Starting August 1st, the new Concacaf tournament begins with the presence of three Guatemalan representatives
GUATEMALA - A total of 20 teams will start the Concacaf Central American Cup 2023 on August 1st, in search of glory and to secure one of the six spots for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. The representatives from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama will compete in four groups of five teams.
The top four teams that advance from the quarterfinals will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, while the four losing teams from the quarterfinals will face each other in a Playoff to determine the final two spots for the Champions Cup.
The winner of the 2024 Central American Cup will advance directly to the Round of 16 of the 2024 Champions Cup, while the other five qualified teams will be placed in the First Round.
In the case of Guatemala, the representatives are Cobán Imperial (winner of the Apertura 2022 Tournament), Xelajú MC (winner of the Clausura 2023 Tournament), and Comunicaciones (winner of the cumulative table of the 2022-2023 season). The three teams are divided into Groups A, B, and C.
The first two Guatemalan teams to enter the international competition will be Xelajú MC and Cobán Imperial, both playing on August 1st, while Comunicaciones will make its debut on August 2nd at the Doroteo Guamuch Stadium.
That is why ESPN Digital shows below the form in which the rivals of the Guatemalan clubs arrive for the first week of competition.
Group A - Cobán Imperial
The first match of Cobán Imperial will be against Jocoro from El Salvador, a match scheduled for August 1st at 6:00 PM at the Olympic Stadium in San Pedro Sula. The team is led by Peruvian coach Agustín Castillo and will play without having had any activity in the local league, as the Salvadoran tournament will start on Saturday, August 12th, and Sunday, August 13th. The team expects to count on the reinforcements Germán Águila, Elmer Guity, and Lester Blanco.
In the second week, Cobán Imperial will play at home against CD Universitario at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium. On August 15th, they will host Costa Rica's Club Sport Cartaginés, and they will close the group stage against Deportivo Saprissa on August 30th in Costa Rica.
Group B - Xelajú MC
The current champion of Guatemalan soccer traveled to Nicaragua to face Real Estelí in the group's first match. The match will be played on August 1st at 4:00 PM. The team, under the technical direction of Otoniel Olivas, started the Apertura 2023 Tournament with a 2-0 victory over UNAN Managua with goals from Henry García and Bancy Hernández. They come to this competition as the two-time champions of Nicaragua.
In the second round, Xelajú MC will face CD FAS from El Salvador, then they will play against CAI from Panama, and they will close the group stage with an away match against Olimpia from Honduras on August 29th.
Group C - Comunicaciones FC
Los Cremas will start the 2023 Central American Cup against Real España from Honduras as the home team at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium on Wednesday, August 2nd. The Honduran team started the local tournament with a 3-2 victory over CD Victoria. The goals were scored by Daniel Bodden, Franklin Flores, and Juan Vieyra. Among their ranks, they have Oscar Raí Villa and Ramiro Rocca, two players who have played in Guatemala.
On August 10th, Comunicaciones will visit Diriangén from Nicaragua. On August 23rd, they will visit CD Águila, and they will close the group stage playing at home against CS Herediano from Costa Rica.