MIAMI, FL – CONCACAF announced Monday details for the inaugural edition of the Scotiabank CONCACAF League (SCL), the newest tournament in the Confederation’s expanded club competitions platform. The club that lifts the CONCACAF League trophy in October also advances to the 2018 Champions League.
The draw for the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League (SCL) will take place on Wednesday, May 31, in Miami.
The new Scotiabank CONCACAF League tournament, which kicks off this August, will feature 16 top clubs from Central America and the Caribbean. It will be played in a four-round knockout format, with home-and-away fixtures in each of the four rounds – round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
“Given the growing success of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, with packed stadiums and excellent television viewership throughout the 2016/17 season, this is a great time to kick off our newest club tournament,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. “The Scotiabank CONCACAF League opens the door for wider participation for clubs in the Caribbean and Central America, and will help develop the club game regionally, in addition to providing a magnificent product for fans throughout the region.”
Club teams from across Central America and the Caribbean are currently qualifying for the 2017 SCL based on their performances in local championships. Three Caribbean qualifiers will be determined at the finals of this month’s Caribbean Club Championship in Trinidad & Tobago, to be joined by 13 clubs from Central America determined via the allocation process outlined in January. The initial edition of the newly added tournament opens the door to international competition for additional clubs from Central American and Caribbean.
Additionally, it has been officially decided that clubs from Guatemala will not be eligible to participate in the competition due to the on-going suspension of the Guatemalan federation. The three teams from Guatemala set to participate in either the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League or the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League will be replaced by clubs from the highest-ranked Central American federations per the CONCACAF Club Index.
For the 2017 SCL, Panama and Honduras will each enjoy an additional berth to the tournament, filling the two spots reserved for Guatemala clubs. The vacant position in the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League reserved for the Guatemalan champion will now be occupied by a second Costa Rican club.
In total, the expanded CONCACAF club competitions platform will feature 31 club teams from across the Confederation, beginning with the upcoming 2017/18 season of club competition.
The draw for the 2017 SCL will take place the evening of May 31, at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Miami, Florida. Media are cordially invited and may register through the CONCACAF Media Center.
The Canadian qualifier will continue to receive direct entry to the Champions League through the Canadian Championship tournament. In order to bridge a change in timing and format for the CONCACAF Champions League, the winner of this year's 2017 Canadian Championship will play in a one-match playoff against 2016 Canadian Championship winners Toronto FC for a spot in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. The Canadian playoff will take place on Wednesday, August 9 in Toronto, unless TFC win the 2017 Canadian Championship.
