2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 July – 4 December |
| Teams | 20 (from 7 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Alajuelense (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Real Estelí |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 58 |
| Goals scored | 152 (2.62 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Diego Campos (6 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Diego Campos |
| Best young player | Bryan Ordóñez |
| Best goalkeeper | Leonel Moreira |
← 2023 2025 → | |
The 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup is the second edition of the CONCACAF Central American Cup, the first-tier annual international club football competition in the Central American region. It is contested by clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Central American Football Union (UNCAF), a sub-confederation of CONCACAF.
The winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup will qualify directly for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16, while the second through sixth-place teams will qualify to Round One of the same competition.[1]
Teams
[edit]Twenty teams from the seven UNCAF member associations qualified for the tournament based on results from their domestic leagues.[2][3][4] Eighteen slots are predetermined by CONCACAF and the remaining two slots were granted to Costa Rica and Nicaragua as the national associations whose clubs were finalists in the previous edition of the tournament.[5][6] The slot allocation for this edition was as follows:
- Costa Rica: 3+1 berths
- El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama: 3 berths
- Nicaragua: 2+1 berths
- Belize: 1 berth
| Association | Team | Qualifying method |
|---|---|---|
 Belize (1 berth)
|
Port Layola | 2023–24 Premier League tournament champions (2024 Closing) with better record in aggregate table. |
| Costa Rica (4 berths) |
Saprissa | 2023–24 Liga FPD Apertura and Clausura champions[7] |
| Herediano | 2023–24 Liga FPD aggregate table best team not yet qualified[7] | |
| Alajuelense | 2023–24 Liga FPD aggregate table second-best team not yet qualified[7] | |
| Guanacasteca | 2023–24 Liga FPD aggregate table third-best team not yet qualified[7] | |
 El Salvador(3 berths) |
Águila | 2023–24 Primera División Apertura champions[8] |
| Alianza | 2023–24 Primera División Clausura champions[8] | |
| Luis Ángel Firpo | 2023–24 Primera División aggregate table best team not yet qualified | |
 Guatemala(3 berths) |
Comunicaciones | 2023–24 Liga Nacional Torneo Apertura champions[9] |
| Municipal | 2023–24 Liga Nacional Torneo Clausura champions[9] | |
| Antigua | 2023–24 Liga Nacional aggregate table best team not yet qualified[9] | |
 Honduras(3 berths) |
Olimpia | 2023–24 Honduran Liga Nacional Apertura and Clausura champions |
| Marathón | 2023–24 Honduran Liga Nacional aggregate table best team not yet qualified | |
| Motagua | 2023–24 Honduran Liga Nacional aggregate table second-best team not yet qualified | |
| Nicaragua (3 berths) |
Diriangén | 2023–24 Liga Primera Apertura and Clausura champions |
| Managua | 2023–24 Liga Primera aggregate table best team not yet qualified | |
| Real Estelí | 2023–24 Liga Primera aggregate table second-best team not yet qualified | |
 Panama(3 berths) |
Independiente | 2023 Liga Panameña Torneo Clausura champions[10][11] |
| Tauro | 2024 Liga Panameña Torneo Apertura champions[10][11] | |
| San Francisco | 2023 Liga Panameña Torneo Clausura and 2024 Liga Panameña Torneo Apertura aggregate table best team not yet qualified[10][11] |
Draw
[edit]The draw for the group stage was held on 6 June 2024 in Miami, Florida, United States. The 20 involved teams were previously seeded into five pots of four teams each based on their CONCACAF Club Ranking as of 3 June 2024.[4][12]
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For the group stage, the 20 teams were drawn into four groups (Groups A–D) of five containing a team from each of the five pots. Teams from pot 1 were drawn first and were placed in the first position of their group, starting from Group A to Group D. The same procedure was followed for teams from pots 2, 3, 4 and 5, and they were placed in positions 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, within the group to which they were drawn. Each group must contain no more than two clubs from the same national association.[4]
Schedule
[edit]The schedule of the competition is as follows.[1]
| Stage | Round | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Stage | Matchday 1 | 30 July – 1 August | |
| Matchday 2 | 6–8 August | ||
| Matchday 3 | 13–15 August | ||
| Matchday 4 | 20–22 August | ||
| Matchday 5 | 27–29 August | ||
| Knockout | Quarterfinals | 24–26 September | 1–3 October |
| Semifinals and play-in | 22–24 October | 29–31 October | |
| Finals | 27 November | 4 December | |
Group stage
[edit]In the group stage, each group was played on a single home-and-away round-robin basis, with teams playing against each other once, for a total of four matches per team (two home and two away). The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage.
