Founding and promotion to Primera División, Cup and League champions Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León was founded on 7 March 1960. They previously were named the
Jabatos de Nuevo León. In 1967, their venue, the
Estadio Universitario was built. In the 1973–74 season, José "Ché" Gómez guided the team to the title and promotion to the
Primera División de México, now Liga MX. They defeated the
Leones Negros de la Universidad de Guadalajara for 3–2. In the 1975–76, Tigres won their first domestic cup, the
Copa México (now Copa MX), against
América after winning 3–2. Under the command of Uruguayan coach
Carlos Miloc and players such as
Tomás Boy and
Gerónimo Barbadillo, for the 1977–78 season Tigres aimed to the league championship. In the quarter-finals of the
liguilla (play-offs), they defeated
Estudiantes Tecos by 1–0 and 3–2 (4–2). In the semi-finals Tigres defeated
Cruz Azul 0–1 and 3–0 (3–1). In the finals they defeated
UNAM 2–0 and 1–1 (3–1). Tigres made their best season ever with 48 points in the 1978–79, but did not reach the finals. In the 1979–80 season, Tigres made it to the finals against Cruz Azul. In the first leg, Cruz Azul won 1–0 at the Estadio Universitario, and in the second leg, at the
Estadio Azteca, Tigres, although down 3–0 at one point, rallied back to ensure a 3–3 draw. Nonetheless, Tigres still lost the finals by an aggregate scoreline of 4–3. In the 1981–82 season, they won their second League championship against
Atlante at the Estadio Azteca. In the quarter-finals of postseason, they tied with
Guadalajara 1–1 and 1–1 (2–2). In the semi-finals, they defeated América 2–0 and 0–1 (2–1), and in the finals they tied 2–1 and 0–1 (2–2) against Atlante. Tigres won by penalty shoot-out ending 3–1 (5–3 global).
Relegation, quick return to Primera División, 2001 and 2003 runner-up In 1996, Tigres hired the Chilean international forward
Claudio Núñez and after several years of ups and downs the team won their second domestic cup defeating
Atlas by 2–1 but were relegated to
Primera División A, now
Ascenso MX, because of negative results of past seasons. Note that the Mexican League uses a percentage-based relegation system, in which the team with the worst performance percentage by year (instead of the worst team in the season) is relegated. Under the command of
Victor Manuel Vucetich, the team qualified to play-offs in 1996 but because of the relegation they were unable to compete. After some negotiations, the administration of the team was given for ten years to Sinergia Deportiva, a trust-holder run by
CEMEX. In 1997, after two consecutive Primera División A championships, the team returned to the Primera División. In 1998, Tigres hired international striker
Luis Hernández. Under the command of the Brazilian coach
Ricardo Ferretti, Tigres finished the
Verano 2001 season in the fourth place with 27 points and secured postseason. In the quarter-finals Tigres lost by 3–1 and 2–2 (5–3) against Puebla. In the
Invierno 2001 season, Tigres finished the tournament as leader with 36 points. In the play-offs, they beat
Santos Laguna in the quarter-finals 1–1 and 3–0 (4–1). In the semi-finals, they tied with Cruz Azul 1–1 (0–1 and 1–0), and because of the 36 points they achieved in the tournament, they went to the next stage. In the finals, Tigres lost 2–0 and 1–1 (3–1) against
Pachuca in the Estadio Universitario. In June 2002, the talented Argentine attacking midfielder
Walter Gaitán was hired, a player that later would become an icon of the team. In the Clausura 2003, Tigres finished the tournament as the fourth place with 34 points, and went to postseason. In the quarter-finals, they defeated
Toluca by 2–1 and 2–2 for an aggregate of 4–3. In the semi-finals, Tigres lost against arch-rival
Monterrey. In the first game they lost by 4–1, while in the second Tigres won 2–1 for an aggregate score of 5–3. After the loss, coach Ricardo Ferretti was fired. has given some of the team's highest numbers. On the Apertura 2003, now under the command of Argentine coach
