How Messi's Inter Miami qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and the Vancouver Whitecaps are the latest clubs to qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Inter Miami earned a berth into the continental tournament for the second consecutive year, qualifying because of its place in the MLS Supporter Shield Standings.

Inter Miami leads the standings with 64 points with four games remaining in the 2024 MLS season. The Supporters Shield winner and conference champions qualify, along with the next-best team in the supporters shield standings that has not already qualified. Miami has enough points that it is guaranteed to be that next-best team if it doesn't qualify by winning the shield or the Eastern Conference.

If Messi’s team wins the 2024 MLS Cup, it would secure a bye to the Round of 16 in the Champions Cup.

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC qualified for the tournament after winning the Canadian Championship final against Toronto FC on Wednesday night, when a scoreless game was won 4-2 in a penalty shootout.

So far, 12 of 27 teams have qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, which features team from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The tournament will be held during select weeks from February to June next year.

Which 12 clubs have qualified for 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup?

So far, six MLS teams and six LIGA MX teams have qualified for the tournament:

• Columbus Crew (Leagues Cup champion)

• LAFC (Leagues Cup runner-up)

• Colorado Rapids (Leagues Cup third-place)

• Sporting Kansas City (U.S. Open Cup finalist with LAFC)

• Inter Miami (MLS next-best in Supporters’ Shield standings)

• Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2024 Canadian Championship)

• Club America (LIGA MX champions)

• Tigres UANL (Liga MX Apertura 2023 runner-up)

• Cruz Azul (Liga MX Clausura 2024 runner-up)

• CF Monterrey (highest-ranked in the 2023–24 Liga MX aggregate table)

• CD Guadalajara (next-best in LIGA MX table)

• Pumas UNAM (third-best in LIGA MX)

Which teams will qualify for 2025 Champions Cup?

Here are the paths to 2025 Champions Cup. An asterisk means the team receives a buy to the Round of 16.

• Canadian Premier League (two clubs): 2024 Champion and Shield Winner

• Concacaf Caribbean Cup (three clubs): 2024 champion*, runner-up, and third place

• Concacaf Central American Cup (six clubs): 2024 champion*, runner-up, two losing semifinalists, and two play-in winners.

• MLS (four clubs): 2024 MLS Cup champion*, MLS Supporters' Shield winners, non-Supporters' Shield winning conference champion, and the next best club in the Supporters' Shield standings that has not already qualified.

Who won the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup?

LIGA MX side Pachuca beat reigning MLS champions Columbus Crew in the June 1 final earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Concacaf Champions Cup 2025: How Inter Miami, Vancouver qualified