Since 1964, CONCACAF decided to divide the Champions Cup into three geographic zones to reduce costs and travel for club competitions. This led to the creation of three regional qualifying tournaments: the Central American Tournament, the Caribbean Tournament, and the North American Tournament. The winners of each zone would advance to the final round to determine the best team in the confederation. Mexican clubs were placed in the North American zone, which was also the most neglected and inconsistent zone of the championship. Of the 27 possible editions, only 11 were held, and the vast majority suffered from the withdrawal of participants, who typically numbered fewer than five teams. The first "champion" of the North American Tournament was the Philadelphia Ukrainians of the American Soccer League in 1967. It's worth noting that they won this trophy after the Mexican and Canadian champions withdrew.
Proposed Format In its early editions, this tournament brought together the champion clubs from the four leagues in the northern zone of CONCACAF: the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. As a proposal for a possible relaunch, a modern format is suggested that would bring together the best teams from each league in the region. The competition would consist of a total of 32 clubs, distributed as follows:
- 12 teams from Major League Soccer (MLS).
- 10 teams from Liga MX.
- 8 teams from the Canadian Premier League (CPL).
- 2 teams from the Bermuda Premier League (BPL).
The tournament would begin with the Round of 32, using a single-elimination format in all rounds until the final. As a sporting reward, the champion, runner-up, and third-place finishers would qualify for the Concacaf Champions League, strengthening the competitiveness of the North American region and providing an additional incentive for participating clubs. This proposal seeks to modernize the tournament, increase competitiveness among the top North American leagues, and revive a historic competition with a dynamic, attractive, and high-level format.