LAFC learned this week that it will face Real España of Honduras in Round One of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. The bracket for the 27-team competition was set on Tuesday evening at the Concacaf Champions Cup draw in Miami, FL.
The first leg of their two-leg tie will be played at Real España’s home ground, Estadio General Francisco Morazán, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The second leg will be played at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Both matches will be played in February 2026, with dates, times, and ticket information to be announced in the coming days. The winner on aggregate goals advances to face Alajuelense of Costa Rica in another two-leg knockout matchup in the Round of 16.
LAFC is one of nine MLS teams to qualify for the competition.
Nicknamed Los Aurinegros (gold and black) or simply España, Real España was founded 96 years ago and plays in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras. Real España earned its place in next year’s CCC as one of four semifinalists in the 2025 Central American Cup. LAFC earned its berth by virtue of its sixth-place finish in the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings.
The club that awaits the LAFC-España winner in the Round of 16, Alajuelense, met LAFC in the Round of 16 in 2023, when the Black & Gold advanced past the Costa Rican club 4-2 on aggregate goals. Denis Bouanga recorded his first ever hat trick for LAFC in the first leg (below), a 3-0 LAFC win. LAFC advanced all the way to the Concacaf Champions Cup Final that year, before falling to Club León of Mexico. (The competition was called Concacaf Champions League at the time.) LAFC also reached the Final in 2020.
ABOUT CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP
The 61st edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the region’s premier men’s club competition, will take place from February through May 2026. The tournament will crown the club champion of Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) and send that club to the FIFA Club World Cup 2029.
The first four stages each include home and away play, while the Final is played as a single-leg match.
DATES
Round One: February 3–26, 2026
Round of 16: March 10–19, 2026
Quarterfinals: April 7–16, 2026
Semifinals: April 28–May 7, 2026
Final: Saturday, May 30, 2026
