Lionel Messi's hot start to his Inter Miami career has the Argentinian already paying dividends for his new club.
With their advancement to the 2023 Leagues Cup final, Messi has helped Inter Miami qualify for next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup, one of multiple trophies that Messi suddenly and miraculously has Inter Miami in the mix for.
Major League Soccer clubs have not traditionally fared well in continental competition, but are showing signs of increased competitiveness with Liga MX foes.
The Sporting News brings you a full review of how the CONCACAF Champions Cup works, who qualifies for the tournament in 2024, and its history.
What is the CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is the North American continental club championship, or the equivalent of Europe's UEFA Champions League.
Established in 1962, the competition was known as the CONCACAF Champions League from 2008 to 2023. With the 2024 tournament on the horizon, the North and Central American confederation decided to revive the old name once again, breaking from its sister competitions in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
For the 2024 tournament, the competition will expand to 27 teams participating.
Who qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is meant to compile all the top clubs in North and Central America from the previous year into one knockout tournament, which crowns a continental club champion.
As it has been since its inception, the tournament is a straight knockout bracket, with no group stage to start things off.
While recent years featured 16 teams in the knockout tournament, the 2024 competition will expand to 27. Five champions of various competitions will earn a bye to the Round of 16, while everyone else enters the tournament in the first round.
| Nation/League | Qualified Via | Round Entered | 2024 Qualifier |
| Liga MX | Apertura/Clausura Champions (with higher aggregate points) | Round of 16 | Pachuca |
| Liga MX | Apertura/Clausura Champions (with lower aggregate points) | First Round | Tigres UNAL |
| Liga MX | Apertura runner-up | First Round | Toluca |
| Liga MX | Clausura runner-up | First Round | Chivas Guadalajara |
| Liga MX | Next-best club in agg. table | First Round | Monterrey |
| Liga MX | Next-best club in agg. table | First Round | Club America |
| MLS | MLS Cup Champions | Round of 16 | Columbus Crew |
| MLS | MLS Supporters' Shield winner | First Round | FC Cincinnati |
| MLS | MLS other Conference winner | First Round | St. Louis City SC |
| MLS | Next-best club in agg. table | First Round | Orlando City SC |
| MLS | Next-best club in agg. table | First Round | New England Revolution |
| MLS | U.S. Open Cup winner | First Round | Houston Dynamo |
| LigaMX/MLS | Leagues Cup winner | Round of 16 | Inter Miami |
| LigaMX/MLS | Leagues Cup runner-up | First Round | Nashville SC |
| LigaMX/MLS | Leagues Cup third place | First Round | Philadelphia Union |
| Canada | Canadian PL title winner | First Round | Forge FC |
| Canada | Canadian PL regular season champion | First Round | Cavalry FC |
| Canada | Canadian Championship | First Round | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Caribbean | Caribbean Cup winner | Round of 16 | Robinhood |
| Caribbean | Caribbean Cup runner-up | First Round | Cavalier |
| Caribbean | Caribbean Cup third-place | First Round | Moca |
| Central America | Central American Cup winner | Round of 16 | Alajuelense (CRC) |
| Central America | Central American Cup runner-up | First Round | Real Esteli (NCR) |
| Central America | Central American Cup semifinalist | First Round | Independiente |
| Central America | Central American Cup semifinalist | First Round | Herediano |
| Central America | Central American Cup play-in winner | First Round | Comunicaciones |
| Central America | Central American Cup play-in winner | First Round | Saprissa |
2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup fixtures, schedule
The dates and bracket for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup have been officially set as of October 24. The matchups will be set by the draw which takes place on December 13. Seeded teams entering the Round of 16 were ranked by CONCACAF and slotted into the bracket automatically before the draw.
All stages prior to the final will be contested across two legs, while the final will be a single match. It is not yet determined where the final will take place, either hosted by one of the participants or contested at a neutral venue.
2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup schedule
| Stage | First Leg | 2nd Leg |
| First Round | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 |
| Round of 16 | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 2-4 | Apr. 9-11 |
| Semifinals | Apr. 23-25 | Apr. 30-May 2 |
| Final | June 2 | |
2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup fixtures
Round One
| Matchup | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
| M1: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M2: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M3: Club America vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M4: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M5: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M6: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M7: Pumas UNAL vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M8: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M9: Monterrey vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M10: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 | |
| M11: TBD vs. TBD | Feb. 6-15 | Feb. 20-29 |
Round of 16
| Matchup | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
| M1: Pachuca vs. M1 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M2: Robinhood vs. M2 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M3: M3 winner vs. M4 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M4: Alajuelense vs. M5 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M5: Columbus Crew vs. M6 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M6: M7 winner vs. M8 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M7: M9 winner vs. M10 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 | |
| M8: Inter Miami vs. M11 winner | Mar. 5-7 | Mar. 12-14 |
Quarterfinals
| Matchup | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
| QF1: M1 winner vs. M2 winner | Apr. 2-4 | Apr. 9-11 | |
| QF2: M3 winner vs. M4 winner | Apr. 2-4 | Apr. 9-11 | |
| QF3: M5 winner vs. M6 winner | Apr. 2-4 | Apr. 9-11 | |
| QF4: M7 winner vs. M8 winner | Apr. 2-4 | Apr. 9-11 |
Semifinals
| Matchup | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
| SF1: QF1 winner vs. QF2 winner | Apr. 23-25 | Apr. 30-May 2 | |
| SF2: QF3 winner vs. QF4 winner | Apr. 23-25 | Apr. 30-May 2 |
Final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| June 2, 2024 | TBD | SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner |
Who has won the most CONCACAF Champions Cup titles?
Throughout its history, Mexican clubs have dominated the CONCACAF club competition. Since its inception in 1962, and including both iterations of the tournament (the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League), Club America have won the most titles, with seven, including five CONCACAF Champions Cup trophies and two in the other iteration.
Since the initial change from Champions Cup to Champions League in 2009, no club outside of the United States or Mexico have won the competition. The last club to do so at all was Costa Rican side Saprissa in 2005. No MLS club has won the competition more than once.
Clubs with multiple CONCACAF continental championships
| Club | League | Total Titles | CCC | CCL | Last Title |
| Club America | Liga MX | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2016 |
| Cruz Azul | Liga MX | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2014 |
| Monterrey | Liga MX | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2021 |
| Pachuca | Liga MX | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2017 |
| Saprissa | Costa Rica | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2005 |
| UNAM Pumas | Liga MX | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1989 |
| Atlante | Liga MX | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2009 |
| Alajuelense | Costa Rica | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2004 |
| Toluca | Liga MX | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2003 |
| Necaxa | Liga MX | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1999 |
| Olimpia | Honduras | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1988 |
| Defence Force | Trinidad & Tobago | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1985 |