Ranking which MLS clubs could win 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

I’m going to bet you didn’t realize how close we were. Either way, you have a few days to get your affairs in order.

San Diego FC will host Pumas UNAM on Tuesday evening in the first match of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. From there, you’ll have either Major League Soccer (and adjacent competitions) or a World Cup to pay attention to until early December.

To celebrate MLS teams getting back on the pitch, we figured we’d do what everyone does before CCC play starts: Look at who’s got a genuine shot at making a deep run and who’s set to potentially be ritual sacrificed to an in-form LIGA MX giant taking full advantage of a team waking up from hibernation. 

We'll start with the MLS team facing the most difficult path to the final…

9. San Diego FC

Round One opponent: Pumas UNAM (Mexico)

This feels like a hazing.

The (relatively) new kids are the only MLS side facing a LIGA MX side in Round One. If they make it past a decent-but-not-outstanding Pumas side, Toluca await them in the Round of 16. And Toluca are an absolute wagon. The reigning Apertura, Clausura and Campeón de Campeones winners are the favorites in this competition. 

Even if they had an easier path, things are a bit weird for San Diego right now. Chucky Lozano isn’t “part of the sporting plans moving forward," plus midfielder Luca de la Torre (24 starts, 30 appearances) and defender Paddy McNair (21 starts, 23 appearances) are gone. They’ve still got plenty of talent and a game model that lends itself to beautiful soccer, but bettering a near-perfect inaugural campaign will be a tough task.

If San Diego can hit the ground running in their first taste of CCC, it will be as impressive as anything else they’ve accomplished so far – and they just set MLS expansion-season records for wins (19) and points (63), all before making the Western Conference Final.

8. Philadelphia Union

Round One opponent: Defence Force (Trinidad & Tobago)

Look, the questions you have to ask when taking a wild guess at a team’s CCC hopes are: 

For Philly, the best guesses at those answers are: 

The Union are the Union. You can expect them to play a high-floor game model, start some kids who turn into stars and generally find diamonds in the rough. But this is as many unknowns as we’ve seen for this group in a long time.

Best XI-caliber center back Jakob Glesnes is gone, Best XI-caliber left back Kai Wagner is gone, and standout forwards Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo are gone. On top of that, midfielder Quinn Sullivan is recovering from an ACL tear for most of 2026. That’s five starters gone from last year’s Supporters' Shield-winning side. 

Don’t get me wrong – the game model will keep their floor high during the regular season. But if Philly didn’t have the ceiling to make a run in tournament play last year, it’s hard to see them suddenly having it this year. Especially when their path includes probable matchups against Club América and Inter Miami.

7. LA Galaxy

Round One opponent: Sporting San Miguelito (Panama)

Well. For a while there, this tournament looked like the Galaxy’s opportunity to announce their return to life as a contender in MLS. Then star midfielder Riqui Puig underwent another knee surgery, and there's suddenly some uncertainty around them. 

To their credit, they’ve made a bunch of seemingly sharp moves this offseason. The Galaxy added proven MLS center backs Jakob Glesnes and Justin Haak, providing big upgrades in the heart of the backline. They brought back forward Matheus Nascimento from Botafogo, signed former Sporting KC midfielder Erik Thommy and, most notably, acquired DP striker João Klauss from St. Louis CITY.

That’s a heckuva haul. But Puig’s injury means the ceiling has dropped. And that many new pieces means we probably won’t see this team gel until later in the year. 

LA at least have a little time to get right before CCC play ratchets up a notch. They’ll face Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito in Round One and would move on to play Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant in the Round of 16. Those aren’t gimmes, but, in theory, the financial (and therefore the talent) gap makes the Galaxy heavy favorites to advance to the quarterfinals. 

After that… man, it would be really nice to have Puig out there.

6. Nashville SC

Round One opponent: Atlético Ottawa (Canada)

Nashville made the biggest free-agent signing of the offseason by adding former San Jose winger Cristian Espinoza on a DP deal. Espinoza has averaged 11 assists per season since coming to MLS in 2019 and, alongside Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, will instantly elevate Nashville’s attack to what will very likely be the highest level it's ever been.

This team is, on paper, a legit contender in MLS in 2026. But… 

Advancing into the Round of 16 will pair them, yet again, with Inter Miami. Since Lionel Messi arrived in the summer of 2023, Nashville have faced the Herons 11 times across MLS, Leagues Cup, CCC and the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Nashville have won exactly one of those games.

