A total of 16 teams participated in the CONCACAF Champions League: •
North American Zone: 9 teams (from three associations) •
Central American Zone: 5 teams (from five associations) •
Caribbean Zone: 1 team (from one association) • Winners of the
CONCACAF League (from one association, from either Central American Zone or Caribbean Zone) Therefore, teams from either 9 or 10 out of the 41
CONCACAF member associations could participate in the CONCACAF Champions League.
North America The nine berths for the
North American Football Union (NAFU) were allocated to the three NAFU member associations as follows: four berths each for Mexico and the United States, and one berth for Canada. For Mexico, the champions and runners-up of the
Liga MX Apertura and Clausura Liguilla (playoff) tournaments qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. If there was any team which were finalists of both tournaments, the vacated berth was reallocated using a formula, based on regular season records, that ensured that two teams qualified via each tournament. For the United States, because of the restructuring of the CONCACAF Champions League starting from 2018, two teams each from the 2017 and 2018 seasons qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League: • The champions of the
MLS Cup, the championship match of the
MLS Cup Playoffs, in
2017 and
2018 • The champions of the
U.S. Open Cup, its domestic cup competition, in
2017 and
2018 This meant that the
Supporters' Shield champions in
2017 and
2018, and the
Eastern Conference or
Western Conference regular season champions which were not Supporters' Shield champions in
2017 and
2018, which would have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League in the usual setup, were not guaranteed a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. If there was any team which qualified through multiple berths, or if there was any Canada-based MLS team which were champions of the 2017 or 2018 MLS Cup, the vacated berth was reallocated to the U.S.-based team with the best
aggregate record over the
2017 and
2018 MLS regular seasons. For Canada, the champions of the
Canadian Championship, its domestic cup competition which awards the
Voyageurs Cup, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. While some Canada-based teams competed in MLS, they could not qualify through either the MLS regular season or playoffs.
Central America The five berths for the
Central American Football Union (UNCAF) were allocated to five of the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: one berth for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. As all of the leagues of Central America employed a
split season with two tournaments in one season, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which were champions of both tournaments) in the leagues of
Costa Rica,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras, and
Panama qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Another 13 teams from Central America, which qualified through their domestic leagues, entered the CONCACAF League. If teams from any Central American associations were excluded, they were replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF Champions League tournaments.
Caribbean The sole berth for the
Caribbean Football Union (CFU), which consisted of 31 member associations, was allocated via the
CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, the first-tier subcontinental Caribbean club tournament. Since 2018, the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship was open to teams from professional leagues. To qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, teams had to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season. The champions of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Another three teams from the Caribbean, which qualified through the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship or
CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield (via a playoff), entered the CONCACAF League.
CONCACAF League Besides the 15 direct entrants of the CONCACAF Champions League, another 16 teams (13 from Central America and 3 from the Caribbean) entered the
CONCACAF League, a tournament held from August to October prior to the CONCACAF Champions League. The champions of the CONCACAF League qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. ==Teams==