Tigres frozen out by Forge FC in Concacaf Champions Cup
The Mexican giants were held to a goalless draw in freezing conditions in Canada.
The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup got off to a difficult start for Tigres on Tuesday, held to a goalless draw by Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.
The Mexican giants arrived in freezing Hamilton for the first round game, the fourth consecutive Liga MX team to start their CCC season in Canada. The temperature reached a wind chill of 6.8°F (-14°C), complicating matter for players and fans alike.
The game was slow to get going and Forge FC tried to take advantage of the few spaces or lapses in concentration from Tigres. The visitors’ first chance arrived in the 33rd minute when André-Pierre Gignac combined with Fernando Gorriarán in the box. The Frenchman shot but goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud dove to make the first in a series of impressive saves on the night.
Tigres gradually grew into the game but the teams went into halftime with the score still 0-0, Forge goalkeeper Bertaud keeping things tied.
The second half began in much the same vein and Tigres thought they had taken the lead midway through the second half when a rebound fell to the feet of Juan Brunetta to finish coolly. But after reviewing the play with VAR, the referee disallowed the goal.
Despite Tigres’ valiant efforts, they ran into an in-form goalkeeper and failed to make the most of their chances. After a goalless draw in the first leg, everything will be decided back in Mexico next week.
Next Tuesday, Tigres will host Forge FC in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round. The winner of this series will advance to take on the winner of the O&M FC - Cincinnati FC match in the Round of 16.
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