Nery Pumpido (with a team that Ferretti build), Tigres finished the tournament as leader now with 38 points. In the play-offs, they tied 1–0 and 1–2 (2–2) with Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they faced Toluca, who was now under the command of Ricardo Ferretti, and defeated them 0–1 and 2–0 (2–1). In the finals, Tigres lost 1–3 and 1–0 (3–2) once more against Pachuca in the Estadio Universitario. In the Clausura 2004, Argentine striker
Andrés Silvera finished the tournament as one of the top goal scorers, but Tigres ended in 12th place and missed the play-offs. That same tournament they scored the biggest result in a
Clásico Regiomontano, beating archrival Monterrey 6–2. In the Apertura 2005, Walter Gaitán finished the season as the top scorer of the tournament and Tigres went to play-offs in 8th place. was of great importance in achieving the 2011 Apertura title, ending 29 years of drought without title. In the Clausura 2011 season, Tigres finished the tournament as leader with 35 points and as the best defence in the history of the short seasons, allowing only 9 goals in 17 games. Tigres faced Guadalajara in the postseason. In the first leg of the quarter-finals, Tigres lost 3–1, while in the second they tied to 1–1 at the Estadio Universitario. With an aggregate score of 4–2, Tigres was eliminated. On the Apertura 2011, Tigres hired
Carlos Salcido and was the best defense again, this time allowing 13 goals in 17 games. In playoffs, they faced old rival Pachuca: In the first leg of quarter-finals, Tigres defeated Pachuca by 1–0, while in the second they won 3–0 at the Estadio Universitario for an aggregate score of 4–0. In the semi-finals, Tigres beat
Querétaro 1–0 in the second leg after a 0–0 draw in the first. In the finals, they faced Santos Laguna. In the first leg, Tigres won 1–0 in
Torreón with goal from Damián Álvarez. On 11 December 2011, with goals from Héctor Mancilla, Danilinho and
Alan Pulido, Tigres won 3–1 at the Estadio Universitario, becoming champion for the third time after 29 years. The regular season ended with Tigres as the leader with 35 points and only two defeats. Querétaro was the eighth-placed and meant to be the rival of Tigres, but was relegated to
Ascenso MX, so Monterrey was dragged to postseason. In the away leg of quarter-finals, Monterrey defeated Tigres 1–0 in a game where Monterrey had less ball possession and offensive plays. In the second game, Tigres had to win by 1–0 or by a two-goal advantage because of the
away goals rule (3–1, 4–2, 5–3). Tigres came out aggressive and Danilinho scored a goal early in the game. Minutes later, with a game totally handled by Tigres,
Israel Jiménez scored an own goal that tied the game at 1–1, and Tigres lost with an aggregate score of 2–1. For the Apertura 2013 tournament, Tigres hired midfielders
Guido Pizarro and
Édgar Lugo. Finishing the tournament in eight place, the team went to playoffs. In quarter-finals, they faced América, leaders of the tournament and reigning champions. In the home game at the Estadio Universitario, they tied by 2–2, with Guido Pizarro and Alan Pulido scoring for Tigres. In the away game, at the Estadio Azteca, the teams drew at 1–1, leaving Tigres out of the postseason. After the game, coach Ricardo Ferretti criticized the work of the
referee, claiming that América is the only team in the world that "plays with 12 men". Tigres hired Colombian winger
Hernán Darío Burban, defender
Jorge Iván Estrada and Argentine striker
Emanuel Herrera for the Clausura 2014 tournament, but finished the season in 14th place, missing the playoffs. On 9 April 2014, Tigres won the
Clausura 2014 Copa MX against
Alebrijes de Oaxaca 3–0 at the Estadio Universitario. Ricardo Ferretti became the first coach in Mexico to win a league and cup title with the same team. By winning the Clausura 2014 Copa MX, Tigres secured the
Supercopa MX and faced Monarcas Morelia, winners of the
Apertura 2013 Copa MX. Tigres lost the
2014 Supercopa MX against Morelia and failed to qualify to the following year's
Copa Libertadores as "Mexico 3". For the Apertura 2014 tournament, Tigres hired the Argentine goalkeeper
Nahuel Guzmán, American striker
Herculez Gomez, Argentine striker
Marco Ruben, Ecuadorian winger
Joffre Guerrón, young defender
Antonio Briseño and the international Uruguayan midfielder
