By Janina Nuno Rios
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Hosts Cruz Azul will look to clinch a record-equalling seventh continental title in Sunday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup final, while their opponents the Vancouver Whitecaps are aiming to be the first Canadian club to be crowned champions.
The winner of the final at Mexico City’s Estadio Olimpico Universitario will also qualify for the expanded 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and this year’s Intercontinental Cup.
Cruz Azul are eager to end their season on a high and bounce back from a Mexican league semi-final loss to Club America by claiming a CONCACAF crown that would draw them level with their arch rivals in continental honours.
The nine-time Liga MX winners cemented their status as favourites with a 7–0 aggregate thrashing of Haiti’s Real Hope, a commanding 4–1 win over MLS side Seattle Sounders, and back-to-back 2–1 victories over America and fellow Mexican heavyweights Tigres UANL en route to the final.
Sunday could also mark coach Vicente Sanchez’s farewell, with local media reporting he is set to step down after just six months in charge.
“Reaching the final takes a lot of hard work and a lot of gratitude,” Sanchez told reporters as his side reached their first CONCACAF final since 2014.
“We want to repay all the support we have and try to win things because Cruz Azul demands to win things.”
The Canadians, however, have been no strangers to the underdog label throughout the competition.
After a first-round win over Costa Rica’s Saprissa, the 2024 Canadian Championship winners stunned Mexican sides Monterrey and Pumas UNAM before a stunning 5-1 aggregate win over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the semis.
Unlike their opponents, Vancouver arrive in good form, on the back of a 15-game unbeaten streak across all competitions while leading the MLS Western Conference standings.
“We don’t back down under any circumstances,” said Vancouver midfielder Andres Cubas ahead of the final.
“We’ve achieved important victories in Mexico to reach the final … We’ll go out there knowing that it’s just one game, that we have one chance to make history.”
Vancouver are just the third Canadian club to reach the CONCACAF final, following in the footsteps of Montreal (2015) and Toronto (2018), who both fell short against Mexican opposition.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
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