The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup draw is complete. 9 MLS teams will compete in the 2026 tournament. Here is what we know.
Tuesday’s draw revealed the path ahead for seven clubs that’ll jump into Round One action, while two others—Inter Miami and Seattle—get to sit back and wait for their Round of 16 opponents to emerge.
Who’s Playing Who in Round One?
Things kick off in February with seven MLS squads entering the fray. FC Cincinnati drew O&M FC from the Dominican Republic. LAFC gets Real España out of Honduras. Vancouver faces Costa Rica’s Cartaginés.
Nashville SC will take on Canadian side Atlético Ottawa. The Philadelphia Union pulled Defence Force from Trinidad & Tobago. Expansion side San Diego FC got the toughest draw of the lot—Mexico’s Pumas UNAM. And the Galaxy? They’ll face Sporting San Miguelito of Panama.
Miami and Seattle Get the Bye Life
Inter Miami earned their automatic bye to the Round of 16 by winning MLS Cup 2025. Seattle grabbed theirs by claiming Leagues Cup 2025. Both clubs will watch and wait to see who emerges from Round One.
The Sounders will face either Vancouver or Cartaginés. Miami gets the winner of Nashville versus Atlético Ottawa. Not a bad reward for championship hardware.
When Does All This Go Down?
Round One spreads across four weeks starting February 3rd. The Round of 16 fires up in March with home-and-away action. Quarterfinals hit in April, semifinals roll through late April and early May, and the whole thing culminates with a single-leg Final on May 30th.
The knockout format means no room for error. Home-and-away legs through the semifinals, then one massive winner-take-all showdown for the trophy. Cincinnati enters as Supporters’ Shield winners. Philadelphia comes in as the actual Shield champions. LAFC and Vancouver both qualified through their regular-season finishes.
San Diego’s tournament debut against Pumas should be absolutely wild. The Galaxy looks to bounce back after missing the playoffs. Nashville brings US Open Cup championship momentum. Seven different paths, one trophy up for grabs, and MLS looking to defend continental bragging rights.
