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 (Those from La Noria)
Founded22 May 1927; 99 years ago (1927-05-22)
StadiumEstadio Azteca
Capacity87,523
OwnerCooperativa La Cruz Azul
PresidentVíctor Velázquez
ManagerJoel Huiqui
LeagueLiga MX
Clausura 2026Regular phase: 3rd
Final phase: Champions
Websitehttps://cfcruzazul.com/
Current season

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 ten 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 four 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 América and Guadalajara).

History

Cruz Azul was founded on 22 May 1927 by workers of the Cooperativa La Cruz Azul 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 ten 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 Clausura 2026 tournament, ending a five year drought. In other competitions, Cruz Azul has also won four Copa México/Copa MX titles, four 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 10 1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021, Clausura 2026
Segunda División 1 1963–64
Copa México/Copa MX 4 1968–69, 1996–97, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018
Campeón de Campeones 4 1969, 1974, 2021, 2026
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

Players

First-team squad

As of 12 September 2026

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 Mexico Andrés Gudiño
2 DF Mexico Mexico Alan Mozo (on loan from Guadalajara)
3 DF Mexico Mexico Omar Campos
4 DF Colombia Colombia Willer Ditta
5 DF Mexico Mexico Jesús Orozco
6 MF Mexico Mexico Érik Lira (captain)
7 FW Argentina Argentina Nicolás Ibáñez
8 MF Argentina Argentina Agustín Palavecino
10 MF Mexico Mexico Andrés Montaño
11 FW Nigeria Nigeria Christian Ebere
12 DF Mexico Mexico Alán Montes
13 GK Mexico Mexico Ricardo Rodríguez
14 FW Colombia Colombia Juan José Calero
15 DF United States United States Ralph Orquin
16 MF Mexico Mexico Jeremy Márquez
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Mexico Mexico Amaury García
18 MF Argentina Argentina Luka Romero
19 MF Mexico Mexico Carlos Rodríguez (vice-captain)
20 MF Argentina Argentina José Paradela
21 FW Uruguay Uruguay Gabriel Fernández
22 DF Mexico Mexico Jorge Rodarte
23 GK Colombia Colombia Kevin Mier
25 MF Mexico Mexico Fernando Sámano
27 FW Mexico Mexico Bryan Gamboa
28 DF Mexico Mexico Raymundo Rubio
29 MF Argentina Argentina Carlos Rotondi
30 GK Mexico Mexico Emmanuel Ochoa
32 MF Mexico Mexico Cristian Jiménez
33 DF Argentina 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
— DF Mexico Mexico Mauro Zaleta (at Necaxa)

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. 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.

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. ↑ "¿Cuál es el equipo con más afición de la Liga MX? - ranking del 2025" (in Spanish). si.com. 14 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Primer Equipo Varonil". Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S. A. de C. V. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Cruz Azul Plantilla". Liga MX. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "Mercado: Cruz Azul anuncia la salida de Mauro Zaleta al Necaxa para el Apertura 2026". vamoscruzazul.bolavip.com (in Spanish). 2 July 2026. Archived from the original on 17 July 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.