Egidio Arévalo Ríos. Tigres finished the regular season in second place with 31 points, securing postseason. In quarter-finals, Tigres tied by 1–1 and 1–1 against Pachuca for an aggregate of 2–2. In semifinals, Tigres drew against Toluca 0–0 in both games. On 11 December 2014, in the first match of the finals against América, Tigres won 1–0 with goal of Joffre Guerrón at the Estadio Universitario. On 14 December, in the second game, Tigres lost 3–0 at the Estadio Azteca in a controversial match where Hernán Darío Burbano, Damián Álvarez and goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán were sent off on red cards, leaving Tigres with eight men. Tigres lost the finals by an aggregate of 3–1. Tigres hired Brazilian forward
Rafael Sóbis and finished the Clausura 2015 regular season in first place with 29 points, earning a ticket to playoffs. In the away game of the quarter-finals against Santos Laguna, Tigres tied 1–1 with goal of Guerrón at the Estadio Corona. In the home game, Tigres lost 1–0; with an aggregate score of 1–2, Tigres was eliminated. For the Apertura 2015 season, the team brought in wingers
Jürgen Damm and
Javier Aquino and the international French striker
André-Pierre Gignac. Tigres finished the season in fifth place with 28 points, best defense allowing 16 goals and securing playoffs. Gignac scored 11 goals in the regular season, the highest number for a Tigres player in the first season. In the postseason, with goals from Gignac and Damián Álvarez, Tigres won the first quarter-final leg 2–1 against
Jaguares de Chiapas at the Estadio Universitario. In the second leg, they won 1–0 at Chiapas again with a goal of Gignac. In the semi-finals against Toluca, Tigres won the away leg 2–0 with goals of Damián Álvarez and Javier Aquino after a 0–0 draw in the first. Tigres reached to the finals against UNAM. In the home leg, with goals of Gignac, via a penalty kick, Aquino and Rafael Sóbis, Tigres won by 3–0, while in the second leg, at the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario, UNAM won 3–0. With the aggregate score at 3–3, the game went to
extra time. In the 103rd minute Gignac scored the 1–3 goal, making the aggregate scoreline 4–3. With only one minute left of extra time remaining, however, UNAM scored the 4–1 goal and equalized the aggregate scoreline at 4–4, sending the match to a
penalty shoot-out. Gignac shot the first for Tigres, converting, and with similar conversions from Juninho,
Rivas and Israel Jiménez, Tigres prevailed 4–2 to defeat Pumas and claim the Liga MX Apertura 2015 championship in dramatic fashion. The team hired the Argentine attacking midfielder
Lucas Zelarayán, Paraguayan striker
Fernando Fernández and resigned Chilean striker Héctor Mancilla after his departure in 2012 for the Clausura 2016 season. Gignac scored 13 goals in regular season and finished as the top goal scorer of the tournament. Tigres finished the Clausura 2016 season in eight place with 24 points, securing playoffs, where they would face Monterrey. There, Tigres lost the home game 3–1 and won the away game 2–1, losing on an aggregate score of 4–3. For the Apertura 2016 season, Tigres signed Argentine forward
Ismael Sosa and their second French striker
Andy Delort. On 10 July 2016, Tigres won the
2016 edition of the
Campeón de Campeones Cup against
Pachuca FC by 1–0 at the
StubHub Center in
Carson, California. Tigres finished the Apertura 2016 regular season in third place with 30 points and tied with
Tijuana as the best defense, allowing 13 goals in 17 games. In playoffs, Tigres tied the first leg of quarterfinals in Mexico City against
UNAM by 2–2. In the second leg, Tigres beat UNAM by 5–0 at the Estadio Universitario with a
hat-trick of Gignac. At semifinals, Tigres faced
León. In the first leg, Tigres won by 1–0 with a goal of Gignac after a cross from Ismael Sosa at the
Estadio León. In the second leg, Tigres achieved a home victory of 2–1 with goals of Gignac and Zelarayán. In the finals against
América, the teams tied 1–1 in the first leg at
Estadio Azteca, Gignac scoring for Tigres. In the historical second leg played for the first time on 25 December, the teams tied 0-0 and went to
overtime at the Estadio Universitario. At 95'
Edson Álvarez scored the 1-0 for América and at 118'
Jesús Dueñas tied dramatically and led the match to a penalty shoot-out.