Group A
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HER | MOT | DIR | TAU | SFR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herediano
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 10 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | — | |
| 2 | Motagua
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 7 | — | — | — | 4–1 | 3–2 | ||
| 3 | Diriangén
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | ||
| 4 | Tauro
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 3 | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 5 | San Francisco
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results (points, goal difference, goals scored); 5) Fair play points; 6) Drawing of lots.
Group B
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALA | COM | MAR | ALI | LAF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alajuelense
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 12 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | — | — | |
| 2 | Comunicaciones
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | — | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | ||
| 3 | Marathón
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Alianza
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1–2 | — | — | — | 5–2 | ||
| 5 | Luis Ángel Firpo
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | — | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results (points, goal difference, goals scored); 5) Fair play points; 6) Drawing of lots.
Group C
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ÁGU | ANT | OLI | CAI | PLA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Águila
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 10 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | — | 2–0 | — | 5–1 | |
| 2 | Antigua
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 8 | 0–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | ||
| 3 | Olimpia
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 7 | — | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | — | ||
| 4 | Independiente
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 3 | 0–3 | — | — | — | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Port Layola
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 0 | — | 1–4 | 1–6 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results (points, goal difference, goals scored); 5) Fair play points; 6) Drawing of lots.
Group D
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAP | EST | MUN | MAN | GUA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saprissa
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 9 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | — | 1–0 | — | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Real Estelí
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | 2–1 | — | — | 3–0 | — | ||
| 3 | Municipal
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Managua
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Guanacasteca
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 4 | — | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results (points, goal difference, goals scored); 5) Fair play points; 6) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage
[edit]The knockout stage will be played on a single-elimination tournament with the following rules:[2]
- Each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The home team of the second leg in each tie was determined separately for each round as follows (Regulations Article 12.11):
- In the quarter-finals, the group winners hosted the second leg.
- In the semi-finals and play-in, the higher-ranked teams based on total points accumulated in the group stage and the quarterfinals hosted the second leg.
- In the finals, the higher-ranked team based on total points accumulated in the group stage, quarterfinals and semi-finals will host the second leg.
- In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be directly used to determine the winners (Regulations Article 12.10.2).
- In the play-in and finals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would also be used. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time would be played but the away goals scored during this time would not serve as a tie-breaking criteria. If still tied after extra time, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.10.3).
Qualified teams
[edit]| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A | Herediano
|
Motagua
|
| B | Alajuelense
|
Comunicaciones
|
| C | Águila
|
Antigua
|
| D | Saprissa
|
Real Estelí
|
Seeding
[edit]Teams were seeded 1–8 based on results in the group stage and assigned a position in a fixed bracket. For example, the first semi-final was contested between the winner of the 1 vs. 8 quarter-final and the winner of the 4 vs. 5 quarter-final. For each round, the host of the second leg was determined based on performance in all previous rounds, including the group stage.
The following was the seeding for the quarter-finals round only:[13]
| Seed | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Matchups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Alajuelense
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 12 | Match QF1 |
| 2 | C | Águila
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 10 | Match QF3 |
| 3 | A | Herediano
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 10 | Match QF4 |
| 4 | D | Saprissa
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | Match QF2 |
| 5 | C | Antigua
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 8 | Match QF2 |
| 6 | A | Motagua
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 7 | Match QF4 |
| 7 | D | Real Estelí
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Match QF3 |
| 8 | B | Comunicaciones
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | Match QF1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Disciplinary points (1 point for yellow card, 3 points for second yellow card/indirect red card, 4 points for direct red card, 5 points for yellow card and direct red card); 8) Drawing of lots (Regulations Article 12.11.4).[2]
Bracket
[edit]The bracket was decided based on the quarter-finals seeding.
