Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul
Full nameClub de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V.
Nickname(s)La Máquina (The Machine)
Los Celestes (The Sky-Blues)
Los Cementeros (The Cement Makers)
Las Liebres (The Hares)
Los de La Noria (The Men from La Noria)
Founded22 May 1927 (1927-05-22)[note 1]
StadiumEstadio Olímpico Universitario
(temporary)
Capacity58,445[3]
OwnerCooperativa La Cruz Azul, S.C.L.
PresidentVíctor Velázquez
ManagerNicolás Larcamón
LeagueLiga MX
Clausura 2025Regular phase: 3rd
Final phase: Semi-finals
Websitehttps://cfcruzazul.com/

Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., known simply as Cruz Azul (pronounced [kɾus aˈsul], "Blue Cross"), is an association football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It was originally from Jasso, Hidalgo. The team plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. They have won nine League Championship titles (fourth-highest total, after América, Guadalajara and Toluca), seven CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles (a shared record with América), and four Copa México/Copa MX titles. They have also won three Campeón de Campeones trophies, a Supercopa MX, and a Supercopa de la Liga MX. They are also the third most popular team in Mexico (after Guadalajara and América).[4]

History

Cruz Azul was founded on 22 May 1927 by workers of the Cooperativa La Cruz Azul, S.C.L. factory in Jasso, Hidalgo. The club first played in the amateur leagues before joining the professional second division. They won their first promotion to the top flight in 1964. The team's first major success came in 1969 when they won their first Primera División title. This victory marked the beginning of their "Golden Era" in the 1970s. During this decade, they won six more league championships, including a historic three-in-a-row from 1971 to 1974. With a total of nine championships, Cruz Azul is tied for fourth on the all-time list of most successful teams in the professional era. Their most recent league title was in the Guardianes 2021 tournament, ending a 23-year drought. In other competitions, Cruz Azul has also won four Copa México/Copa MX titles, three Campeón de Campeones, one Supercopa MX and a Supercopa de la Liga MX.

In international competitions, Cruz Azul is one of the most successful Mexican clubs. They have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup seven times, a record they share with América, the most recent success being in 2025 when they beat Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC 5–0 in Mexico City. They also participated in the Copa Interamericana, playing the 1971 edition, losing 2–3 to Nacional on aggregate, and also reached the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2001, where they lost to Boca Juniors in a penalty shootout.

Honours

Cruz Azul honours
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic Primera División/Liga MX 9 1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021
Segunda División 1 1963–64
Copa México/Copa MX 4 1968–69, 1996–97, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018
Campeón de Campeones 3 1969, 1974, 2021
Supercopa MX 1 2019
Supercopa de la Liga MX 1 2022
Continental CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League 7 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, 2013–14, 2025
Regional Leagues Cup 1 2019

Friendly

  • Torneo Almería:
    • Winners (1): 1979
  • Torneo Burgos:
    • Winners (1): 1980
  • Cuadrangular Azteca
    • Winners (1): 1981
  • Triangular Los Ángeles
    • Winners (1): 1991
  • Cuadrangular Querétaro
    • Winners (1): 1992
  • Torneo Monterrey 400
    • Winners (1): 1996
  • Copa Pachuca
    • Winners (5): 1997, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007
  • Copa 5 de Mayo
    • Winners (1): 2004
  • Copa Panamericana DirecTV
    • Winners (1): 2007
  • Copa Amistad
    • Winners (1): 2007
  • Copa Aztex
    • Winners (1): 2009
  • Copa Socio MX
    • Winners (1): 2015
  • Supercopa Tecate
    • Winners (1): 2017
  • Dynamo Charities Cup
    • Winners (1): 2017
  • Copa GNP por México
    • Winners (1): 2020
  • Copa Sky
    • Winners (1): 2022
  • Copa Fundadores
    • Winners (1): 2024

Players

First-team squad

As of 27 August 2025[5][6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  Mexico Andrés Gudiño
2 DF  Mexico Jorge Sánchez
3 DF  Mexico Omar Campos
4 DF  Colombia Willer Ditta
5 DF  Mexico Jesús Orozco
6 MF  Mexico Érik Lira
7 MF  Poland Mateusz Bogusz
8 MF  Argentina Lorenzo Faravelli
9 FW  Mexico Ángel Sepúlveda
10 MF  Mexico Andrés Montaño
15 MF  Uruguay Ignacio Rivero (captain)
16 MF  Mexico Jeremy Márquez
17 MF  Mexico Amaury García
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF  Argentina Luka Romero
19 MF  Mexico Carlos Rodríguez (vice-captain)
20 MF  Argentina José Paradela
21 FW  Uruguay Gabriel Fernández
22 DF  Mexico Raymundo Rubio
23 GK  Colombia Kevin Mier
25 MF  Mexico Fernando Sámano
26 DF  Mexico Carlos Vargas
27 FW  Mexico Bryan Gamboa
29 MF  Argentina Carlos Rotondi
30 GK  Mexico Emmanuel Ochoa
32 MF  Mexico Cristian Jiménez
33 DF  Argentina Gonzalo Piovi

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
11 FW  Greece Giorgos Giakoumakis (at PAOK until 30 June 2026)[7]
13 DF  Uruguay Camilo Cándido (at Atlético Nacional until 31 December 2025)[8]
28 MF  Mexico Mauro Zaleta (at Mazatlán until 30 June 2026)[9]
No. Pos. Nation Player
34 MF  Mexico Leonardo Sámano (at Tepatitlán until 30 June 2026)[10]
196 DF  Venezuela Javier Suárez (at Atlético San Luis until 30 June 2026)[11]
— MF  Mexico Jorge García (at Mazatlán until 30 June 2026)[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ There is some confusion about when Cruz Azul was founded. On 22 March 1927, workers from the cement company Cooperativa La Cruz Azul decided to start a football team. This is the date the club uses in its official history.[1] However, the team played its first official match on 22 May 1927. For this reason, the club has started using 22 May as its founding date in recent years.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Historia" (in Spanish). 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "LOS INICIOS" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Estadio Olímpico Universitario". ligamx.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Esmas.com". Esmas.com. 2008-02-12. Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Primer Equipo Varonil". Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S. A. de C. V. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "Cruz Azul Plantilla". Liga MX. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Cruz Azul y PAOK hacen oficial el traspaso de Giakoumakis, quien tuvo un gris paso por México". mediotiempo.com (in Spanish). 13 August 2025.
  8. ↑ @CruzAzul (23 January 2025). "Camilo Cándido se va cedido a préstamo un año al Club Atlético Nacional" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ @CruzAzul (27 August 2025). "Mauro Zaleta vivirá una nueva etapa en su carrera. Nuestro canterano jugará a préstamo con Mazatlán FC. ¡Te deseamos mucho éxito, Mauro!" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "LEONARDO SÁMANO, REFUERZO EN EL MEDIOCAMPO" (in Spanish). Tepatitlán F.C. 2 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Javier Suárez, nuevo jugador del Atlético de San Luis para el A2025". am.com.mx (in Spanish). 4 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Jorge García Rivas vuelve a la Liga MX y será rival de Cruz Azul en el Apertura 2025". vamoscruzazul.bolavip.com (in Spanish). 9 July 2025.
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