5. FC Cincinnati

Round One opponent: O&M FC (Dominican Republic)

If you’ve been paying attention to Cincy for a while now, you know the drill. They’re going to make life difficult when you’re on the ball, they’re going to let stars like Evander and Kévin Denkey go to work, and they’re probably going to end up winning by one goal.

It’s a tried and true formula. It’s paid dividends in the regular season. But it hasn’t resulted in tournament success. 

If that’s going to change in CCC, it will start with advancing to the Round of 16 and beating a Tigres side that was just a half step behind Toluca for most of 2025. As always, they’re a real contender in this competition.

It won’t really get much easier from there, but there should at least be one or two familiar opponents. Club América are the only other LIGA MX club on their side of the bracket.

One last big note: Per Eliot McKinley, Cincy have the fewest returning minutes of an MLS club in CCC besides Inter Miami. Long term, that isn’t inherently a bad thing. But it does make them a bit of a mystery box as CCC play begins.

4. Seattle Sounders FC

Round One opponent: Bye

The Sounders are the Sounders. They’re largely running it back in 2026, which means they’re deep and a real threat to go nuclear at any point. We saw it last year when they rolled to their first-ever Leagues Cup title. There’s every chance they could pull off the same run in CCC. 

They’ve got a Round One bye, but it will be a gauntlet from start to finish if they’re going to pull this off. You’re probably looking at a tournament that starts with the Whitecaps, continues with the winner of Cincy and Tigres, and ends with what will surely be a brutal semifinal and final matchup.

Helping Seattle's case, here's your obligatory reminder that they won the 2022 CCC in historic fashion.

3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Round One opponent: Cartaginés (Costa Rica)

Last year’s CCC runner-up would meet Seattle in the Round of 16, provided they take care of business against Costa Rica's Cartaginés in Round One. Vancouver essentially have the same path as Seattle, but it seems fair to give a slight advantage to the side that came two wins away from completing a CCC and MLS Cup double in 2025. 

That being said, the Whitecaps have some question marks after transferring midfielder Ali Ahmed to Norwich City. Oh, and DP attacker Ryan Gauld is out for an extended period (again; likely until April).

I’m not sure if the Thomas Müller Effect will be enough for Vancouver to overcome those question marks and get that last win, but betting against Vancouver has been a losing strategy over the past year. Doubt head coach Jesper Sørensen's ability to work magic at your own peril.

2. Inter Miami CF

Round One opponent: Bye

Right. These guys. 

There’s a big spot left in Inter Miami’s trophy case, and it’s for this competition. Since Messi arrived, they’ve won Leagues Cup, MLS Cup and a Supporters’ Shield. Now, they’ll be hellbent on taking down their final boss. 

This offseason, they’ve certainly acted the part of a team enacting a continental takeover. The losses of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets will hurt, but they’ve added reigning Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, former Portland Timbers midfielder David Ayala, former Houston Dynamo center back Micael and ex-Premier League/LaLiga left back Sergio Reguilón. Oh, and they have a DP spot open (reportedly soon filled by Monterrey striker Germán Berterame). 

On paper, Inter Miami are as stacked as they’ve ever been. But that's a notable amount of change. Plus, the reigning MLS champs don’t have a gentle path, even with a Round One bye. It likely starts with an improved Nashville team and continues with either Club América or the Philadelphia Union. There’s no let-up at any point. And that’s why my most likely team to become the next CCC winner is…

1. Los Angeles Football Club

Round One opponent: Real España (Honduras)

Star forwards Son Heung-Min, Denis Bouanga and LAFC have maybe the easiest path of any team in this tournament. They’ll avoid LIGA MX until the quarterfinals, and a potential meeting with an MLS opponent or Toluca wouldn’t be until the semifinals. 

Pretty much every key player is back, and they’ve all got time to adapt to whatever tweaks new head coach Marc Dos Santos makes to their game model. Maybe Dos Santos can help LAFC shake the issues that troubled them at times in high-stakes knockout matches under ex-manager Steve Cherundolo. Those opportunities are almost certainly on the way in 2026.

For the history buffs out there: LAFC were runners-up in CCC during the 2020 and 2023 tournaments. This might just be the year they get over the hump.