The day Tigres broke their CONCACAF Champions League curse: “Although some say it doesn’t count...”

For years, Tigres carried a lingering frustration that shadowed one of the most dominant squads in Mexican soccer: winning the Concacaf Champions League. Liga MX titles, domestic trophies and finals had already become part of the club’s identity, but the international tournament kept slipping away. Everything changed in December 2020.

In the middle of the pandemic, with the competition played inside a bubble in Orlando, the Monterrey-based side finally lifted the Concachampions trophy after defeating LAFC 2-1 in the final. That night not only ended the club’s international drought, it also produced one of André-Pierre Gignac’s most memorable quotes.

“We finally won this damn cup, boys,” the French striker shouted moments after the final whistle.

The comment summed up years of frustration for a generation that had repeatedly come close without ever finishing the job.

Tigres finally broke its international curse

Before winning the title in 2020, Tigres had lost three Concachampions finals.

The most painful likely came in 2016 against América, when Ricardo Ferretti’s team let the opportunity slip away in a series filled with tension and controversy. More international disappointments followed, reinforcing the belief that the club was always missing “something” outside Mexico. That is why the victory over LAFC carried such enormous weight.

Tigres reached the final after eliminating Olimpia and then faced an LAFC side led by Carlos Vela that was chasing its first continental title.

The American club struck first through Diego Rossi, but Tigres responded quickly. Hugo Ayala equalized with a header before Gignac delivered the decisive goal that finally changed the club’s history.

“Even if some people say it doesn’t matter, it matters”

Beyond the celebrations, Gignac also used the moment to defend the sporting value of the Concachampions, a tournament often criticized by sectors of Mexican soccer.

“Even if some people say it doesn’t matter, it matters because it sends you to a Club World Cup,” the French forward said afterward.

Thanks to that Concachampions triumph, Tigres qualified for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, where it defeated Ulsan Hyundai and later stunned Palmeiras to become the first Mexican club ever to reach the tournament’s final.

Although the team eventually lost to Bayern Munich, the run transformed the international perception of Tigres and elevated the club onto a different stage globally.

The missing title for a historic generation

Winning Concacaf ultimately became the defining seal for a roster that had already built a golden era in Liga MX.

Nahuel Guzmán, Guido Pizarro, Rafael Carioca, Gignac and Ricardo Ferretti had spent years establishing Tigres as a domestic powerhouse, but the international trophy remained the unfinished chapter.

Nahuel Guzmán also spoke openly about the emotional significance of the achievement.

“It was a difficult year for a lot of people. To close a cycle this way and achieve something important means a lot,” the Argentine goalkeeper said after the final.

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