2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League | |
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Tournament details | |
Dates | 20 February – 25 April |
Teams | 16 (from 8 associations) |
Final positions | |
Champions | Guadalajara (2nd title) |
Runners-up | Toronto FC |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 30 |
Goals scored | 84 (2.8 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Sebastian Giovinco Jonathan Osorio (4 goals each) |
Best player(s) | Sebastian Giovinco |
Best young player | Rodolfo Pizarro |
Best goalkeeper | Rodolfo Cota |
Fair play award | New York Red Bulls |
← 2016–17 2019 → |
The 2018 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 10th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 53rd edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The format of the tournament was changed as part of a new CONCACAF club competition platform consisting of two tournaments (CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League) and a total of 31 teams competing during the season (an increase from the previous 24 teams), with 16 teams competing in the newly created CONCACAF League from August to October, and the winners of the CONCACAF League joining the 15 direct entrants competing in the CONCACAF Champions League from February to April.[2] As a result, the 2018 edition was played using a new format that included the removal of the group stage, a reduction in participating teams from 24 to 16, and a total reduction in matches from 62 to 30.
Guadalajara defeated Toronto FC in the final to win their second CONCACAF club title and their first in the Champions League era, and qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[3] Pachuca won the previous tournament but did not qualify for this tournament and were unable to defend their title.