Nahuel Guzmán stopped three shots and with Gignac,
Juninho and
Guido Pizarro scoring their own, Tigres became the Apertura 2016 champions. For the Clausura 2017, Tigres hired Chilean international forward
Eduardo Vargas. Tigres finished the Clausura 2017 season in seventh place with 25 points and the best defense allowing twelve goals in 17 games. In the first leg of playoffs at the Estadio Universitario, Tigres faced Monterrey and beat them by 4–1 with Gignac and Dueñas scoring twice each. In the second leg of quarterfinals at the
Estadio BBVA, Gignac scored twice for the 2–0 victory. Tigres beat Monterrey by an aggregate of 6-1 and secured semifinals. In the first leg of semifinals, Tigres defeated
Tijuana by 2–0 with goals of Aquino and Zelarayán at the Estadio Universitario. With goals of Aquino and Jürgen Damm, Tigres beat Tijuana by 2–0 in the second leg at the
Estadio Caliente, for a 4-0 aggregate. In the home leg of the finals against
Guadalajara, Gignac scored twice and matched the score to 2–2. Tigres lost the second leg by 2–1 at the
Estadio Omnilife for an aggregate of 4–3, in a controversial match where press and audience claimed that
referee Luis Enrique Santander, who had refereed all of the home games of Guadalajara in play-offs, did not penalize a foul of Guadalajara's defender
Jair Pereira over
Ismael Sosa inside the penalty area minutes before the end of the match. Santander would later recognize and apologize for the mistake. For the Apertura 2017 season, Tigres acquired Ecuadorian forward
Enner Valencia, Brazilian midfielder
Rafael Carioca and French defender
Timothée Kolodziejczak. On 16 July 2017, Tigres beat
Guadalajara by 1–0 at the
StubHub Center in
Carson, California, becoming the back-to-back Champion of the
Campeón de Campeones Cup by winning the
2017 and
2016 editions. Tigres finished the regular season of the Apertura 2017 as second place with 32 points. In
playoffs, Tigres tied 1–1 in both legs against
Club León and by an aggregate of 2–2, secured semifinals due table position. In semifinals, Tigres defeated
Club América by 1–0 in the away game and 3–0 in home. Tigres played the historical final against archrival
CF Monterrey. In the first leg the teams tied by 1–1 at the Estadio Universitario. In the
Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Tigres beat Monterrey by 2–1 with goals of
Edu Vargas and
Francisco Meza. In the aftermath, winger
Jürgen Damm stated: "We knew we were facing the best team of the season, but, they were facing the best team of the decade." After the fourth title since 2010, Tigres was dubbed by the media as "The Team of the Decade". For the Apertura 2018 season, Tigres rehired
Guido Pizarro and on 15 July 2018, defeated
Santos by 4–0 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, becoming Champion of the
Campeón de Campeones Cup for the third time in a row. On 19 September 2018, Tigres beat
Toronto FC by 3–1 in the inaugural edition of the
Campeones Cup hosted by Toronto at the
BMO Field. In the Clausura 2019, Tigres hired international defender
Carlos Salcedo and finished the season in second place. In playoffs, Tigres tied a global of 2–2 against
Pachuca. In semifinals, Tigres tied a global of 1–1 against rival
Monterrey. In the home leg of the finals, Tigres beat
León by 1–0 with goal of André-Pierre Gignac. In the second leg, the teams tied by 0-0 and Tigres conquered their seventh League championship. For the Apertura 2019 season, Tigres hired international defender
Diego Reyes. On May 20, 2021, after finishing the Clausura 2021 season in tenth place and losing against
Atlas the reclassification, Tigres hired coach
Miguel Herrera, ending an eleven-year successful era under command of
Ricardo Ferretti. For the Apertura 2021 season, Tigres hired the international French and 2018 World Cup champion
Florian Thauvin but lost against
Club León in semifinals. After a 2-2 global draw in quarterfinals against
Pachuca that eliminated the team in the Apertura 2022 season and stating that the squad "was going old", Herrera was sacked of Tigres and
Diego Cocca took over for the Clausura 2023 season. Cocca left for the
Mexico national team head coaching and Tigres hired
