Founding By 1916 football was already a popular sport in Mexico, particularly amongst college students in Mexico City. College students from Colegio Mascarones and Colegio Marista de la Perpetua formed two football teams with the names
Récord and
Colón. On 12 October 1916, the two squads decided to consolidate to make a more competitive squad. Many names were considered for this new squad, and team player Pedro "Cheto" Quintanilla suggested the name "América", since they had formed the team on
Columbus Day (
Día del descubrimiento de América). The players agreed and soon designed a crest which had the map of the Americas centered with a 'C' for "Club" on the left and an 'A' for "América" on the right. In deciding the team's colors,
Rafael Garza Gutiérrez got a pair of his father's navy blue trousers and a yellow shirt and it was decided amongst the group that those would be the club's kit and colors. In 1916, Club América had to prove itself to the Mexican Football League, then known as the
Primera Fuerza. At the time, América was the only club in Mexico City with Mexican-born players.
Necaxa,
Atlante,
Real Club España,
Germania, and
Asturias were already members of the
Liga Mayor de la Ciudad. América's acceptance into the league rested on three games they had to win. América won two games, tied the third and were accepted. In 1918, the team changed its name to Club Centro Unión, though it would revert to using the name América only two years later. América won their first Primera Fuerza title in the
1924–25 season, being crowned champions after defeating Asturias 1–0 in the deciding match. América would win the Primera Fuerza three more times, all of them back-to-back. In 1926, América became the first Mexican club to play outside of Mexico. Aside from broadening their horizons, Club América, along with Atlante petitioned to reduce the number of foreign players in the league. Shortly after the
Mexican Football Federation was formed in 1928, Rafael Garza Gutiérrez was designated as the head coach of the
Mexico national team. Most of the national team that participated in the
1928 Summer Olympics and
1930 World Cup consisted of players from Club América.
1940–1969 Until 1942, Mexico had several leagues, although the league in Mexico City was considered the most developed. In 1942–43, the first National League was established and it was known as the Liga Mayor (Major League). Club América had declined from its then-prime of the 1920s and 1930s: aging players, diminishing financial resources, and resulting lack of interest made the team a bottom-feeder at the start of the beginning stage of the professional era
7. It was also during this time that the rivalry with
Guadalajara was born; especially during the 1945–1946 season when Guadalajara beat América by 6–4 and 4–2 scorelines. The 1951–1952 season saw América finish in 11th place out of 12, with a 3-point-advantage over
Veracruz, who were relegated. In 1954 América defeated rivals Guadalajara on penalties after a 0–0 draw in the
Copa México final, thus winning their first league cup. In 1956, the club was sold to soft drink manufacturer
Jarritos. The new owner was trying to build upon the club's National Cup titles in 1954 and 1955 against Guadalajara. During the 1954–55 season América won their first
Campeón de Campeones championship, defeating
Zacatepec 3–2. The owner failed to build upon previous success and on 22 July 1959,
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, owner of
Telesistema Mexicano, bought América from Isaac Bessudo. Following the acquisition, Azcárraga told his players, "I do not know much about football, but I do know a lot about business, and this, gentlemen, will be a business." The 1959–1960 season saw América reach second place in the league, behind Guadalajara. On 21 April 1964, at the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario, the team, now coached by
Alejandro Scopelli, defeated
Monterrey 6–5 in the final match of the
Copa México. During the match Alfonso Portugal scored five of América's six; José González scored the other goal to win the championship. On 7 May 1965, América regained the Mexican "Copa" championship after a 4–0 victory over
Morelia at the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario. The goals were scored by
Javier Fragoso and
Vavá, each scoring twice.
