May 6 – Mexico’s Cruz Azul and Canada’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC will contest the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Final on June 1 at Mexico City’s Estadio Olímpico Universitario.
The Whitecaps beat a fully loaded Inter Miami at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 3-1, to complete a 5-1 hammering of the Miami superstars.
For a time it looked as though Inter Miami could work themselves back into final contention after an early goal on nine minutes by Jordi Alba, assisted by Luis Suarez after a long ball from midfield by Lionel Messi.
The Whitecaps restored their two goal advantage through Brian White on 51 minutes, his fifth in the Champions Cup campaign. Two minutes later Pedro Vite hit a shot from the top of the box to make it 2-1 before Sebastian Berhalter put the game beyond doubt in the 71st minute.
No Canadian club has ever won the Champions Cup though CF Montreal were runners up in 2014/15 and Toronto were beaten finalists in 2018.
In contrast Cruz Azul have won the title six times, the last time in 2013/14 when they beat Toluca. Their other five titles came in the 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, and 1997 editions.
They progressed to the final with a 1-0 home win over Tigres UNAL and 2-1 aggregate, having drawn the first leg in Monterrey 1-1. Ángel Sepulveda scored from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute, his seventh goal of the competition.
Since 2006 Mexican clubs have dominated the competition with the winning sequence only being beaten on by Seattle Sounders in 2022. In 2023 LAFC lost in the final to Leon and in 2024 Columbus Crew lost to Pachuca. Now it is Vancouver Whitecaps’ turn to try to wrestle the title north.
The winner of the final will qualify for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.
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