Marco Antonio Ruiz, who was working in the team as an assistant. After losing 1–2 to
Mazatlán, a team that only won 3 games in the Clausura 2023 season and considered as the worst team of the tournament, Ruiz was ceased. On April 10, 2023, coach
Robert Dante Siboldi arrived to the team. Siboldi played for Tigres and became an idol in the mid-1990s. A talented goalkeeper, he was part of the squad that was relegated to Primera División "A", now
Liga Expansión on March 24, 1996, and returned to the top tier after a year. When he took over, Tigres tied against
Querétaro by 0-0, defeated
Puebla by 1-0 and lost against
León by 3–0. With goal of
Sebastián Córdova, Tigres defeated Puebla FC in the "repechaje" (reclassification) for the
liguilla (playoffs) by 1–0, setting the team against
Toluca in quarterfinals. With goals of
Gignac, Córdova,
Vigón and
López, the team won the home game 4–1, and lost the away game to 3–1. With a final score of 5–4, Tigres reached seminalfinals. Córdova scored the goal of the second game. On seminalfinals, they faced city rival
Monterrey, team that finished the regular season as leader with 40 points out of 51 possible, winning 13 games and losing only 3. Tigres and Monterrey tied 1–1 in the first leg. In the second game, Tigres won by 0-1 for a 2–1 final score. Córdova scored both goals for Tigres. Set in the finals, Tigres faced
Guadalajara in a rematch of the polemic Clausura 2017 finals. The teams tied in the first leg by 0-0. In the second leg, Tigres was losing by 2–0 in the first half. By the second half the team tied 2–2 with a penalty kick by Gignac and a header of Córdova.
Guido Pizarro scored the 3–2 with a header in overtime and became champions.
Sebastián Córdova was the key player by scoring five goals in six games. On March 2, 2025, midfielder Guido Pizarro retired as a player and replaced
Veljko Paunović as the head coach.
International activity In January 2005, the team won the
InterLiga Championship in
Houston, Texas. With this, they qualified for the prestigious
Copa Libertadores de América. This was the first time the team qualified to any international tournament. In the first leg, Tigres defeated Universitario by 2–1 with goals of Damián Álvarez and Enrique Esqueda. On 5 May, in the second leg, Tigres tied by 1–1 with goal of Sobis vía penalty-kick for an aggregate of 3-2 earning a ticket to quarterfinals. In the first leg of the quarterfinals, Tigres lost against
Emelec by 1–0 at the
Estadio Jocay.
Campeones Cup The team won the
inaugural edition that was hosted by
Toronto FC at
BMO Field in Toronto on 19 September 2018. They would make their second appearance in the cup five years later, deafting LAFC on peanlties in 2023, becoming the first team in Campeones Cup history to win it more than once. As of 2023, Tigres are still the only Mexican side to have won the competition.
Leagues Cup Tigres have made 2 appearances in
Leagues Cup. They were invited to the inaugural edition in 2019 (this iteration had 8 only teams competing), making it to the final but losing to Cruz Azul. In 2023, as part of the expanded field of 47 teams (containing all clubs from Liga MX and MLS), Tigres were placed in the West 1 group with MLS sides Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes. The club won both group matches and advanced to the knockout round, where they then defeated Vancouver Whitecaps in the round of 32 before ultimately falling to Monterrey in the round of 16 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston in a match marred by late game controversy.
2020 FIFA Club World Cup By winning the
2020 CONCACAF Champions League, Tigres qualified for the
2020 FIFA Club World Cup in
Qatar. In the first game, Tigres defeated
Ulsan Hyundai by a 2–1 scoreline. Tigres won 1–0 in their semi-final fixture against
Palmeiras, despite the efforts of goalkeeper
Weverton. Tigres became the first CONCACAF team to reach a final in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they lost 1–0 to
FC Bayern Munich. André-Pierre Gignac scored all of Tigres' three goals, finished as top goal scorer of the cup and achieved the
Adidas Silver Ball for the Cup's second best player, behind
Robert Lewandowski. ==Culture==