Sounders FC Enters 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup in Round of 16, Faces Winner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC-CS Cartaginés Round One Matchup
MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC Enters 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup in Round of 16, Faces Winner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC-CS Cartaginés Round One Matchup

Published on December 9, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


RENTON, WASH. - The draw for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup was held earlier today in Miami, with Sounders FC set to face the winner of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC-CS Cartaginés Round One matchup in the Round of 16 of the continental tournament. This will mark the Rave Green's ninth Concacaf Champions Cup campaign, previously becoming the first MLS team to lift the championship trophy in 2022. Following its championship run during Leagues Cup 2025 this past summer, Sounders FC is one of four teams that has a bye in Round One and enters the tournament in the Round of 16, which is set to be played between March 10-19.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC, one of Seattle's fiercest rivals, is coming off its best season in Major League Soccer. Finishing second in the Western Conference, Vancouver reached the MLS Cup Final before falling 3-1 to Inter Miami CF. Seattle and Vancouver have met 156 times in all competitions dating back to 1974 when both teams played in the North American Soccer League, with Seattle leading the all-time series 74-54-28. Whitecaps FC also reached the final of last year's Concacaf Champions Cup, losing 5-0 to Cruz Azul at Estadio Olímpico Universitario.

Costa Rican side CS Cartaginés enters the tournament after winning its Central American Cup Play-In Match. Playing in Costa Rica's topflight, the club finished third in the Primera División Apertura and begins its playoff campaign on December 11. The Rave Green have never faced off against CS Cartaginés in any competition.

With Lumen Field undergoing preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Sounders FC's home leg of the Round of 16 matchup is being played a different venue. Additional information on Seattle's home venue for the Round of 16 is being announced at a later date. Sounders FC announced today that the 18th match included in 2026 Season Ticket Memberships will be a Leagues Cup 2026 fixture.

The Concacaf Champions Cup brings together the most successful clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. 2026 marks Seattle's second consecutive appearance in the tournament, falling in the Round of 16 to eventual champion Cruz Azul last year. The Rave Green won the title in 2022 and currently remain the only MLS team to lift the Concacaf Champions Cup trophy, which granted the team a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup 2022 and last summer's FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Seattle is one of nine MLS teams represented in 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup action, alongside the LA Galaxy, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, LAFC, Nashville SC, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Sounders FC finished fifth in the Western Conference with 55 points (15-9-10) in 2025, qualifying for the postseason for the 16th time in 17 seasons. In all competitions, the Rave Green played a club-record 50 matches with a 23-13-14 record, also competing in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and Leagues Cup 2025, winning the latter for the ninth major trophy since joining MLS in 2009. The club now heads into the offseason, with its sights set on the 2026 MLS campaign, which kicks off on Sunday, February 22 against the Colorado Rapids (6:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV, FS1).

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Major League Soccer Stories from December 9, 2025


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