Vancouver Rise FC Academy learns its path at the 2025-26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Players of NJ/NY Gotham FC of the U.S. lift the trophy after winning the CONCACAF Women Champions Cup tournament at University stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Mendoza)
The Vancouver Rise FC Academy was drawn with defending champion Gotham FC and fellow NWSL side Washington Spirit in Group B for the second edition of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which kicks off in August.
Group B also includes Mexico's CF Monterrey Femenil and El Salvador's Alianza Women FC.
Group A is comprised of Mexico's Club America and CF Pachuca Femenil, NWSL champion Orlando Pride, Costa Rica's LD Alajuelense and Panama's FC Chorrillo.
The group stage, to run from August to October, will see each team play two home and two away games. The top two from each group advance to the semifinals, set for May 2026.
The 10-team tournament is the elite women's club competition in the region that covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. The winner qualifies for the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup, an annual tournament featuring the champions of each confederation, and for the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup, set to debut in 2028.
Gotham, the 2023 NWSL champion, defeated Mexico's Tigres UANL 1-0 in the May 25 final of the inaugural edition of the tournament. As winner, Gotham qualifies for the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
The Vancouver Rise Academy, formerly Whitecaps Girls Elite FC, qualified virtue of winning the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship — the same pathway it used for 2024-25 qualification.
Whitecaps Girls Elite failed to reach the knockout rounds after finishing fourth in Group B at 1-3-0, outscored 16-2 after losses to Club America (7-0) and NWSL's Portland Thorns (6-0) and San Diego Wave (2-0) and a win over Panama's Sante Fe FC (2-1).
The Northern Super League is currently in discussions with Canada Soccer and CONCACAF about the qualification process for future editions.
Gotham was the highest-scoring team in the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup with 25 goals. CF Monterrey won the 2024 Apertura title while Alianza Women won the 2024 Apertura and Clausura titles in El Salvador for a domestic four-peat.
Tuesday's draw was conducted by Carlos Fernandez, CONCACAF's chief football competitions officer, and assisted by former Mexican footballer Desirée Monsiváis.
This report by Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
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