1970s After Mexico hosted the
1970 FIFA World Cup, the league tournament format was changed in response to the championship's disputed winners, hence the Liguilla (play-offs) format was started. The first play-off final was in 1971 between
Toluca and América, leaders of Groups 1 and 2, respectively. After a 0–0 draw in Toluca, América obtained their second league title after winning the second-leg 2–0 at the Estadio Azteca. The following season saw América eliminated from the playoffs by
Cruz Azul. América would defeat Cruz Azul in the 1973 Copa México final. A few years followed in which América did not qualify for the playoffs. They finished in first place during the 1975–1976 season, and defeated
Tecos UAG and Union de Curtidores in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the final against
Universidad de Guadalajara. América won the championship after beating UDG in the
Jalisco Stadium 3–0 and 1–0 at the Estadio Azteca. They also won the Campeón de Campeones title by beating
Tigres UANL 2–0. In
1978, América participated in their first
Copa Interamericana, playing against Argentine club
Boca Juniors, winners of the
1977 Copa Libertadores. After losing the first-leg and winning the second, América would win the championship in a playoff match by a score of 2–1 after extra-time, with a last second free-kick goal by midfielder
Carlos Reinoso. América became the first team from Mexico and from the CONCACAF region to win the competition. América also became the first confederation side to earn the "double" in a single year as it won the delayed
1977 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
1980s The 1980s are generally considered América's "golden decade". During this period, América won the league title
five times, including three consecutive titles; the 1983–84 season, the 1984–85 season, the Prode-85 tournament, the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons. They also won the Mexican Super Cup twice, in 1987–88 and 1988–89, as well as the
1987 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The 1983–1984 season saw América reach the top of the table and reach the finals, where they would face arch-rivals
Guadalajara, who the previous season had eliminated América in the semi-finals. Following a 2–2 draw at the
Estadio Jalisco, América defeated Guadalajara in the Azteca Stadium 3–1, and a 5–3 aggregate score. To date, it is the only match between these two teams in the league finals, though they would face each other in other phases of the playoffs. The series has since been dubbed the
"Final del Siglo" (
"Final of the Century"). The following season América once again reached the finals, this time against city-rivals
Pumas UNAM. After two draws in both the Azteca Stadium and the
Mexico '68 Stadium, the last game was played in the
Estadio Corregidora in
Querétaro, where
Daniel Brailovsky secured the championship for América by scoring two goals with the final score of 3–1. Due to Mexico hosting the
1986 World Cup and stadium and infrastructure preparations, the tournament was split in two short tournaments: Prode-85 and Mexico-86. América clinched the top of their group in the Prode-85 and defeated
Universidad de Guadalajara and Atlante (which was rescheduled following the
earthquake suffered in Mexico City) to reach the final, where they faced
Jaibos Tampico Madero. The game in Tampico was a 4–1 victory for Tampico, but at the Azteca Stadium, América beat Tampico Madero 4–0 to win the championship. For the 1987–88 season, América met UNAM in the final, in a replay of the 1985 final. They defeated UNAM by an aggregate score of 4–2. The following season, América once again reached the league final and faced Cruz Azul, which was the first time the two clubs met in the final since 1972. The first-leg finished in a 3–2 victory for América. A 2–2 draw in the second-leg meant América won the championship by a 5–4 aggregate score. As winners of the 1987 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, América was set to face
Peñarol, winners of the
1987 Copa Libertadores, in the 1988 edition of the Copa Interamericana. Each respective confederation had agreed to the terms of the match, however just hours before it was to be played, disagreements arose between the confederations and the tournament's organizers. The match was eventually played on 21 April, with América winning 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw; because the game was not officially endorsed, it was dubbed the
Copa Confraternidad. América was subsequently fined and handed a two-year suspension from CONCACAF and thus could not participate in the 1989 Champions' Cup, for which they had qualified as winners of the 1988–89 Mexican league season.
1990s During the 1990s, América only managed to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in
1990 and
1992, and the
1990 Copa Interamericana. During the 1990–1991 season, América dominated its group and reached the playoffs to eliminate Universidad de Guadalajara in the quarter-final round and Guadalajara in the semi-final round, only to reach the final and lose to UNAM. In 1994, club president Emilio Diez Barroso announced the hiring of Dutch manager
Leo Beenhakker. The club also announced the signing of two African players,
Cameroon international François Omam-Biyik and
Zambia national team captain
Kalusha Bwalya. Other Mexican players such as
Joaquín del Olmo,
Raúl Gutiérrez, among others were signed as well. América finished the season with 51 points, and scoring 88 goals. With only a few matches remaining in the regular season, Beenhakker was abruptly fired as manager. It was rumored that conflict between the coach and Diez Barosso regarding Beenhacker's defending of playing Del Olmo was the reason for his sacking. América reached the semi-finals, losing to Cruz Azul. This América team is considered one of the best in the club's history, despite not winning any silverware. In 1998 América, along with Guadalajara, became the first Mexican club to participate in the
Copa Libertadores tournament. They were inserted in a group where both teams confronted clubs from
Venezuela. América finished in second position of the qualifying stage and advanced to the group stages. América was put in Group 3 along with Guadalajara and Brazilian clubs
Grêmio and
Vasco da Gama. América qualified to the next round finishing in third place, being eliminated by Argentine club
River Plate.
