 2025. Gotham FC were the defending champions, having defeated Tigres UANL 1–0 in the inaugural final, but were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing 4–1 to América. In the 2026 final, held on 23 May,[2] América triumphed over the Washington Spirit 5–3 to win their first title.

Format

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.[4][3]

Tiebreakers

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:[5]

  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

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.[3]

Distribution

The following was the access list for the 2025–26 tournament.[3]

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

Teams qualified through their domestic leagues based on sporting merit. The qualification criteria were proposed by each member association and ratified by CONCACAF.[3]

Qualified teams for 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Association Team Qualification method[6] 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 and Clausura 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) Fourth place (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

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.[4][6]

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

The draw for the group stage was held on 3 June 2025 at 20:00 EDT (UTC−4).[3] 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.[4]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[3]

Schedule for 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Phase Round Match date
Group stage Matchday 1 19–20 August 2025
Matchday 2 2–3 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 May 2026
Third place play-off
Final 23 May 2026

Group stage

Group A

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 Advance 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
 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
 Report
Attendance: 1,710
Referee: Janeishka Caban (Puerto Rico
Chorrillo Panama0–9Mexico América
Report
Attendance: 179
Referee: Vimarest Díaz (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

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 Advance 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
Attendance: 211
Referee: Merlin Soto (Honduras)
Gotham FC United States2–1Mexico Monterrey
 Report
Attendance: 858
Referee: Vimarest Díaz (Dominican Republic)
Alianza El Salvador0–2United States Gotham FC
Report
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
  • Kashima 3', 23'
  • Baxter 12' (pen.), 44'
  • Ewasiuk 39', 49'
  • Patik 42', 62'
 Report
Attendance: 1,046
Referee: Diana Pérez Borja (Mexico)

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, if a match was 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 between 20 and 23 May 2026.[7]

Bracket

 
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

América Mexico4–1United States Gotham FC
 Report
Attendance: 4,505
Referee: Marianela Araya (Costa Rica)
Washington Spirit United States1–0Mexico Pachuca
 Report
Attendance: 6,715
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

Third place play-off

Gotham FC United States0–3Mexico Pachuca
Report
Attendance: 1,997
Referee: Vimarest Díaz (Dominican Republic)

Final

América Mexico5–3United States Washington Spirit
 Report
Attendance: 9,035
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (Canada)

Statistics

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeam(s)Goals[8]
1 Ivory Coast Rosemonde Kouassi United States Washington Spirit 6
2 Mexico Scarlett Camberos Mexico América 5
Nigeria Chinwendu Ihezuo Mexico Pachuca
4 Spain Irene Guerrero Mexico América 4
5 Brazil Geyse United States Gotham FC
Mexico América		 3
Mexico Kiana Palacios Mexico América
Mexico Alice Soto Mexico Monterrey
United States Summer Yates United States Orlando Pride
9 Seventeen players 2

Best XI

CONCACAF selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[9]

Pos. Player Team(s)
GK Mexico Itzel Velasco Mexican Football Federation América
DF Colombia Yirleidis Minota Mexican Football Federation Pachuca
United States Tara Rudd United States Soccer Federation Washington Spirit
Mexico Karina Rodríguez Mexican Football Federation América
MF Spain Andrea Pereira Mexican Football Federation Pachuca
Mexico Nancy Antonio Mexican Football Federation América
Mexico Montserrat Saldívar United States Soccer Federation América
Spain Irene Guerrero Mexican Football Federation América
FW Ivory Coast Rosemonde Kouassi United States Soccer Federation Washington Spirit
Mexico Scarlett Camberos Mexican Football Federation América
Brazil Geyse United States Soccer Federation Gotham FC
Mexican Football Federation América

Awards

AwardPlayerTeamRef.
Best Player AwardMexico Scarlett CamberosMexican Football Federation América[1]
Best Goalkeeper AwardMexico Itzel VelascoMexican Football Federation América
Young Player AwardMexico Montserrat SaldívarMexican Football Federation América
Top Scorer AwardIvory Coast Rosemonde KouassiUnited States Soccer Federation Washington Spirit
Fair Play AwardN/aUnited States Soccer Federation Washington Spirit

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Camberos, Kouassi, Velasco earn W Champions Cup honors". CONCACAF. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 "An exciting 2025 awaits: a brief on the upcoming competitions in Concacaf". CONCACAF. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Concacaf confirms key details for 2025/26 W Champions Cup". CONCACAF. 12 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Concacaf confirms 2025/26 W Champions Cup participating clubs and draw pots". CONCACAF. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Concacaf Women's Club Ranking Guidelines" (PDF). CONCACAF. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico, Awarded 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup Finals". CONCACAF. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "W Champions Cup player statistics". CONCACAF. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Camberos, Geyse, Kouassi headline Best XI". CONCACAF. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
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