Twenty-Four Teams set to Compete for Regional Club Championship Starting August 6

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today unveiled the group stage schedule for the 2013-14 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, the region’s premier competition for clubs. To view the pdf version of the schedule, please see attached.

Twenty-four teams will participate starting August 6th in this season’s Champions League, marking the sixth edition in which a Confederation-wide group stage has been disputed before the knockout rounds.  This edition will crown a brand new winner of what has quickly become far-and-away the most highly sought after club prize on offer in the Confederation, since three-time defending champion CF Monterrey did not qualify for this tournament.

“We are extremely excited for this new edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament that continues to grow exponentially in each market thanks to the vast support of fans, broadcasters, media and sponsors.” said CONCACAF General Secretary Enrique Sanz.  “We look forward to every single game on the road to crowning a new champion in April of 2014.”

Record crowds and unprecedented media attention defined the 2012-13 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, as the tournament – sponsored this season by Miller, Nike and Telcel – built further on momentum gained in recent years, following the initiation of the group play format in 2008.

Fans flocked to stadiums throughout the group stage and championship rounds of last season’s competition, which culminated in May with Monterrey’s memorable victory over fellow Mexican side Santos Laguna.  The final match, a pulsating return encounter played before a packed house in Monterrey, saw the host overcome two-goal deficit late in the game to win 4-2 and take the title for a third straight time.  That evening served as confirmation of the CONCACAF Champions League’s arrival as a premier international club competition, and set the stage for the upcoming edition.

This season’s tournament begins on August 6.  Thanks to the support of broadcast partners such as Univision, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Deportes Latin-American and ESPN Deportes Radio among others, fans will once again be able to follow all the action across the entire confederation.

On match day one, Mexico’s Deportivo Toluca, will welcome veteran CCL participant Caledonia AIA of Trinidad & Tobago to open that evening’s double-header, and kick off the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.  Club Tijuana of Mexico travels to El Salvador to play Clausura champion Luis Angel Firpo that same evening.  The following day will feature a triple-header with an additional three matches scheduled for August 8.

The competition continues with two more match dates in August (August 20-22 and August 27-29). The month of September will feature two more rounds, with the group phase wrapping up with a final set of encounters October 22-24.

The winner of each of the eight three-team groups advances to the championship stage knockout rounds.

The quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds are slated for March – April, 2014.

The full schedule, as well as more information on the CONCACAF Champions League can be found at CONCACAF.com.