When Alajuelense hosts Xelajú on matchday 1 of the Concacaf Central American Cup, it'll be a rematch of last year's final.
But somewhere in the stadium, a man's heart lies entombed in a silver urn. Alejandro Morera is one of the most famous Costa Rican players of all time. "El fenómeno costarricense" scored 63 goals for Barcelona in the 1930s by the club's own count, and likely over 100 for Alajuelense.
When he died in 1995, the club president and one fellow director drove the heart from San José to Alajuela in a three-car convoy. The heart riding in a hearse of its own.
Alajuelense won that rematch 1-0, and they won it in Morera's stadium, on a Ronaldo Cisneros shot from thirty-one meters.
This is why you should watch the Central American Cup. It's deep and it's football heritage.
Though this tournament is quite new, a lot of these teams have been around for nearly 100 years, and have strong local ties to their communities. Alajuelense has won all three instances of the Copa Centroamericana. Four semifinalists and two Play-In winners will qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2027.
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Here's what to know.
2026 Central American Cup Dates
- Group stage: July 28-30 · Aug 4-6 · Aug 11-13 · Aug 18-20 · Aug 25-27
- Quarterfinals: Sept 8-10 (first legs) · Sept 15-17 (second legs)
- Semifinals and Play-In: Oct 20-22 (first legs) · Oct 27-29 (second legs)
- Final: Wednesday, December 2 (first leg) · Sunday, December 6 (second leg)
How to watch in the US
All 58 tournament matches stream on Paramount+. CBS Sports announced the deal on July 28, making Paramount+ the English-language home in the US for the Central American Cup, Caribbean Cup, and Champions Cup through 2030.
The Groups
Group A: LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica) · CD Plaza Amador (Panama) · Club Xelajú MC (Guatemala) · CD Luis Ángel Firpo (El Salvador) · Diriangén FC (Nicaragua)
Group B: CS Herediano (Costa Rica) · Antigua GFC (Guatemala) · CD Marathón (Honduras) · Real Estelí FC (Nicaragua) · Alianza FC (El Salvador)
Group C: Club Olimpia (Honduras) · Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) · Deportivo Mixco (Guatemala) · Alianza FC (Panama) · UMECIT FC (Panama)
Group D: CSD Municipal (Guatemala) · FC Motagua (Honduras) · CS Cartaginés (Costa Rica) · CD FAS (El Salvador) · Verdes FC (Belize)
Each group has five teams and each team plays four matches, so one club sits out every matchweek.
Standings
Through Matchweek 2.
Group A
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LD Alajuelense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Diriangén FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| CD Plaza Amador | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Club Xelajú MC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| CD Luis Ángel Firpo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group B
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza FC (SLV) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Real Estelí FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| CD Marathón | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CS Herediano | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Antigua GFC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
Group C
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Olimpia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Deportivo Saprissa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Alianza FC (PAN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Deportivo Mixco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| UMECIT FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
Group D
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Motagua | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 6 |
| CSD Municipal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| CS Cartaginés | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CD FAS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Verdes FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 0 |
Central American Cup Schedule 2026
Matchweek 3 - Tuesday, August 11
- CD Plaza Amador vs Club Xelajú MC - 8:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Real Estelí FC vs Alianza FC (SLV) - 10:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Deportivo Saprissa vs Deportivo Mixco - 10:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 3 - Wednesday, August 12
- FC Motagua vs CS Cartaginés - 9:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD FAS vs Verdes FC - 11:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 3 - Thursday, August 13
- Alianza FC (PAN) vs UMECIT FC - 8:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD Luis Ángel Firpo vs Diriangén FC - 10:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Antigua GFC vs CD Marathón - 10:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Resting: LD Alajuelense, CS Herediano, Club Olimpia, CSD Municipal
Matchweek 4 - Tuesday, August 18
- CS Cartaginés vs Verdes FC - 9:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Real Estelí FC vs CS Herediano - 11:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Club Xelajú MC vs Diriangén FC - 11:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 4 - Wednesday, August 19
- Deportivo Mixco vs UMECIT FC - 9:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD Marathón vs Alianza FC (SLV) - 9:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD FAS vs CSD Municipal - 11:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 4 - Thursday, August 20
- Alianza FC (PAN) vs Club Olimpia - 9:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD Luis Ángel Firpo vs LD Alajuelense - 11:00 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Resting: CD Plaza Amador, Antigua GFC, Deportivo Saprissa, FC Motagua
Matchweek 5 - Tuesday, August 25
- CSD Municipal vs FC Motagua - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CS Cartaginés vs CD FAS - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 5 - Wednesday, August 26
- CS Herediano vs Antigua GFC - 8:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- CD Marathón vs Real Estelí FC - 8:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- LD Alajuelense vs CD Plaza Amador - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Club Xelajú MC vs CD Luis Ángel Firpo - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Matchweek 5 - Thursday, August 27
- Club Olimpia vs Deportivo Saprissa - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
- Deportivo Mixco vs Alianza FC (PAN) - 10:30 p.m. ET · Paramount+
Resting: Diriangén FC, Alianza FC (SLV), UMECIT FC, Verdes FC
Results
Matchweek 1 - Tuesday, July 28
- Verdes FC 0-5 FC Motagua
- Diriangén FC 4-2 CD Plaza Amador
- Club Olimpia 2-0 Deportivo Mixco
Matchweek 1 - Wednesday, July 29
- UMECIT FC 1-2 Deportivo Saprissa
- Alianza FC (SLV) 2-1 Antigua GFC
- LD Alajuelense 1-0 Club Xelajú MC
Matchweek 1 - Thursday, July 30
- CS Herediano 0-0 CD Marathón
- CSD Municipal 1-1 CS Cartaginés
Rested: CD Luis Ángel Firpo, Real Estelí FC, Alianza FC (PAN), CD FAS
Matchweek 2 - Tuesday, August 4
- CD Plaza Amador 2-1 CD Luis Ángel Firpo
- Diriangén FC 1-3 LD Alajuelense
- Antigua GFC 0-2 Real Estelí FC
Matchweek 2 - Wednesday, August 5
- UMECIT FC 1-2 Club Olimpia
- Deportivo Saprissa 2-1 Alianza FC (PAN)
- Alianza FC (SLV) 1-0 CS Herediano
Matchweek 2 - Thursday, August 6
- Verdes FC 0-1 CSD Municipal
- FC Motagua 1-0 CD FAS
Resting: Club Xelajú MC, CD Marathón, Deportivo Mixco, CS Cartaginés
What's at stake
The top two in each group go on to the quarterfinals. Third and fourth drop into the Play-In. Four semifinalists and two Play-In winners qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, and the champion gets a bye to the round of 16.
The final is two legs, Wednesday, December 2 and Sunday, December 6.