Army to face Philadelphia Union in Champions Cup on February 18

TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) holders Defence Force will begin their 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign on February 18 when they meet Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Philadelphia Union in their round-one, first-leg tie from 7 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

Defence Force's clash with Philadelphia will be one of 11 ties in round one of the Champions Cup, with the return leg between the teams scheduled to be played at Subaru Park, Pennsylvania, on February 26. The winner of the tie will meet the winner of the matchup between Mexico's Club America and Honduras team Club Olimpia Deportivo in the round of 16. The matches in that round of 16 tie will be played on March 10 and 18, respectively.

The draw for the Champions Cup was held on December 9, with the schedule for the round-one and round of 16 matches being announced on December 12.

Defence Force qualified for the Champions Cup in dramatic fashion when they finished third in the Caribbean Cup on December 2 after edging Dominican Republic's Cibao FC 4-2 on aggregate in their enthralling third-place playoff.

Mexico's Cruz Azul are the current Champions Cup holders, while Vancouver Whitecaps finished as last season's runners-up. The 2026 Champions Cup quarterfinals will be held in April, while the semifinals will be held across April and May. The final is scheduled for May 30.

The Champions Cup winner will qualify for the Fifa Club World Cup in 2029 as well as the 2026 Fifa Intercontinental Cup, which will be held next December.