Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are favourites to lift the trophy, clinch the top cash prize and a place at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Inter Miami are the bookmakers’ favourites to win the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the first edition of the tournament since it was revamped. Lionel Messi’s presence brings added pressure to the Floridians, even though there is no guarantee he will feature in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Monterrey on Wednesday.
The Herons will face stiff competition in the latter stages from strong Mexican opposition in particular. Rayados are joint leaders of the Clausura 2024 tournament along with Club América, the current Liga MX champions. Tigres have consistently been one of Mexico’s leading teams in recent seasons, while Pachuca are the third most successful club in the history of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Fellow Americans Columbus Crew, meanwhile, were the best team in the US in 2023, winning the MLS Cup.
Inter Miami have made it clear that one of their top priorities this year is winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which would ensure they qualify for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and have the chance to feature in some high-profile, money-spinning fixtures against top European teams.
That will arguably be the most attractive incentive for the winner of the competition, although CONCACAF have substantially upped the prize money from previous editions.
In addition to a shiny trophy, the victorious team will pick up $5 million, “an increase of more than five times compared with the CONCACAF Champions League era,” as stated by CONCACAF itself. It had previously been reported Club León had made as little as $500,000 for winning the 2023 competition.
The governing body hasn’t
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