Inter Miami were crowned MLS champions by defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1, which earned them direct qualification to the round of 16 of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. The Herons will be looking to win this tournament for the first time, after being eliminated in the quarter-finals and semi-finals in previous editions.
With Inter Miami’s direct qualification and the pre-qualified Liga MX teams such as Deportivo Toluca and Club America, the fixture list is beginning to take shape and these teams could certainly be the ones to complicate matters for the MLS champion, especially as America appears with seven Concachampions titles and 16 Liga MX championships on the Florida team’s side.
Club America, Lionel Messi’s potential opponent in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-finals
According to the tournament’s preliminary draw, if Club America advanced from the first round, its path could cross with Inter Miami in the quarterfinals, being one of the great attractions for the top club competition at Concacaf level. The matches could be played at the Estadio Azteca, which will reopen at the end of March, and Miami Freedom Park, which will debut in early April.
This clash could be one of the most attractive duels of the tournament due to the quality of both teams. It is also of great interest that Lionel Messi travels to Mexico to play a match, as Argentina did not play a World Cup match on Mexican soil.
Concachampions 2026 draw: pots, time and how to watch in the United States
The official draw will take place on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen for free on YouTube through Concacaf’s official channel, where the first round matches and the brackets up to the final will be defined.
The pots were distributed as follows:
- Pot 1 (pre-seeded): America, Tigres, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Pumas, LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps, Cincinnati FC, LA Galaxy, Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC.
- Pot 2 (initial phase): San Diego FC, Olimpia, Xelaju, Cartagines, Atletico Ottawa, Forge FC, Real Espana, Sporting San Miguelito, Defence Force FC, Vancouver FC, O&M FC.
- Teams qualified directly for the round of 16: Inter Miami, Toluca, Seattle Sounders, LD Alajuelense and Mount Pleasant
The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup begins in February and the grand final will be played on May 31, 2026 as a single match, so from the draw the possible matchups begin to be seen, with Inter Miami vs Club America being the one that attracts the most attention and could occur in the quarterfinals.
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