2017 Copa MX Final vs Tijuana

Lore & Background

Founded in 1906 as Unión Football Club, the club changed its name to Guadalajara Football Club in 1908, and then changed to its current name in 1923. Nicknamed Chivas, it was one of ten founding members of the first professional and national league in Mexico, named Liga Mayor (current Liga MX). Guadalajara is one of seven Mexican clubs that have never been relegated. Chivas is the only football club in Mexico that does not sign foreign or naturalized players unless they are of Mexican descent. The team has historically relied on home-grown (cantera) players and has been the launching pad of many internationally successful players, including Javier Hernández, Carlos Vela and Carlos Salcido, among others.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Estadio Caliente was thick with humidity and tension as the clock ticked past the 80th minute. The scoreline hung precariously, demanding one final push from the red-and-white army. A cross found its way to a Chivas forward who rose above the defense, connecting with a header that seemed to defy gravity. As the ball hit the back of the net, the roar of thousands of traveling fans echoed against the desert night sky, sealing a destiny written in passion and grit.

Reader's Guide

Domestically, CD Guadalajara is one of the most successful Mexican clubs, winning twelve Liga MX titles, four Copa MX titles, seven Campeón de Campeones and one Supercopa MX, and also holds the league record for the longest winning streak at the beginning of a season, with eight consecutive wins in the Bicentenario 2010. Internationally, it has won two CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles, and also finished as runners-up in the 2010 Copa Libertadores.

Did You Know?

• According to a study of preferred football clubs in 2016, Guadalajara was the most popular Mexican club, with 44.2% of supporters in the country.
• In 2020, Forbes estimated that the club was the most valuable of the league, ranking sixth overall in the Americas, worth approximately $311.5 million.
• The club's nickname 'Chivas' originated from the name 'Chivas Locas' (Crazy Goats) given during a game against Tampico in the 1948–49 season.
• Guadalajara won four consecutive league championships from 1958–59 to 1961–62, a feat unmatched in Mexican football history.