Miami, FL - Concacaf has announced the schedule for the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) Round of 16 matches. The eight matchups will take place March 7-9 (first leg matches) and March 14-16 (second leg matches). The pairings for the Round of 16 and each club’s road to the Final were determined at the tournament’s official draw on Monday, November 8 (bracket available below).
Fans will be able to enjoy the matches through the Confederation’s TV partner networks, including TUDN | ViX (USA-Spanish), Fox Sports (Mexico), ESPN (Central America, Caribbean, and South America), and other local partners. For other territories, they will be available on Concacaf’s Official App and YouTube channel (all subject to territory restrictions).
Philadelphia Union will make their second SCCL appearance starting on the road at Alianza FC on Tuesday, March 7, with kick off from Estadio Cuscatlan set for 8 p.m. ET. The second leg will take place one week later on Tuesday, March 14th, with kick off set for 8 p.m. ET at Subaru Park.
The Round of 16 will be followed by the Quarterfinals and first leg Semifinals in April, and the return leg Semifinals and first leg Final in May. The all-decisive return leg Final, where the region’s new champion will be crowned, will take place Sunday, June 4, 2023, and will be hosted by the best performing finalist club in the earlier rounds of the competition.
The Boys in Blue were drawn in the A8 position using a double-blind system and four pots. The two sides are slated to face off in March as the Union make their second appearance in the Concacaf tournament after earning their spot as the Eastern Conference Champion in the MLS regular season.
This is the Union’s second trip to CCL after earning their first ever berth to the 2021 CCL. In their inaugural CCL campaign, the Union cruised to the semifinals after defeating Saprissa in the round of 16 5-0 on aggregate and Atlanta United in the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate, before finally falling to Mexican giants, Club America, 4-0 on aggregate.
The CCL is a 16-team single elimination competition featuring teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, with the winner earning a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Alianza FC qualified for the 2023 Concacaf Champions League as the best ranked losing quarterfinalist in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League. The El Salvadorian side finished atop Group B of the 2022 Apertura Salvadoran Primera Division with a 6-1-3 record before falling in the quarterfinals via a 2-1 aggregate to Platense. After a two-year absence, Alianza return to the SCCL for its fifth SCCL appearance overall. In their last appearance which game in 2020, they barely missed out of a quarterfinal appearance with a narrow 5-4 aggregate defeat in the Round of 16 to eventual champions Tigres.
Further information about ticket sales will be released at a later date.
