[1] [2] Plaza Amador qualified for second round as well, opposition unknown.
Olimpia and Municipal, who had reached the Cuadrangular Final of the abandoned 1996 edition, got byes into the second round.
The final round was originally scheduled for March 1998 in Dallas with quarterfinal fixtures of Necaxa–Olimpia and Platense–Municipal; winners of the first were to play Cruz Azul in the semifinal, while winners of the second were to play Dallas Burn in the second semifinal.
"This is a tremendous honor to host this tournament and an extremely high level of competition", said Burn GM Billy Hicks.
"Necaxa, Cruz Azul and Olimpia are some of the best, most decorated champions on this half of the planet.