FC Cincinnati has been drawn into position A10 in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, and will face Honduran club F.C. Motagua in the first round of the tournament.
Located in the nation's capital Tegucigalpa, the Liga Nacional club earned their way into the 2025 edition as Play-In winners of the 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup after exiting in the quarterfinals of that tournament. The Ciclón Azul or Blue Cyclones, finished second and third in their split season league standings, respectively, and last won the Liga Nacional crown in 2021.
Known as one of the more successful and acclaimed clubs in Honduras, they have been regular participants in continental play dating back to 1969 when they debuted in the Concacaf Champions Cup. In all, the Cyclones have qualified for the tournament 20 times prior to this edition and made it as far as the quarter-finals twice, including in 2023 when they upset Liga MX side CF Pachuca; that appearance was also their most recent entrance into the tournament.
Founded in 1928, Motagua play their home matches at Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés. The stadium is also the home of the Honduran National Team and seats 30,000 for soccer matches. FC Motagua are currently managed by César Vigevani and have a roster composed of almost exclusively Honduran natives.
Round One of the Champions Cup will feature a two-leg, home-and-away series between the clubs which spans over four weeks from February 4 to February 27. Fixture information between Cincinnati’s Round One series against Motagua will be announced at a later date, per the club.
Being drawn into slot A10 in the bracket means the path is set to continental glory. With a Round One victory, FCC would face off against the winner of Liga MX’s UANL Tigres and Real Esteli of Nicaragua.
From earlier...*
For the second time in FC Cincinnati’s history and the second year in a row, The Orange and Blue will be competing with the best of the best in continental soccer. The Concacaf Champions Cup is set to crown the region's top club and grant that club entry to the 2025 Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
Last season FC Cincinnati made it to the second round, defeating Cavalier FC of the Jamaican Premier League before falling to CF Monterrey of LIGA MX. On December 10, live from Miami at 7 p.m. ET, Concacaf will be doing the draw to determine who FCC will take on in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
Let’s look at how the tournament works, how the draw could play out, and how FC Cincinnati can earn their way to permanent glory.
The Format
In all, 27 clubs qualify for the tournament, using various avenues to clinch their spot. In Major League Soccer, the top two clubs in each conference and the next two best points records qualify as well as the MLS Cup Winner. Other avenues include the top three Leagues Cup finishers, the winner of the U.S. Open Cup and the winner of the Canadian Championship for Canadian MLS clubs.
FC Cincinnati qualified this season as a top four finisher in the Supporters Shield.
The five regional winners (MLS Cup, Liga MX Apertura/Clasura aggregate champion, Leagues Cup champion, Caribbean Cup and Central American Cup champions) get a bye to the Round of 16, but the other 22 teams are drawn together for a two-game aggregate matchup.
Each round in Champions Cup, from Round One all the way to the semifinal, will be played on an aggregate format before contesting the final in a one game, winner-takes-all match. In all, a team entering in Round One, like FC Cincinnati, will have to win five rounds and play nine matches to conquer the tournament.
In each round, the higher-seeded team will travel to the lower-seeded team first before returning home for the second and deciding leg. Guaranteeing FC Cincinnati with at least one home match at TQL Stadium against one of the top clubs in Concacaf. The scores from the two matches will be combined and should the score be tied after two matches, the first tiebreaker will be away goals before moving to extra time if things can not be resolved that way, and penalty kicks should it be necessary after that.
This tournament will be played entirely separate from MLS play, meaning any disciplines or stats will not carry over and are not relevant to tournament play. If a player is suspended for Yellow Cards or a Red Card in Champions Cup they will still be available for MLS play and vice versa. Punishments must be served in the same event as they were given for.
Ticketing Information
Season Ticket Members will have the first home match included with their season ticket membership. Concacaf will announce the complete schedule for Round One, including kickoff times and other important details, in the days to come.
All other FC Cincinnati fans are encouraged to join the Orange & Blue Reserve for an early chance to buy tickets when tickets go on sale. More information regarding tickets will be announced at a later date.
The Draw
Concacaf will hold a live draw to determine FC Cincinnati’s first opponent on Tuesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. ET. The draw will not only inform who FCC will play in Round One, but also how the rest of the bracket will look for the tournament.
For the draw, Concacaf has put each team into a seed or pot to be selected from that will inform their place in the bracket.
Club America, Cavalier FC, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, Columbus Crew and Los Angeles Galaxy received a bye to the Round of 16 as respective cup winners and will have established spots on the bracket.
The remaining 22 sides will be split into two pots with 11 teams in each to be picked against each other. The top 11 teams by Concacaf Club Index ranking will be placed in Pot 1 with the rest of the sides in Pot 2. FC Cincinnati goes into the draw among the 11 teams placed into Pot 1 and thus will be drawn against a team in Pot 2 and can be placed anywhere on the bracket.
CF Montrerrey, Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL (all of Liga MX) will also be placed in Pot 1 as seeded teams. As the top three teams in the pot by the Concacaf Club Idex entering the tournament, they are guaranteed not to face any of the teams given a bye to the Round of 16 should they advance that far.
At the draw, a sphere from Pot 1 will be selected with a team assigned to it, then a sphere from Pot A will be selected to determine that team’s place on the bracket. Once all Pot 1 teams are selected and placed on the bracket, the process will be repeated for Pot 2 clubs and their place on the bracket, adding an additional wrinkle of randomness to how opponents are drawn. Once all teams have been selected, the final bracket and pathway to a Cup will be solidified.
When will the tournament take place?
The 2025 Champions Cup opens just before the start of the 2024 MLS season and runs from February to June concurrent with the MLS calendar.
Round One: February 4-6 (Week 1), February 11-13 (Week 2), February 18-20 (Week 3), and February 25-27 (Week 4)
Round of 16: March 4-6 (First Legs) and March 11-13 (Second Legs)
Quarterfinals: April 1-3 (First Legs) and 8-10 (Second Legs)
Semifinals: April 22-24 (First Legs) and April 29 - May 1 (Second Legs)
Final: June 1
The Fun Facts
- The Concacaf Champions Cup is in its 59th iteration dating back to 1962 when Chivas Guadalajara, a familiar foe for FC Cincinnati, won the inaugural tournament over Guatemalan side Comunicaciones.
- From 1962 to 2008 the event was named the Champions Cup but was renamed to Champions League from 2008 to 2023 to expand the field from 8 to 16 teams.
- The return to the Champions Cup name in 2024 also came with an expanded field, increasing from 16 to 22 teams.
- Only three times in the tournament's history has a team from the USA ever won the event. In 1998 D.C. United lifted the trophy over Deportivo Toluca. In 2000, LA Galaxy stunned Honduras’s CD Olimpia 3-2 to take home the crown. In 2022, Seattle Sounders FC took down Liga MX side UNAM aka Pumas 5-2 on aggregate. In 2023, LAFC fell in the final to Club Leon of Liga MX.
- Famed Mexican side ‘Club América’ has won the title a record seven times, most recently in 2016.
For more information on Concacaf and the Concacaf Champions Cup click here.
