The 1981 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 17th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It determined that year's club champion of association football in the CONCACAF region and was played from 26 April 1980 to 2 February 1981.
The teams were split in two zones, North/Central American and Caribbean, each one qualifying the winner to the final tournament. All the matches in the tournament were played under the home/away match system.
Surinamean team Transvaal won the two-legged series against Salvadorean Atlético Marte (2–1 on aggregate), becoming CONCACAF champions for the second time in their history.[1]
North/Central American Zone
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlético Marte 
|
5–3 |  Juventud Retalteca
|
2–2 | 3–1 |
Marathón 
|
5–1 | Santiagueño
|
4–0 | 1–1 |
| Xelajú
|
2–4 |  Tigres UANL
|
0–0 | 2–4 |
| Real España
|
2–4 | Cruz Azul
|
2–1 | 0–3 |
- Atlético Marte, Marathón, UANL Tigres AND Cruz Azul advance to the second round.
| 26 April 1981 1st leg | Atletico Marte | 2-2 | Juventud Retalteca | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 15:00 | Norberto Huezo  |
Paulo Damasco Dubón |
Stadium: Estadio Cuscatlán Referee: Rolando Paz Escoto |
| 3 May 1981 2nd leg | Juventud Retalteca | 1-3 (5-3 agg.) | Atletico Marte | Retalhuleu, Guatemala |
| Ramon Fagoga own goal |
Carlos Recinos José María "Mandingo" Rivas |
Stadium: Estadio Dr. Óscar Monterroso Izaguirre |
| 1981 1st leg | Marathón | 4-0 | Santiagueño | San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán |
| May 18, 1981 2nd leg | Santiagueño | 1-1 (1-5 agg.) | Marathón | San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Eraldo Correia |
Jose Angel Pena |
Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán |
| 1981 1st leg | Xelajú | 0-0 | Tigres UANL | Quetzaltenango, Guatemala |
| Stadium: Estadio Mario Camposeco |
| 1981 2nd leg | Tigres UANL | 4-2 (4-2 agg.) | Xelajú | San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico |
| Stadium: Estadio Universitario (UANL) |
| June 24, 1981 1st leg | Real España | 2-1 | Cruz Azul | San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Junior Costly Hernán Juvini Carreño |
Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán |
| 1981 2nd leg | Cruz Azul | 3-0 (4-2 agg.) | Real España | Jasso, Mexico |
| Stadium: Estadio 10 de Diciembre |
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigres UANL
|
1 - 2 | Atlético Marte
|
1 - 1 | 0 - 1 |
| Marathón
|
4 - 2 | Cruz Azul
|
3 - 1 | 1 - 1 |
- Atlético Marte and Marathón advance to the third round.
| July 7, 1981 1st leg | Tigres UANL | 1–1 | Atletico Marte | San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico |
| Tomás Boy 22' |
Jorge Gonzalez pen 62' |
Stadium: Estadio Universitario (UANL) |
| 30 September 1981 2nd leg | Atletico Marte | 1-0* (2–1 agg.) | Tigres UANL | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Stadium: Estadio Cuscatlán |
- 2nd leg not played, U.A.N.L. refused to travel to El Salvador due to political unrest; CONCACAF list the result as 1-0, probably having awarded the return to Atlético Marte
| 22 September 1981 1st leg | Cruz Azul | 1–3 | Marathón | Jasso, Mexico |
| Mario Díaz Pérez 22' |
Celso Güity 3' 86' Enrique Mendoza 31' |
Stadium: Estadio 10 de Diciembre |
| 30 September 1981 2nd leg | Marathón | 1-1 (4-2 agg.) | Cruz Azul | San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Robert Bailey 83' |
Carlos Jara Saguier 75' |
Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán |
Third round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlético Marte
|
2-1 | Marathón
|
0-1 | 2-0 |
- Atlético Marte advances to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup Final.
| December 3, 1981 1st leg | Marathón | 1–0 | Atletico Marte | San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Celso Güity 16pen 16' |
Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán |
| 6 December 1981 2nd leg | Atletico Marte | 2-0 (2–1 agg.) | Marathón | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Antonio Infantozzi 7' Herber Machón 8' |
Stadium: Estadio Cuscatlán |
*Marathón withdrew
Caribbean Zone
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kentucky Memphis 
|
0 - 3 |  SUBT
|
0 - 1 | 0 - 2 |
| Sithoc
|
1 - 5 |  Robinhood
|
1 - 0 | 0 - 5 |
| Transvaal
|
3 - 2 | Defence Force
|
1 - 0 | x |
Yama Sun Oil 
|
 Saint Thomas College
|
- SUBT, Robinhood, Transvaal and Yama Sun Oil advance to the second round.
| Kentucky Memphis | 0-0 | SUBT |
| SUBT | 2–0 (3-0 agg.) | Kentucky Memphis |
result 2nd leg not known, Transvaal qualified.
other fixtures not known but apparently Yama Sun Oil eliminated Saint Thomas College (home country unclear)
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUBT
|
7 - 1 | Yama Sun Oil
|
5 - 0 | 2 - 1 |
| Robinhood
|
0 - 0 (3-4 pen) | Transvaal
|
0 - 0 | 0 - 0 |
- SUBT and Transvaal advance to the third round.
| SUBT | 5–0 | Yama Sun Oil |
| Yama Sun Oil | 1-2 (2-7 agg.) | SUBT |
Third round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUBT
|
0 - 3 | Transvaal
|
0 - 1 | 0 - 2 |
- Transvaal advances to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup Final.
Final
x both matches in Paramaribo
First leg
Second leg
Second leg
| Atlético Marte | 1–1 | Transvaal |
|---|---|---|
| Wilfredo Huezo |
Report | Wensley Bundel |
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Transvaal won 2–1 on aggregate.
Champion
| CONCACAF Champions' Cup 1981 Champions |
|---|
 Transvaal Second title |
References
- ^ Copa de Campeones 1981 on the RSSSF