| Play-in | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Real Estelí | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Águila | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Águila | 0 | 2 | 2 | Real Estelí (a) | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Motagua | 2 | 2 | 4 | Herediano | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Motagua | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Herediano (a) | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Estelí | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alajuelense | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Antigua | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Saprissa | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saprissa | 1 | 3 | 4 | Antigua | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Comunicaciones | 1 | 1 | 2 | Alajuelense | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Comunicaciones | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Alajuelense | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
[edit]The first legs were played on 24–26 September, and the second legs were played on 1–3 October 2024.[13]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comunicaciones | 2–3 | Alajuelense | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Antigua | 3–0 | Saprissa | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Real Estelí | 2–1 | Águila | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Motagua | 2–2 (a) | Herediano | 2–2 | 0–0 |
Play-in
[edit]The first legs were played on 22 and 23 October, and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 October 2024.[14]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comunicaciones | 2–4 | Saprissa | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Motagua | 4–2 | Águila | 2–0 | 2–2 |
Semi-finals
[edit]The first legs were played on 22 and 24 October, and the second legs were played on 30 and 31 October 2024.[14]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua | 0–1 | Alajuelense | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Real Estelí | 2–2 (a) | Herediano | 0–0 | 2–2 |
Finals
[edit]| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estelí | 2–3 | Alajuelense | 1–1 | 1–2 |
Top goalscorers
[edit]- As of 30 October 2024
| Rank | Player | Team | GS1 | GS2 | GS3 | GS4 | GS5 | QF1 | QF2 | PI1 | PI2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Campos
|
Alajuelense
|
2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2 |  Agustín Auzmendi
|
Motagua
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
 Diego Casas
|
Comunicaciones
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
 Javon East
|
Saprissa
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Santiago Gómez
|
Antigua
|
1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | José Ardón
|
Antigua
|
3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Byron Bonilla
|
Real Estelí
|
2 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Rubilio Castillo
|
Motagua
|
1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
 Gustavo Souza
|
Luis Ángel Firpo
|
1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Styven Vásquez
|
Luis Ángel Firpo
|
2 | 1 | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Concacaf confirms important details for 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup". Miami: CONCACAF. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "CONCACAF Central American Cup 2024 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF. 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Alianza FC, San Francisco complete Central American Cup field". Miami: CONCACAF. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Concacaf confirms 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup participating clubs and draw pots". CONCACAF. 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Honduras pierde una plaza a la Copa Centroamericana 2024 con Nicaragua" [Honduras loses a place in the 2024 Central American Cup to Nicaragua] (in Spanish). Tegucigalpa: El Heraldo. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Nicaragua tendrá tres cupos para la próxima Copa Centroamericana gracias al Real Estelí" [Nicaragua will have three slots for the next Central American Cup thanks to Real Esteli] (in Spanish). La Prensa. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "NORMAS DE COMPETICIÓN TEMPORADA 2023–2024" (PDF) (in Spanish). UNAFUT. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b "BASES DE COMPETENCIA DE LA PRIMERA DIVISION DE FUTBOL PROFESIONAL TEMPORADA 2023-2024" (PDF) (in Spanish). Salvadoran Football Federation. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Acevedo, Josue (19 May 2024). "Qué equipos representarán a Guatemala en la Copa Centroamericana 2024" [Which teams will represent Guatemala in the 2024 Central American Cup?] (in Spanish). Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "REGLAMENTO COMPETENCIA LPF TEMPORADA - 2023" (PDF). lpf.com.pa (in Spanish). Liga Panameña de Fútbol. 27 December 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "REGLAMENTO DE COMPETENCIAS TEMPORADA 2024" (PDF). lpf.com.pa (in Spanish). Liga Panameña de Fútbol. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Concacaf Club Ranking as of June 3, 2024". CONCACAF. 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Concacaf confirms 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup Quarterfinal pairings and schedule". CONCACAF. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b "2024 Concacaf Central American Cup Semifinals and Play-In matchups and schedule confirmed". CONCACAF. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website at CONCACAF.com