Chivas vs C.D. Guadalajara vs América (Historic)

Lore & Background

América is one of the founding members of the Primera División. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Guadalajara, as both are the most successful and most supported teams in the country and are among the seven clubs to have never been relegated. Matches between them are known as El Súper Clásico, considered to be the biggest rivalry in Mexico, and one of the biggest in the world. América also plays derbies against Cruz Azul and Pumas UNAM. Together the clubs make up the "Big Four" of Mexican football. In 2024, it became the first football club to be floated on the Mexican Stock Exchange (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores). According to Sportico, Club América is valued at US$770 million as of May 2025, making it one of the most valuable clubs in North America. Club América has won more titles than any other team in Mexican football. Domestically, the club has won a record sixteen league titles, a record six Copa México titles, and a joint-record seven Campeón de Campeones cups. In international competitions, América has won ten FIFA recognized club trophies, the most for a club from CONCACAF, with a joint-record seven CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles, one CONCACAF Giants Cup, and two Copa Interamericanas. The club also holds numerous distinctions, including topping the all-time league table in victories, points, and goals scored, most appearances in the liguilla (playoffs) stage, the most playoff final appearances (22) and second-most runner-up finishes, after Cruz Azul. It is one of five clubs to win back-to-back league titles since the introduction of the short tournament format, the only team to achieve a three-peat under the format, and the only one to reach four finals in a row. In 2021, América was named by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as the best North American club of the first decade (2001–2011) of the 21st century.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the grass as the stadium filled to capacity. On one side, waves of red and white; on the other, a sea of green and yellow. The air was thick with anticipation, smelling of popcorn and tension. A Chivas midfielder tightened his laces, thinking of the generations who wore this badge before him. Across the line, an América forward stretched, eyes fixed on the goal. No words were needed; the history between these clubs spoke louder than any announcer. When the whistle blew, it was not just a game beginning—it was another chapter in a century-long war for supremacy.

Reader's Guide

The rivalry between América and Guadalajara began during the 1945–1946 season when Guadalajara beat América by 6–4 and 4–2 scorelines. The source does not specify any policy of Guadalajara fielding only Mexican players, nor does it state when such a policy began. The source notes that in 1916, América was the only club in Mexico City with Mexican-born players, but this is about América, not Guadalajara.

Did You Know?

• América was founded on 12 October 1916, Columbus Day, and was named 'América' because of that date.
• América became the first Mexican club to play outside of Mexico in 1926.
• América was the first team from Mexico and from the CONCACAF region to win the Copa Interamericana, in 1978.
• The 1980s are generally considered América's 'golden decade', during which they won the league title five times, including three consecutive titles.