Gotham FC knows path to defend CONCACAF W Champions Cup trophy

Despite winning the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup less than two weeks ago, NJ/NY Gotham FC's preparations for the second edition of the continental tournament have already begun with the group stage draw. The team was drawn into Group B with teams from Canada, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States, with a familiar opponent from the NWSL.

Gotham FC is one of six teams, along with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense Femenil of Costa Rica, Alianza Women Fútbol Club of El Salvador, C.F. Monterrey Femenil and Club América Femenil of Mexico, and a renamed Vancouver Rise FC Academy of Canada, that qualified for both last year's and this year's competition. They are joined by C.F. Pachuca Femenil of Mexico, Chorrillo FC of Panama, and the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit from the NWSL.

While the official match schedule is yet to be announced, the group stage will kick off on matchday one on August 19-21, with subsequent matchdays occurring every two weeks after and concluding with matchday five on October 14-16. Given that teams will play only four group stage games, each team will have a "bye week" and be idle on one of these matchdays. The top two from each group will then advance to the knockout stage, which will see the semifinals and the championship played at a yet unannounced predetermined location on May 20-23, 2026.

Despite their NWSL form not being the greatest and winning the first edition of the competition, winning their group will again be a priority for Gotham. Balancing this competition with NWSL play will be more difficult than last year, given the lack of depth on this year's team compared to the previous year. Still, the team should be seen as one of the favorites to advance from their group to the knockout stage.

Analyzing Gotham FC's Group B

Gotham FC's Group B opponents are the Washington Spirit, Monterrey, Vancouver Rise Academy, and Alianza. Monterrey and Vancouver return from last year. Then, Alianza qualified for the group stage after losing in the preliminary round last year, while Washington will compete for the first time.

Clearly, Washington is going to be Gotham's toughest opponents, with Monterrey being the next hardest. Alianza and Vancouver will most likely struggle against the top three, which makes the matchups between the presumptive top even more crucial. While it is currently unknown when or where these matches will be played, it might be in Gotham's best interest for their matchup against Washington to be on the road.

This is because of the proximity between the two teams compared to their proximity to the other three. Instead of having to travel to two out of El Salvador, Mexico, and Western Canada, they would instead only have one long trip and a short bus or train ride down to D.C. And Gotham has already shown this season that they are capable of winning in Washington if that is required of them.

Additionally, being drawn into the same group means that the Bats and Washington will have played each other a minimum of seven times over two seasons in all competitions. Typically, NWSL teams only play each other four times over a stretch of two years, so maybe these extra matches will help build the "rivalry" between the two teams that the league is trying to push.

One notable aspect of last year's group stage that will be interesting to track is that all matchups between NWSL and Liga MX Femenil teams took place in the United States and none in Mexico. Whether that was a conscious choice from CONCACAF or if it was just a coincidence is unknown. However, where those games take place in this year's edition will play a big role in who makes it out of the group and who does not.

In addition to Group B, the teams in Group A are Club América and Pachuca of Mexico, the Orlando Pride of NWSL, Alajuelense of Costa Rica, and Chorrillo of Panama. Gotham FC could face one or two of these teams if they move on in the tournament.