• Regional cup includes 20 Central American clubs; six will advance to an expanded 27-club 2024 Champions Cup
• Tournament commences with group stage play in August and concludes with a two-legged final in December

Miami, FL (Thursday, June 8, 2023) – Concacaf has conducted the official draw for the inaugural edition of the Concacaf Central American Cup. The regional cup is part of the Confederation’s new men’s club ecosystem, which also includes regional cups in North America and the Caribbean, all leading to a revamped 27-club Concacaf Champions Cup (replaces Concacaf Champions League). 

The live made-for-tv event was hosted by sports anchor Raul Guzman and included the participation of Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio and two Concacaf legends and Champions Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica) and Roger Rojas (Honduras). 

General Secretary Moggio presented the tournament’s logo and brand as part of the event. The brand colors represent the volcanoes at the heart of the Central American region and the explosive growth of football in its countries. 

To download the logo and brand guide, click here. 

The 2023 Central American Cup includes 20 clubs, all determined via domestic league play. The tournament will kick off with group stage play, followed by a direct elimination knockout stage. 

For the group stage, the clubs have been divided into four groups of five as follows:

Group A
Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
CSD Coban Imperial (GUA)
CS Cartagines (CRC)
CD Universitario (PAN)
Jocoro FC (SLV)

Group B
CD Olimpia (HON)
CSD Xelaju MC (GUA)
CA Independiente (PAN)
CD FAS (SLV)
Real Esteli FC (NCA)

Group C
Comunicaciones FC (GUA)
CS Herediano (CRC)
Real CD España (HON)
CD Aguila (SLV)
Diriangen FC (NCA)

Group D
LD Alajuelense (CRC)
FC Motagua (HON)
Olancho FC (HON)
Sporting San Miguelito (PAN)
Verdes FC (BLZ)

After round-robin play, where each club plays every other club in their group once, two matches at home and two matches away, the first and second-place finishers advance to the knockout stage. 

The knockout stage comprises home and away quarterfinals, play-in, semifinals, and final. At the conclusion of the Central American Cup, the Champion qualifies for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, and the runners-up, two losing semifinalists, and two play-in winners for Round One.

Concacaf will announce the competition’s match schedule in the coming days.

Match Windows

Week 1: August 1-3 (1 vs 3 and 5 vs 2)
Week 2: August 8-10 (5 vs 1 and 2 vs 4)  
Week 3: August 15-17 (4 vs 5 and 2 vs 3) 
Week 4: August 22-24 (4 vs 1 and 3 vs 5)
Week 5: August 29-31 (1 vs 2 and 3 vs 4)
Quarterfinals: September 26-28 (First Legs) and October 3-5 (Second Legs)
Semifinals and Play-In: October 24-26 (First Legs) and October 31 – November 2 (Second Legs)
Finals: November 28-30 (First Legs) and December 5-7 (Second Legs)

Fans will be able to enjoy all matches through the Confederation’s TV partner networks, including FOX Sports | Tubi (USA-English), TUDN | ViX (USA-Spanish), Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico-Spanish), ESPN | Star+ (Central America, Caribbean, and South America), and the Concacaf Official Platforms for all other territories (subject to territory restrictions).