CONCACAF released a new system of rankings for regional men’s leagues and clubs that will be used for seeding in competitions like the CONCACAF Champions League, with Mexico’s Liga MX and Monterrey leading the respective league and club rankings.
Only first division clubs and leagues are included in the CONCACAF rankings. UEFA uses a similar “coefficient” system that determines the allotment and position for clubs and leagues in international competitions.
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For CONCACAF’s club rankings, current and future standings are dependent on results since 2017 in the CONCACAF Champions League, regional cups, top-flight leagues, domestic cups (that can earn spots in CONCACAF club tournaments) and the Club World Cup.
International matches are given more weight over domestic matches for points available in the rankings. Points available are determined by the Elo system, which “involves updating the scores of both teams after each match with a zero-sum approach” and “is based on the difference between the match’s outcome and its expected outcome.”
The same process is used for the league rankings, although only international matches are taken into account. Within the new system for positioning leagues, results from the CONCACAF Champions League are given more weight over regional cup tournaments.
The latest ranking procedure will be utilized for next year’s CONCACAF Champions League that will expand from 16 clubs in the current format to 27 by 2024. In previous editions of the CONCACAF Champions League, a “CONCACAF Club Index” was used to rank teams based on the performance of leagues in the five previous editions of the tournament.
On May 31 and June 4, Liga MX’s Leon (ranked No. 7) will take on MLS’ LAFC (ranked No. 3) in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Current title-holders Seattle Sounders FC (ranked No. 10) were knocked out in the first round of the latest Club World Cup in February.
CONCACAF’s top 10 club rankings:
1.Monterrey 2. Club America 3. LAFC 4. Chivas 5. Tigres 6. Pachuca 7. Leon 8. Toluca 9. Philadelphia Union 10. Seattle Sounders
CONCACAF’s top 10 league rankings:
1. Liga MX 2. MLS 3. Liga Nacional de Futbol de Honduras 4. Primera Division de Costa Rica 5. Liga Nacional de Futbol de Guatemala 6. Canadian Premier League 7. Liga Panamena de Futbol 8. Primera Division de Futbol de El Salvador 9. Liga Nicaraguense de Futbol 10. Jamaica Premier League
