Tigres UANL

Location: San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
Date founded: 1960
Appearances in CCC: 12
Best finish: Champions (2020)
First opponent: Forge FC

History

Eight-time Liga MX champions Tigres are among the most successful clubs in Mexican football, especially of late. Six of their eight titles have come since 2011, most recently the Clausura in 2023. 

They have a strong history in the Champions Cup as well, finally winning it in 2020, after reaching the final on three occasions (2015-16, 2016-17 and 2019). They also reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2020, losing narrowly in the final to Bayern Munich. 

They remain competitive as ever, as in December they reached the Apertura final, before losing in heartbreaking fashion to Toluca in 12 rounds of penalties.

Tigres play in the Estadio Universitario of San Nicolás de los Garza on the outskirts of Monterrey. Their fearsome home stadium is often nicknamed 'El Volcán' for its thunderous atmosphere.

How they qualified

Tigres qualified through one of the six automatic berths given to Liga MX clubs as a result of their combined performances in the 2024-25 Clausura and Apertura. They finished third in that table with a combined record of 20-7-7. Due to their Concacaf ranking, Tigres were one of the three seeded teams in round one. 

The coach

Club legend Guido Pizarro took over as head coach in incredible fashion, retiring just a day after playing in a Liga MX match to take over the role in March. The man who made over 400 appearances for the club has lost just nine of his 47 matches since becoming head coach.

3 Key Players

Juan Brunetta:

The 28-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder has been an offensive dynamo for Tigres since joining them in 2024. He was named LigaMX Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season. During the 2024-25 campaign, he led Tigres with 11 goals and three assists. 

Ángel Correa:

A FIFA World Cup winner with Argentina, Correa joined Tigres in July and has been excellent since, scoring 10 goals and adding four assists. With nearly 500 matches played for Atlético Madrid, winning LaLiga and the Europa League, he has had an outstanding career, and at 30 remains an absolute gamebreaker. 

André-Pierre Gignac:

At 40, Gignac's legacy in this competition speaks for itself. With 20 Concacaf Champions Cup goals, he has scored the fourth most of any player in the competition's history. He won the tournament's Best Player award and Golden Boot when Tigres won the Champions Cup back in 2020, scoring the winner in the final. He may not be the player he once was, but the Frenchman is still absolutely lethal on his day. One of Tigres' all-time club legends, he has scored over 220 goals for the side in more than 420 appearances.

Tournament outlook

No strangers to going deep in this competition, the 2020 Concacaf champions Tigres reached the semifinal round in two of the past three tournaments, and the quarterfinal in 2024. Contending will be the expectation again this season, and they have a decent draw in order to make that happen. 

They would not meet another Liga MX side until the semifinal, although last year's Vancouver Whitecaps or 2022 Concacaf winners, the Seattle Sounders, could await them in the quarterfinal. Having last year's winners Cruz Azul, and Toluca, on the other side of the bracket is a nice bonus. 

Of note, Canadians supporters watching the competition will undoubtedly be keeping an extra eye on Marcelo Flores. The 22-year-old attacker, born in Georgetown, Ont., is a Canadian-Mexican dual national who is reportedly filing a one-time switch to the Canadian men's national team after previously representing El Tri. 

First round schedule

Leg 1: Tuesday, Feb. 3

Forge FC vs. Tigres UANL — Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Ont.
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Leg 2: Tuesday, Feb. 10

Tigres UANL vs. Forge FC — Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT