América, Orlando Pride And Pachuca Face Off

Group A of the 2025/26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup will feature a replay of the last Liga MX Femenil final. (Photo by VICTOR CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

The CONCACAF W Champions Cup returns for its second edition, once again featuring ten clubs from North and Central America. American and Mexican teams are expected to continue their domination, and that certainly should be the case in Group A.

🇲🇽 Club América

Club América got as far as the semifinals in the inaugural edition of the W Champions Cup, but will be looking to go a couple of steps further this time around.

Recent Results and Performances

After narrowly losing the most recent Liga MX Femenil final to Pachuca, Las Águilas have been on a roll. They have won all seven of their league matches so far this season, scoring a whopping 28 goals and conceding just three. Of course, all of these matches have been against significantly weaker opposition, so they should not be expected to continue at this rate.

Key Player

Kiana Palacios has an exceptional record of netting 20 or more goals across all club competitions in each of the last three seasons, and she looks determined to make it four. América’s club captain is her side’s top attacking contributor so far this term with five goals to go with four assists, so opposition defenses will have to keep a very close eye on her.

🇺🇸 Orlando Pride

After winning its first pieces of silverware at the end of 2024, the Orlando Pride is now making a continental debut. Of course, they will have their eyes set on the prize once again.

Recent Results and Performances

The Pride looks set to lose one of its titles at the very least. The Kansas City Current is running away at the top of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), while the reigning champion has had some slumps. In fact, they are in one now having failed to win their last four games.

Seb Hines’ side is still up there with the league’s best teams as they are third in the standings and most recently held the leaders to a goalless draw, but they will have to get back up to full speed to successfully balance their domestic commitments with the Champions Cup.

Key Player

The Orlando Pride has quality all over the team, but the star player irrefutably is Barbra Banda. The Ballon d’Or nominee scored 17 goals to go with seven assists in the league last term, and is currently past half that scoring tally. Her single-handed attacking threat can strike fear in any defense around the world, so the Pride will hope she quickly returns to full fitness after getting substituted off early in her last league match.

🇲🇽 CF Pachuca

Pachuca had lost in each of its three Liga MX finals appearances before 2025, but the curse was finally broken this summer. Along with a first league title, Tuzas got the chance to make its first W Champions Cup appearance.

Recent Results and Performances

Pachuca has 14 points from its first seven games as Liga MX defending champions. They have dropped most of their points this month, losing to Toluca and drawing with Querétaro while failing to keep a clean sheet in five games. They will have to shore up defensively to seriously challenge for the continental crown.

Key Player

Veteran striker Charlyn Corral is not showing any signs of slowing down at 33 years of age. She scored a whopping 26 goals in 23 games to fire Pachuca to the 2024/25 Liga MX Femenil Clausura title, and already has netted nine times besides setting up four other goals this term. Pachuca will be a real force to reckon with if she can keep up this form.

🇨🇷 Alajuelense

Costa Rican giant Alajuelense is back for its second W Champions Cup appearance. Once again, it will be a big challenge for a team that is generally used to being the dominant side in their games.

Recent Results and Performances

Alajuelense has won eight consecutive league titles and will look to make it 10 by the end of this season. They are top of the standings at the moment, but that will count for little on the continental stage. The Rojinegras did give a decent account of themselves against Mexican opposition last time around besides putting the weaker team to the sword, so they should realistically target an improvement by putting up tough fights against the stronger sides.

Key Player

Alajuelense goalkeeper Noelia Bermúdez gets such little action in some of her league games that she might as well bring a book to read, but her experience in the Champions Cup will be quite the opposite. The Costa Rican international will need to be at her sharpest to give her team a fighting chance against tougher opposition.

🇵🇦 Chorrillo FC

Chorrillo FC is another one of the debutantes in this edition of the Champions Cup, qualifying as the Panamanian representative after winning the most recent league title.

Recent Results and Performances

The new season in Panama only kicked off earlier this week, with Chorrillo starting their title defense against Inter Panama. They needed a stoppage-time equalizer to come away with a point after going two goals down in the first half. A lack of match sharpness could make the underdogs’ task tougher in the early rounds of the Champions Cup.

Key Player

Chorrillo have a very youthful squad as all but four of their players were born after the turn of the century. The youngest member of the squad, 15-year-old forward Shaday Mow, is already making an impact as she was among the scorers in Chorrillo’s last domestic playoff campaign, so she could be one to watch.