2000s playing against
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea) In August 2001, América won the
CONCACAF Giants Cup after defeating
MLS club
D.C. United 2–0. The following year, América would reach the league final against
Necaxa, winning by a 3–2 aggregate score. After losing in the first-leg 0–2, América won the second by the same scoreline, forcing extra-time to be played. A
golden goal from a Hugo Norberto Castillo header in the 107th minute gave América the victory, and the club its first league championship in 13 years. The club once again reached the league final during the
Clausura 2005 tournament, finishing third in the standings and defeating
Santos Laguna and
Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals and semi-finals to face
Tecos UAG. After a 1–1 draw in the first-leg, América was victorious in the second, winning the match 6–3 at the Estadio Azteca – 7–4 on aggregate – to win the club's tenth league title. On 19 April 2006, América defeated fellow-Mexican side Toluca to win the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup, thus qualifying for the
FIFA Club World Cup that same year. At the tournament, América won its first match against
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea. América went on to lose the next match against Spanish side
FC Barcelona. It ended its participation in the tournament, losing the match for third place to
Al Ahly of Egypt.
2007 After the Club World Cup, América qualified for the playoffs of the
Clausura 2007 defeating Atlas and Guadalajara in the quarter and semi-finals. They played the final against
Pachuca, finishing runners-up. For the
Apertura 2007, after starting off the season on a poor run,
Luis Fernando Tena was sacked, and was replaced by
Daniel Brailovsky. After finishing third in their group and sixth in the general standings, América played
Morelia for the last spot in the playoffs, being beaten 3–0 in the first-leg, and winning 1–0 in the second-leg. With this, América was eliminated from the competition. América also participated in the
Copa Sudamericana, reaching the
finals to play against
Arsenal de Sarandí of Argentina. They would lose the first-leg at the
Estadio Azteca by a 2–3 score, and win 2–1 in Argentina. The aggregate result was 4–4, but due to the
away goals rule, Arsenal won the championship. América finished 2007 ranked tenth in the
IFFHS's Club World Rankings, becoming the first Mexican club to reach the top ten.
2008 América started off 2008 winning the
InterLiga tournament, defeating
Cruz Azul 5–3 on penalties in the
final following a 3–3 draw after 120 minutes, thus assuring qualification to the Copa Libertadores tournament that
same year. The
Clausura tournament saw América end in next-to-last place in the general standings. This had not been seen since the mid-1950s. In the first five months of 2008, América was showered with twelve defeats, two draws and three victories, which resulted in the third-straight tournament without qualifying for the playoffs. The manager at the time was
Rubén Omar Romano, who was one of the least successful coaches in the club's history. Coincidentally, after being replaced by
Juan Antonio Luna, América got their third victory of the Clausura against
Monterrey. Despite their poor domestic form, América fared well in the Copa Libertadores, defeating Brazilian side
Flamengo 3–0 in the round-of-16 at the
Estádio do Maracanã, overturning a 2–4 first-leg deficit, and advancing to the quarter-finals. They defeated
Santos FC to reach the semi-finals, being eliminated by eventual champions
LDU Quito after drawing 1–1 on aggregate.
2010s For the
Apertura 2010, América brought back former manager
Manuel Lapuente, who led the club to the league title in 2002. The return of striker
Vicente Matías Vuoso and the signing of Uruguayan
Vicente Sánchez gave América one of the most dangerous front lines in all of the league. They finished the tournament in first place of Group 2, fourth in the general standings, with 27 points. With this, they would advance to the playoffs, and automatically qualify for the first time since 2008 for the
2011 Copa Libertadores. They would be eliminated in the semi-finals by
Santos Laguna by a 4–5 aggregate score. América had a bad start to the
Clausura 2011 tournament; a 0–2–1 record in the first three games the tournament led to the sacking of Lapuente. Carlos Reinoso was named his successor, who had already managed the club two times before. His first game was against
Atlas, which América won 2–0. América ended the Clausura with an 8–1–5 record, and would be eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Morelia. On 18 September 2011, Reinoso was sacked as manager, with
Alfredo Tena taking over as interim manager. América would finish the
Apertura in 17th place, the second worse finish in the club's history. On 8 November, Michel Bauer stepped down as president. That same day, former América player
Ricardo Peláez was named Sporting President, while Yon De Luisa would be named Operations President.
