Top 10 Soccer Teams In Mexico (Check These Out!) – (2024) Guide
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In the world of Soccer, almost everybody knows the teams from England, Spain, Argentina, France, and more. These teams have been dazzling their fans from all over the world with their stamina and skills on the field. Mexico, while not as popular as the other countries, is also carving a name in soccer history.
The Mexican Football Federation has been around since 1927 but a few others like Club America and Chivas have been around longer. Below are 10 of the most popular and successful soccer teams in Mexico.
Club America
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V. was founded all the way back in 1916. This makes it one of the oldest professional soccer clubs in Mexico. It is owned by Grupo Televisa, a media company. Their fans can watch them play their home games at one of the largest stadiums in the world, the Estadio Azteca. This is how big they are in Mexico.
Fans look forward to the matches that Club America plays against its long-time rival, Guadalajara. Their matches are often referred to as El Super Clasico and are viewed by millions over the world. As of 2021, Club America has had 86 victories over Guadalajara.
They also play derbies against Club Universidad Nacional and Cruz Azul. Whenever these teams compete, their fans can expect an exciting match.
Also known as Las Aguilas, this team is a founding member of the Primera Division. To date, Club America has thirteen league titles under its belt. This includes six Copa Mexico and six Campeon de Campeones titles. The soccer team is also successful when it comes to international competitions, securing ten FIFA club trophies.
A few of Club America’s highlighted players are Ivan Zamorano, Ilie Dumitrescu, Pavel Pardo, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Enrique Borja, and Carlos Hermosillo.
Location:
Prol. División del Nte. 3901, Coapa, Ex-Hacienda Coapa, Coyoacán, 04850 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Website:
Club America
Chivas Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V., or simply Guadalajara, is another top-tier Mexican soccer team. Just like Club America, this team is one of the founding members of the Mexican First Division. It is also one of the only two teams that have managed to avoid relegation to the second-tier division.
Nicknamed The Goats, this team was founded in 1906. Fun fact: the team’s mascot is a goat. It is currently owned by Grupo Omnilife and is considered one of the most successful teams in the history of Mexican soccer. The team plays its home games at the Estadio Akron.
Because of its focus to prioritize cantera players or homegrown players, Chivas is the only club in Mexico that does not accept foreign players. It has successfully launched players like Javier Hernandez, Carlos Salcido, Omar Bravo, Marco Fabian, and Fransisco Javier Rodriguez.
Chivas Guadalajara is one of Mexico’s most successful teams on the field. It has 11 league titles under its belt. One of its biggest accomplishments is holding the longest winning streak in the Mexican league, with its exceptional 8 consecutive wins. Chivas has twice reached the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. It was also the runner-up in 2010.
Location:
C. Cto. JVC 2800, El Bajío, 45019 Zapopan, Jal., Mexico
Website:
Chivas Guadalajara
Cruz Azul
Another club that plays in the Liga MX is the Club Deportivo Social y Cultural Cruz Azul Asociación S.A. de C.V. Better known as Cruz Azul, this club is another key participant in the Liga MX. It was established in Hidalgo but officially moved in 1971 to Mexico City.
The original players of the team were all employees of the Cemento Cruz Azul, a cement company in Hidalgo. The employees established a company baseball team in 1925 but ultimately decided to switch to football in 1927. The company pitched a football field on the premises which became the training ground of the team.
Cruz Azul called Estadio Azteca its home together with Club America until 1996. It moved to Estadio Azul and stayed there for 22 years before moving back to Azteca in 2017. The team’s headquarters can be found in the Xochimilco suburb of La Noria.
Cruz Azul has proven its players’ superior skills in the field many times. It has won the Primera Division championship nine times, placing itself fourth in the ranking, closely trailing Toluca and Chivas Guadalajara. It was the first CONCACAF team to get into the finals of the 2001 Copa Libertadores, ultimately bowing down to the Argentine Boca Juniors.
It is also considered the second most successful team in the CONCACAF Champions League. In 1969, the team was able to accomplish what only two other teams were able to do – to complete a Continental Treble. This meant winning the championships of the Copa Mexica national tournament, the CONCACAF Champions League, and the Mexican Primera Division.
