The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced multi-platform broadcast plans for the 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
CONCACAF's Spanish-language U.S. broadcast partner Univision Deportes (UDN) and sister network Galavisión will broadcast every match of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage, which kicks off tonight and runs through Oct. 20.
In addition, CONCACAF will stream a live, English-language production of group stage matches via the Confederation Facebook page on Facebook Live, providing fans a free viewing experience that combines the digital stream and social engagement onto a single platform. CONCACAF's official Facebook page and the official Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Facebook page will offer the live streams to users in the United States and Canada through mobile phones, tablets, PCs and televisions.
All 48 games of the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League group stage will be streamed live in high definition via Facebook Live transmissions, including English commentary and graphics from match producer CONCACAF TV.
Sporting Kansas City is paired in Group C of the CONCACAF Champions League alongside fellow MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago. Manager Peter Vermes' men will play their first two group stages matches on the road before hosting return games at Children's Mercy Park. All four contests will stream live on Facebook, while three will be televised live on UDN. Sporting KC's match at Vancouver on Aug. 23, set to kick off at 9 p.m. CT, will be tape delayed on UDN at 1 a.m. CT the following morning.
Sporting KC 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League schedule
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Time (CT)</strong> |
<strong>Spanish TV</strong> |
<strong>English<br>
Live Stream</strong> |
Tuesday, Aug. 16 |
at Central FC |
7 p.m. |
UDN |
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/concacafcom/" target="_blank">Facebook Live</a> |
Tuesday, Aug. 23 |
at Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
9 p.m. |
UDN <strong>*</strong> |
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/concacafcom/" target="_blank">Facebook Live</a> |
Tuesday, Sept. 13 |
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC |
7 p.m. |
UDN |
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/concacafcom/" target="_blank">Facebook Live</a> |
Wednesday, Oct. 19 |
CENTRAL FC |
7 p.m. |
UDN |
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/concacafcom/" target="_blank">Facebook Live</a> |
*Tape delay to air Aug. 24 at 1 a.m. CT
The 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League will feature the top 24 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean region battling for a berth in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup. The group stage divides the teams into eight groups of three and will be contested in a round-robin, home-and-away, four-game format. The eight group winners will then advance to the knockout round, with the two-legged quarterfinals currently slated for Feb. 21 - March 2, 2017.
Competing in the tournament for the third time in four seasons, Sporting Kansas City qualified for the 2016-17 edition by virtue of its 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. The club reached the 2013-14 quarterfinals, falling to eventual champion Cruz Azul, and was eliminated from the 2014-15 group stage. Kansas City also competed in the 2001 Copa Merconorte, the 2002 and 2005 CONCACAF Champions’ Cups, and the 2009 North American SuperLiga.