Miguel Herrera was presented as the club's new manager, the fourth in a year. In his first year at the helm, Herrera led the team to consecutive semi-finals. On 26 May 2013, América won their
eleventh league title by defeating Cruz Azul in the
Clausura final 4–2 on penalties after a dramatic comeback from a 0–1 first-leg loss to win 2–1 in the second-leg, and tie 2–2 on aggregate, with goalkeeper
Moisés Muñoz scoring the second goal in injury-time. With this, América tied Guadalajara for most league titles. For the
Apertura 2013, América finished the regular phase of the tournament at the top of the standings with 37 points and would again appear in the league final, though failing to achieve a repeat, being defeated by
León by an aggregate score of 1–5. On 17 December 2013,
Antonio Mohamed was announced as América's new manager for the
Clausura 2014 tournament, replacing Miguel Herrera after two years in charge. América would finish fifth in the standings, and was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Santos Laguna due to the away-goals rule after drawing 6–6 on aggregate. América finished the
Apertura 2014 tournament at the top of the general standings with 31 points, and defeated
UNAM and
Monterrey in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Prior to the league final, the club was marred in media speculation regarding the future of Antonio Mohamed (he ultimately admitted he would leave the club after the final) and the separation of
Paul Aguilar from the team prior to the first-leg of the semi-finals. On 14 December, América won a record-twelfth league title after defeating
Tigres UANL 3–1 on aggregate in the final, coming back from a 0–1 first-leg loss to win 3–0 in the second-leg at the Estadio Azteca. Three days after winning the final, América announced
Gustavo Matosas as Mohamed's successor, signing a two-year contract. In April 2015, the club won its sixth
CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating
Montreal Impact in the
finals by a 5–3 aggregate score. Despite inconsistent displays throughout the
Clausura tournament, América managed to finish second in the standings, though was eliminated by
Pachuca in the quarter-finals. Three days later, with various media reports suggesting Gustavo Matosas would be sacked due to differences with the board regarding transfer strategy, it was confirmed in a press conference which was attended by both Matosas and club president Ricardo Pelaéz that he would indeed leave after only six months in charge. On 26 May,
Ignacio Ambríz was presented as the new manager, signing a two-year contract. América lost its
FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final match to Chinese team
Guangzhou Evergrande, and defeated African club
TP Mazembe to claim fifth place in the competition. In April 2016, América successfully defended the CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating Tigres UANL 4–1 on aggregate in the
finals, and winning a record seventh continental title. América culminated the year with a fourth place finish at the
Club World Cup and finishing runners-up in the
Apertura championship match against Tigres UANL. América won its record thirteenth league title following a 2–0 aggregate victory over Cruz Azul in the
2018 Apertura final. In April 2019, América defeated
Ascenso MX side
FC Juárez in the final of the
Clausura edition of the
Copa MX, winning a record sixth title. In winning the cup, América became the outright record holders of the Liga MX, Copa MX, and CONCACAF Champions League. The team followed this up by winning the
2019 Campeón de Campeones against Tigres UANL and reaching the
2019 Apertura finals, losing 4–2 on penalties to
Monterrey.
2020–present América began the new decade by finishing third in the
Apertura general standings before being eliminated by
Guadalajara in the quarter-finals. They finished the following
Clausura in second place, only to be eliminated once again in the quarter-final stage, this time against
Pachuca. América led the table during the
2021 Apertura and faced elimination in the same phase again, losing 3–1 on aggregate to
UNAM. From the
2022 Clausura onwards, América managed to qualify consecutively to the semi-finals, only to face eliminations against Pachuca,
Toluca (
2022 Apertura), and Guadalajara (
2023 Clausura), respectively. Under new manager
André Jardine, América ended the regular phase of the
2023 Apertura first in the standings, with the best attacking and defensive records. They defeated Tigres UANL 4–1 on aggregate in the
finals to win a record-extending 14th title and end the club's five-year league drought. América successfully defended the title after defeating Cruz Azul in the
2024 Clausura finals, winning back-to-back Liga MX titles for the first time in the club's history since the introduction of the playoff format, and becoming the fourth club to do so under the format. In December, América defeated Monterrey 3–2 on aggregate in the
Apertura finals to win their 16th league title, and become the first side to win three Liga MX titles in a row in the short-tournament era. The
following Clausura saw América make an unprecedented fourth consecutive appearance in the
finals, though they lost to Toluca 2–0 on aggregate. After this defeat Club América would also fail to qualify for
2025 FIFA Club World Cup, losing to
LAFC 2-1 in the playoffs. Later they would lose again to Toluca 1-3 in the
2025 Campeón de Campeones. On 23 December 2025, Ollamani (formed after Televisa spun off their sports and gambling operations, including América, in 2024) announced that they would enter a partnership with
General Atlantic that would see the club run under a new entity known as Grupo Águilas. Ollamani would have a 51% stake in Grupo Águilas and continue to run América and Estadio Banorte, while General Atlantic would own the remaining 49% stake. The new entity would also have a partnership with the Kraft Analytics Group, who share the same ownership as the
NFL club
New England Patriots. The deal gives Ollamani Group, Club América's owner, a 51% controlling share, with Emilio Azcárraga Jean leading the new entity to boost growth, modernize the stadium for the 2026 World Cup, and expand the club's global brand, marking a major shift in Mexican football investment. == Crest and colors ==