Forge hosts Rayados, Real Estelí welcomes Tigres UANL | OneFootball

MIAMI. - The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup continues its opening week with the two Monterrey-based clubs on the road for Leg 1 matches in Round One on Wednesday.

Forge FC will host CF Monterrey at Hamilton Stadium in Ontario, Canada, while Real Estelí FC takes on Tigres UANL at Estadio Independencia in Nicaragua.

Forge FC vs. CF Monterrey

Forge FC hosts five-time Champions Cup winners CF Monterrey at Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Forge is making its third appearance in the Champions Cup after winning the 2024 Canadian Premier League Shield. The club is seeking its first win ever in the CCC after losing the prior four matches, all to Liga MX opponents.

David Choinière, who scored the club’s first-ever goal in the Champions Cup, will be crucial for the Canadian side against the five-time winners of the tournament.

Rayados, the Mexican powerhouse, qualified as the best team in the aggregate Liga MX 2023/24 table. They hold the best winning percentage (72%) in the history of the tournament since 2008/09.

Monterrey reached the semifinals last year behind strong performances from Germán Berterame. Berterame scored two goals in the 2024 edition of the tournament and netted ten in 21 Liga MX appearances.

Real Estelí FC vs. Tigres UANL

Real Estelí FC takes on Tigres UANL at Estadio Independencia in Estelí, Nicaragua. The clubs meet for the third time, with Tigres earning a win and a draw to lead the all-time series.

The Nicaraguan club qualified after finishing runners-up in the 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup and will make its 13th appearance in the tournament. They have only won one CCC game, which happened last year against Club América, thanks to a goal and assist from Byron Bonilla.

Tigres UANL, the Liga MX Apertura 2023 runners-up, will make its 12th appearance in the tournament. The club won the Champions Cup title in 2020, setting a record for goals (15), shots (86) and assists (10).

The Universitarios have faced Central American teams 30 times in this tournament (16-9-5) and have not lost since being defeated on February 19, 2020, by Alianza FC in El Salvador in the first leg of the Round of 16 of that year’s edition.

Goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán and standout midfielder Juan Brunetta will be two players to keep an eye on as Tigres seeks to reclaim the crown.