New York, NY -- (Sports Network) - The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) unveiled the qualification format for the inaugural 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League, it was announced on Wednesday.

The new CONCACAF Champions League will be comprised of 24 teams, representing each of CONCACAF's regions, including four teams each from Mexico and USA; three teams from the Caribbean; two clubs each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama; and one representative each from Canada, Belize, and Nicaragua.

The qualification process will be completed by mid-July in preparation for the start of the Preliminary Round in August. The Preliminary Stage winners will join the eight seeded teams in the Group Stage that consists of four groups of four teams each. The teams in each group will play each other in a round-robin system during six match dates (three home games, three away games) from Sept. 16 through Oct. 30.

The top two clubs from each of the four groups will advance to the Quarterfinals. These eight teams will be drawn into four Quarterfinal pairings to play home-and-away match-ups in February of '09. The four Quarterfinal winners will then play in two Semifinal home-and-away match-ups in March and April of '09 with the two Semifinal winners squaring-off in the home-and-away Final in late April of '09.

The following is the qualification process for the inaugural tourney which replaces the CONCACAF Champions' Cup:

NORTH ZONE:

CANADA: Impact de Montreal, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will play a home-and-away round-robin tournament from May 27 to July 22, with the winner advancing as the Canadian representative.

MEXICO: The tournament champions and runner-ups of the '07 Apertura and '08 Clausura seasons progress to the CONCACAF Champions League. If a team occupies more than one of the Mexican slots, then the next highest club in the respective regular season's overall standings will take the lower seeded spot into the tournament.

Atlante FC and Pumas UNAM have already qualified to the '08-'09 CONCACAF Champions League as the winner and runner-up, respectively, of the '07 Torneo Apertura.

USA: The United States representatives will be the Major League Soccer Cup Champions; the MLS Regular Season Winner; the MLS Cup Runner-up; and the US Open Cup Champion. Results from the '07 MLS season will be used to qualify teams for the '08-'09 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Houston Dynamo, D.C. United and the New England Revolution have qualified in the first three slots. Since New England was also the US Open Cup Champion, Chivas USA move up to the fourth spot, as the team with the next highest point total from the '07 MLS regular season standings.

CENTRAL AMERICAN ZONE:

BELIZE: The recently crowned '07-'08 RFG Insurance League Champion, Hankook Verdes advance from Belize to this year's CONCACAF Champions League.

COSTA RICA: The champions of the Torneos Invierno and Verano qualify to the Champions League. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically take the spot, while the next place goes to the team with the next best overall record in the regular season standings from the Torneo Verano. If a different champion is crowned in each tournament then a two-game playoff will determine the two spots.

Deportivo Saprissa has secured a spot in the tourney after winning the '07 Torneo de Invierno.

EL SALVADOR: The champions of the Liga Mayor Torneos Apertura and Clausura qualify to the tournament. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically take the top spot, while the next place goes to the team with the next best overall record in the regular season standings from the Torneo Clausura. If a different champion is crowned in each tournament then a two-game playoff will determine spots.

CD Luis Angel Firpo has secured a place in the '08-'09 CONCACAF Champions League after winning the Liga Mayor '07 Apertura.

GUATEMALA: The champions of the Torneos Apertura and Clausura qualify to the Champions League. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically take the top spot, while the second place goes to the team with the next best overall record in the regular season standings from the Torneo Clausura. If a different champion is crowned in each tournament then a two-game playoff will determine the spots.

Deportivo Jalapa already qualified for the tourney after winning the Torneo Apertura '07.

HONDURAS: The champions of the Torneos Apertura and Clausura qualify to the Champions League. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically take the top spot, while the second place goes to the team with the next best overall record in the regular season standings from the Torneo Clausura. If a different champion is crowned in each tournament then a two-game playoff will determine the spots.

CD Marathon has secured their place in the '08-'09 tourney after claiming the Torneo de Apertura 2007.

NICARAGUA: The winner of a two-game playoff between the champion of the Campeonato Nacional Apertura and champion of the Campeonato Nacional Clausura will qualify to the CONCACAF Champions League. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically qualify.

Real Esteli FC won the '07 Campeonato Nacional Apertura. Should Real Esteli FC win the '08 Clausura, then no playoff will be required and they will represent Nicaragua.

PANAMA: The champions of the Torneos ANAPROF Clausura and Apertura qualify to the Champions League. If a team wins both tournaments they automatically take the spot, while the second place goes to the team with the next best overall record in the regular season standings from the Torneo Apertura. If a different champion is crowned in each tournament then a two-game playoff will determine the spots.

San Francisco FC has already qualified for the '08-'09 tourney after winning the Torneo de Clausura 2007.

CARIBBEAN ZONE:

The three Caribbean representatives will come from the annual CFU (Caribbean Football Union) Club Championship.

The '07 Caribbean Champion, Harbour View FC of Jamaica, and Runner-up Trinidad & Tobago's Joe Public FC have already qualified. The third Caribbean qualifier will be determined through a home-and-away playoff between the CFU Club Championship semifinalists, Puerto Rico Islanders and San Juan Jabloteh of Trinidad & Tobago to be held in May.