2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup explained

Tourney Name:CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Year:2024–25
Num Teams:Competition proper: 10
Total: 11
Associations:7
Count:1
Matches:20
Goals:92
Top Scorer: Ana Dias
María Sánchez
(4 goals each)
Updated:17 October 2024
Nextseason:2025–26

The 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup is the first season of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the annual continental women's football club competition organized by CONCACAF.[1]

Format

On 12 March 2024, CONCACAF announced the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. The tournament will feature eleven teams from seven CONCACAF member associations. The winner of a preliminary round match between a club from Canada and El Salvador will join the remaining nine teams in the group stage. In the group stage, teams will be split into two groups of five teams. Teams will face 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 2024. The top two clubs from each group will advance to the knockout stage, played at a centralized location in May 2025. The knockout stage will feature semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final to determine the champions of the competition. The tournament is intended to provide a pathway for a future FIFA Women's Club World Cup which FIFA has committed to launching in the future.[1] [2]

Tiebreakers

Teams in the group stage are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[3]

  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

CONCACAF allocated spots to seven of their member associations, based on eligibility criteria. Each association has one spot in the tournament, with the exception of Mexico and the United States, which have three.[1]

Distribution

The following is the access list for the 2024–25 season.[1]

Access list for 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
RoundTeams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round
(2 teams)
  • 1 team from Canada
  • 1 team from El Salvador
Group stage
(10 teams)
  • 1 team from Costa Rica
  • 1 team from Jamaica
  • 3 teams from Mexico
  • 1 team from Panama
  • 3 teams from the United States
  • 1 winner from the preliminary round
Knockout phase
(4 teams)
  • 2 group winners from the group stage
  • 2 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

Teams will qualify through their domestic leagues based on sporting merit. The qualification criteria, confirmed on 24 April 2024,[4] were proposed by each member association and ratified by CONCACAF.[1]

Qualified teams for 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
AssociationTeamQualification method
Teams entering in group stage

Alajuelense2023 Costa Rican Women's Premier Division and champions

Frazsiers Whip2022–23 Jamaica Women's Premier League champions

UANL2023 Liga MX Femenil Apertura champions
Monterrey2024 Liga MX Femenil Clausura champions
AméricaBest runner-up of the 2023–24 Liga MX Femenil season based on accumulated points during the regular phase

Santa Fe champions

NJ/NY Gotham FC2023 National Women's Soccer League champions
San Diego Wave FC2023 National Women's Soccer League Shield winners
Portland Thorns FC2023 National Women's Soccer League Shield runners-up
Teams entering in preliminary round

Whitecaps FC Girls Elite2023 League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship champions

Alianza2023–24 Primera División Femenina de El Salvador Apertura–Clausura play-off winners

Seeding

The pots were confirmed on 7 May 2024, with the qualifying teams being split into six pots of two teams.[5]

PotTeam
1 Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
Alianza
2 NJ/NY Gotham FC
San Diego Wave FC
3 Portland Thorns FC
UANL
4 América
Monterrey
5 Alajuelense
Santa Fe
6 Frazsiers Whip
Preliminary round winner

Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 June 2024 at 20:00 EDT (UTC−4).[2] [5] A team was randomly drawn from Pot 1, consisting of the two Preliminary Round teams, to determine the host of the Preliminary Round match. Then, the ten Group Stage teams (the nine direct qualifiers for the Group Stage plus the as-then-unknown winner of the Preliminary Round) were drawn into two groups of five. The Group Stage draw began by randomly selecting a team from Pot 2 and placing them into Group A and then selecting the remaining team from Pot 2 and placing them into Group B. The Group Stage draw continued with the same procedure done for the remaining pots.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[2]

Schedule for 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
PhaseRoundMatch date
QualifyingPreliminary round13–15 August 2024
Group stageMatchday 120–22 August 2024
Matchday 22–5 September 2024
Matchday 317–19 September 2024
Matchday 41–3 October 2024
Matchday 515–17 October 2024
Knockout stageSemi-finals22 May 2025
Third place play-off25 May 2025
Final

Preliminary round

The qualified teams from Canada and El Salvador will participate in the preliminary round, with the winner joining the remaining nine teams in the group stage.[6]

Group stage

Group A

----------------

Group B

----------------

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played (two periods of 15 minutes each). If still tied after extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals, third place play-off, and final will be played at a common venue to be determined.----

Final

Goalscorers

RankPlayerTeamGoals[7]
1 Ana Dias Tigres UANL4
María Sánchez San Diego Wave FC
3 Izzy D'Aquila Portland Thorns FC3
Lucía García Monterrey
Sarah Luebbert América
Stephany Mayor Tigres UANL
Kiana Palacios América
Yazmeen Ryan NJ/NY Gotham FC
Christine Sinclair Portland Thorns FC
Lynn Williams NJ/NY Gotham FC
Rebeca Bernal Monterrey
Esther González NJ/NY Gotham FC
Irene Guerrero América
Thembi Kgatlana Tigres UANL
Payton Linnehan Portland Thorns FC
Ángela Mesén Alajuelense
Jenna Nighswonger NJ/NY Gotham FC
Marcela Restrepo Monterrey
Maricarmen Reyes Tigres UANL
Delanie Sheehan NJ/NY Gotham FC
Taryn Torres NJ/NY Gotham FC
Reilyn Turner Portland Thorns FC
Amirah Ali San Diego Wave FC1
Aylín Aviléz América
Scarlett Camberos América
Carol Cázares Monterrey
María Paula Coto Alajuelense
Belén Cruz Tigres UANL
Cristina Ferral Tigres UANL
Mandy Freeman NJ/NY Gotham FC
Alison González Tigres UANL
Jennifer Hermoso Tigres UANL
Nicolette Hernández América
Cece Kizer NJ/NY Gotham FC
Maitane López NJ/NY Gotham FC
Karen Luna América
Nuria Mayqueling Márquez Santa Fe
Kristen McNabb San Diego Wave FC
Natalia Mills Alajuelense
María Murillo Santa Fe
Lizbeth Ovalle Tigres UANL
Kenia Rangel Alajuelense
Brianne Reed Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
Reyna Reyes Portland Thorns FC
Davia Richards Frasziers Whip
Anika Rodríguez Tigres UANL
Ana Seiça Tigres UANL
Jéssica Silva NJ/NY Gotham FC
Sophia Smith Portland Thorns FC
Katie Stengel NJ/NY Gotham FC
Kaitlyn Torpey San Diego Wave FC
Rebekah Valdez América
Sofía Varela Alajuelense
Emily Wong Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
McCall Zerboni NJ/NY Gotham FC
Jourdan Ziff Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
Miah Zuazua América-->

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CONCACAF launches region's first official women's continental club competition with annual W Champions Cup . . 12 March 2024 . 12 March 2024.
  2. Web site: 2024/25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup Draw Scheduled for June 6; match-dates confirmed. . 16 April 2024 . 16 April 2024.
  3. Web site: 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup Regulations . . 6 September 2024.
  4. Web site: CONCACAF announces qualification criteria for Confederation's 2024/25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup . . 24 April 2024 . 24 April 2024.
  5. Web site: 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup official draw details announced . . 7 May 2024 . 7 May 2024.
  6. Web site: Draw delivers groups for inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup . . 7 June 2024 . en . 6 June 2024.
  7. Web site: Stats. 4 October 2024. CONCACAF.