El Escudo

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 joint-record six Copa México titles (tied with León and others), and a joint-record seven Campeón de Campeones cups. In international competitions, América has won ten FIFA recognized club trophies, a joint-record for a club from CONCACAF (tied with Cruz Azul), 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 at least six 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 stadium lights hummed with anticipation as the final minutes ticked away, the scoreline hanging in precarious balance. In the stands, a sea of white shirts rose as one, thousands of hands clutching small replicas of El Escudo against their chests. An old supporter, his face painted in blue and gold, whispered to his grandson, 'Look at the eagle, mijo; he has seen us through worse storms than this.' As the referee blew the final whistle for victory, the roar that erupted was not just for the goal, but for the shield itself—a silent promise kept by the golden bird soaring above them all.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded on 12 October 1916 by college students from Colegio Mascarones and Colegio Marista de la Perpetua. The name 'América' was suggested by Pedro 'Cheto' Quintanilla because the team formed on Columbus Day. The original crest featured a map of the Americas with a 'C' on the left and an 'A' on the right. The kit was navy blue trousers and a yellow shirt. In 1918, the team changed its name to Club Centro Unión, reverting to América two years later. América won its first Primera Fuerza title in the 1924–25 season. In 1926, América became the first Mexican club to play outside of Mexico. In 1954, América won its first Copa México by defeating Guadalajara on penalties. In 1956, the club was sold to Jarritos, and on 22 July 1959, Emilio Azcárraga Milmo of Telesistema Mexicano bought the club. In 1978, América participated in their first Copa Interamericana, defeating Boca Juniors in a playoff match to become the first team from Mexico and CONCACAF to win the competition. The 1980s are considered América's 'golden decade', during which they won five league titles, including three consecutive titles.

Did You Know?

• América was the first club in Mexico City to field an all-Mexican lineup when it joined the Primera Fuerza in 1916.
• Most of the Mexico national team that participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1930 World Cup consisted of players from Club América.
• América is one of at least six clubs to win back-to-back league titles since the introduction of the short tournament format, and the only team to achieve a three-peat under that format.
• The club's nickname is Las Águilas (The Eagles).