Cruz Azul curse: Will La Máquina extend an unwanted record?
In the Clausura 2026 decider against Pumas, Cruz Azul is out to secure its 10th star - but must banish the memory of its many final calamities.
The Clausura 2026 final is fast approaching: this Thursday, Cruz Azul will host Pumas in the first leg at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, as La Máquina chases the 10th league title in club history.
While Los Cementeros have a chance to take their championship tally into double figures, they also face the risk of extending an unwanted record - as the most frequent runner-up in Liga MX history.
Heading into the Clausura 2026 final, Cruz Azul has lost 11 Liga MX title deciders, counting only tournaments played under the current, final-phase format.
Which finals has Cruz Azul lost?
Cruz Azul’s first defeat in a final came in the 1980-81 season, when Pumas beat them 4-2 on aggregate. That tournament featured a group stage, with the top team from each group advancing to the championship match.
Following that setback, La Máquina fell again in the 1986-87 campaign, losing to Chivas by the same 4-2 aggregate scoreline.
In the 1987-88 season, Cruz Azul reached its third final in seven years, falling 5-4 on aggregate to Club América. By the 1990s, La Máquina once again came up short, this time losing to Necaxa in the 1994-95 campaign.
Cruz Azul didn’t take long to return to a final after winning the title in 1997, but they were defeated by Pachuca in the Invierno 1999 tournament, undone by a golden goal from Alejandro Glaría.
Cruz Azul and its rough stretch in the 2000s
After a nine-year absence, Cruz Azul made it back to a Liga MX final in the Clausura 2008 - unaware it would be the first of three finals they would lose in the span of just two years.
Santos Laguna, Toluca and Monterrey were the teams that kept Cruz Azul from ending its championship drought during that stretch.
Club América entered the picture four and a half years after Cruz Azul’s loss to Monterrey. Since then, Los Celestes have lost to Las Águilas in three finals over the past 13 years.
Cruz Azul came up short in the Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018, and Clausura 2024 finals against América, a team whose 16 Liga MX titles is a record.
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