Location:
Av. San Pablo 100, La Noria Xochimilco, Mexico City
Website:
Cruz Azul
PUMAS UNAM
More commonly known as U.N.A.M., the team Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., is considered as part of the top 4 soccer teams in the country. The Pumas was founded in 1954 but it was known as Club Deportivo Universidad then. The reason why the team is also known as UNAM is that it represents the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
The Pumas play their home games inside the Ciudad Universitaria at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario.Just like Guadalajara, this team is also considered a rival for Club America. Their much-awaited matches are called Clasico Capitalino and are watched by thousands all over the world. It is deemed part of the Cuatro Grandes in the Liga MX.
UNAM has 11 domestic championship titles under its belt. 7 are from Liga MX, 2 from the Campeon de Campeones, one each for the Copa MX and Segunda Division de Mexico. In terms of international titles, this team has won the Copa Interamericana once and the CONCACAF Champions League three times.
One thing that sets this team apart is its youth development program. Because they get to scout from a young roster, the team has successfully launched many soccer greats like Luis Garcia, Claudio Suarez, Alberto Garcia Aspe, Manuel Negrete, Jorge Campos, Hugo Sanchez, Enrique Borja, and many more.
Location:
Av. de los Insurgentes Sur S/N, C.U., Coyoacán, 04510 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Website:
Pumas UNAM
Toluca
Deportivo Toluca Fútbol Club S.A. de C.V., or just Toluca, has been around since 1917. It was founded by the brothers Gerardo Ferrat and Roman Alday along with Manuel Henkel and Filiberto Navas. It joined the Segunda Division de Mexico in 1950 before moving up to the Mexican Primera Division three years later.
The original team was highly criticized by the audience for their ultra-defensive play but following their win in the First Division championships, fans realized that the players of the team knew what they were doing. It has since worked its way towards carving a name for itself in the field of Mexican soccer.
Also known as the Red Devils, or Diablos Rojos, this team plays their home games at the Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, Mexico. A few of its notable players are Pedro Romero, Zinha, Fabian Estay, Dario Rodriguez, Juan Antonio Pizzi, and Enrique Alfaro.
To date, the team is considered the third most winning team in the Mexican Primera Division. It has won a total of 10 championships. It has also won two CONCACAF Championship Cup and two domestic championships. With the team’s game becoming more tactical, fans expect the team to do really well in the coming years.
Location:
Constituent Av. Pte. # 1000 Colonia La Merced, Toluca, Mexico, Mex.
Website:
Toluca
Pachuca
Club de Fútbol Pachuca, or simply Pachuca, can be considered the oldest soccer club in the country of Mexico. It was founded in 1901. This winning team was created by a group of Camborne & Redruth-based miners who became interested in the sport after playing it at an English mine. This is why they originally named the team “The Coalmen” or Pachucas.
The mineworkers initially played soccer as a way to enjoy and pass the time. Eventually, the game was introduced to the Mexican workers. and it quickly spread like wildfire. Teams started sprouting up all over the state and nearby towns. Over 6 years after it was founded, the Mexican Primera Division came to be, with Pachuca as one of its founding members.
What followed was widely considered as years of poor to mediocre performances. It moved up and down the first and second divisions. In 1998, the team went up to the Primera Division and something simply clicked. The members played better and the team began winning.
To date, it has five CONCACAF Champions’ Cups, one Copa Sudamericana, and one SuperLiga championship under its name. Los Tuzos, the team’s nickname of The gophers, has also won six national championships. It also became the first CONCACAF team to bag the top spot at the CONMEBOL tournament.
Location:
Boulevard Felipe Angeles, s/n, Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo
Website:
Pachuca
C.F. Monterrey
The Club de Fútbol Monterrey, or more popularly known as C.F. Monterrey is another professional soccer club based in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The Rayados or The Striped Ones also plays in the top-tier Liga MX. It is considered the oldest team from northern Mexico that is still active. It was founded in 1945.
C.F. Monterrey is owned by FEMSA. This is the largest bottling company in Latin America. The team plays all their home games at the Estadio BBVA. The team’s nickname comes from the club’s uniform. It is a striped navy blue design. It also appears on the team’s crest along with stars. The ones at the top represent the team’s league titles. The gold stars below represent the continental titles won by the team.
Monterrey is not as popular as the big 4 teams but it has won its share of league titles. It has won five to be exact. It also has five CONCACAF Champions League titles as well as three domestic cups under its belt. Looking at its stat, The Rayados may be considered as the strongest club from the country of Mexico.
It is so strong that in 2020, it became the second team to achieve the continental treble. Its fans looked forward to its skirmishes with long-time rival, the Tigres UANL. The two teams played in the Clasico Regiomontano, the local derby. It is considered as the most intensely competed derbies and registers the highest audience attendance.
Location:
Av. Pablo Livas 2011, La Pastora neighborhood, CP 67140, in Guadalupe, Nuevo León
Website:
C.F. Monterrey
Club Necaxa
The Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V., or Club Necaxa, is a professional soccer club based in Aguascalientes. It is also one of the teams that play in the Liga MX. Founded in 1923, Club Necaxa owes its humble start to the owner of the Compañía de Luz y Fuerza. William Fraser merged the players from his company and a team composed of the Tranvias operators.
Necaxa is one of the Mexican teams that fielded players of all races and nationalities. This was decided way back in 1923. Nicknamed Los Electrisistas or The Electricians, the team began gaining prestige on the field and started one of the oldest rivalries in Mexican soccer against Atlante F.C.
Although not as popular as the big four, Necaxa also enjoyed a fair amount of success in local and international competitions. To date, it has won four Ascenso MX, one Supercopa MX, two Campeon de Campeones, three Liga MX, and 8 Copa MX.
In the international scene, the team has twice won the CONCACAF Champions League. It also has one CONCACAF Winners Cup under its belt. This is no small feat given that it was competing against more experienced opponents with larger fan bases.
Location:
Blvd. Juan Pablo II No. 1301 Col. Jardines del Lago Aguascalientes, Mexico, C.P. 20218
Website:
Club Necaxa
Santos Laguna
Another contender in the Liga MX is Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V., or simply Santos Laguna. This is a pretty young team based in La Comarca, Lagunera. It was founded in 1983 and was able to make its way to the country’s top division in 1988. This team is the third soccer team to emerge from the Laguna area.
While decades younger than the other clubs, Santos Laguna is no slouch on the soccer field. It has won a total of 6 Liga MX championships. It also has a Copa MX and Campeon de Campeonos trophy under its name. While it has yet to win in the CONCACAF Champions League, it came close two times, coming in as runners-up.
Santos Laguna has a rivalry with Monterrey, its state neighbor. Their players went against this team in the First Division finals of Mexico. The team also went against Monterrey two times in the CONCACAF Champions League. As much as it is succeeding in local competitions, Santos Laguna has yet to earn any major International League trophy.
Soccer enthusiasts look at Santos as a Warrior Factory. Many of the players who go through the team’s development process go on to become assets for their current teams. Two players that this team has exported are Uriel Antuna and Joao Maleck. The former was signed by Manchester City and the latter was recruited by FC Porto, a top Portuguese football team.
Location:
Territorio Santos Modelo, Carretera Torreón-San Pedro Km 7 y Av, San Pedro de las Colonias – Torreón, Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico
Website:
Santos Laguna
Club Puebla
La Franja, as Club Puebla is commonly known, is the final Mexican soccer team on this list. La Franja means The Striped Ones. It refers to the team’s uniform which sported blue and white diagonal stripes that cross the chest from right to left. This striped team is based in the Mexican city of Puebla and has been around since its founding in 1904.
Originally named Puebla AC, the city’s official soccer team was actually founded by an Englishman. It was eventually incorporated into the football league and captured its first major win – The Copa Mexico (Copa MX) in 1945. Club Puebla won that trophy again nearly ten years later.
The team had to overcome Guadalajara to capture its first league title. This was in 1983. Five years after that, Club Puebla won its third Copa MX. The next few years were very fruitful for this professional club.
Sadly, the team was relegated to the second-tier league at the end of 1999 following a string of losses. It improved for a while but was relegated yet again in 2005. It battled its way up to the top tier and even managed to reach the semi-finals of the Clausura in 2009. The team fought hard but was eventually knocked out by Pumas UNAM.
To date, Club Puebla has managed to secure two Ascenso MX, five Copa MX, one Supercopa MX, one Campeon de Campeones, one CONCACAF Champions League, and two Liga MX titles. For a young team that has only been active in the league starting 1944, these are great accomplishments that their fans highly appreciate.
Location:
Calz. Ignacio Zaragoza 666, Parque Industrial Puebla 2000, 72220 Puebla, Pue., Mexico
Website:
Club Puebla
In the world of Soccer, almost everybody knows the teams from England, Spain, Argentina, France, and more. These teams have been dazzling their fans from all over the world with their stamina and skills on the field. Mexico, while not as popular as the other countries, is also carving a name in soccer history.
The Mexican Football Federation has been around since 1927 but a few others like Club America and Chivas have been around longer. Below are 10 of the most popular and successful soccer teams in Mexico.
