The Concacaf Champions Cup: MLS’ sole path to the Club World Cup

In 2025, the first edition of the revamped Club World Cup will take place in the United States. With a new, expanded format, the tournament will be held every four years, featuring 32 invited clubs.

The new format mirrors the old World Cup structure. While Inter Miami has secured a spot this time as the host team, future editions will require MLS clubs to fight for their place.

According to the qualification rules, there are four places allocated to Concacaf, which will be awarded to the champions of the confederation’s top club competition over the four previous editions of the tournament.

For Concacaf, the champions of the Concacaf Champions Cup will earn a ticket to the competition. This raises the stakes for MLS teams, as winning this tournament is now their only path to the Club World Cup. The increased difficulty means that MLS clubs must bring their best game to secure their place on the global stage.

Mexican dominance: The main challenge

While the opportunity to win the Concacaf Champions Cup (often referred to as the “Concachampions”) presents itself every year, the task is far from easy. Historically, Mexican teams have dominated the competition, making them the most successful nation in recent years.

Since the tournament’s inception in 1962, US teams have only won it three times, compared to 39 victories by Mexican clubs. The three American teams that have lifted the trophy are D.C. United, the LA Galaxy, and the Seattle Sounders.

In fact, since the competition was re-branded as the Concacaf Champions League 16 editions ago, the Seattle Sounders are the only non-Mexican team to have broken the Mexican stranglehold, winning the 2022 edition by defeating Pumas UNAM.

Despite this, three other MLS clubs have reached the semifinals in recent years: Real Salt Lake, who lost to Monterrey in the 2010-11 season; LAFC, who fell to Tigres and León in the 2020 and 2023 editions, respectively; and the Columbus Crew, who were defeated in the most recent tournament.

The Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami will represent MLS in the 2025 Club World Cup. The Sounders earned their spot by winning the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2022, while Inter Miami secured their place as the host team.

The new 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign for MLS teams kicks off this Tuesday, February 18th. Eight teams will compete for the title: Inter Miami, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, LAFC, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, and FC Cincinnati. Their goal is to lift the trophy and secure a coveted spot in the next Club World Cup.

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