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C.D. Irapuato
Association football club in Mexico From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Club Deportivo Irapuato is a Mexican professional football club based in Irapuato, Guanajuato, that currently competes in Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football. It was the first football club founded in Guanajuato by Pedro Parnu and Diego Mosqueda in 1911. Throughout its history the club was also named as Real Irapuato (2002–2004), Club Irapuato Por Siempre (2008–2013) and Club Atlético Irapuato (2019–2020).
Irapuato has mostly played in the Promotion League of Mexico (formerly Primera División 'A' de México or Liga de Ascenso de México). From 2000 to 2004, the team briefly rose to prominence in the Liga MX reaching the playoffs. Historically, Irapuato has spent over 26 years in the Primera División, never quite excelling to challenge for the title.
The team was relegated from the Primera División in 2004 but not because of their on-field performance, but because of financial irregularities. In 2013, the team then took a turn for the worse being relegated to Segunda División de México, the Third Division of Mexico for a year.
The team briefly returned to the Liga de Ascenso in May 2014 when the Ballenas Galeana franchise was relocated to Irapuato, and also changed its name to Club Irapuato, once again giving Irapuato a football team. But that team was relegated too after a couple of mediocre seasons to Segunda División, where they play to this day.
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History
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The club dates back to 1910 in the city of Irapuato, Guanajuato where a club was founded under the name Club Mutualista Irapuatense by Pedro Garnu and by Diego Mosqueda who was an important person in the sports development in the city, and would later go on to establish the club's rival Club León in the 1920s. In its first years many clubs were formed in order to create a futbol league in Guanajuato Deportivo Irapuato, Internacional, Club Marte, ISCO and León inaugurated the league in 1925.
The first tournament was won by Club Marte because the tournament was not finished due to problems between Irapuato and ISCO. In 1928 the club reached the final and played against Deportivo Internacional; the club's squad was made up by Kurt Lenk as keeper Antonio Aguilar and José Núñez playing defender Julián Ramírez, Francisco Belman and Salvador Silva in the mid field and Antonio "El Gato" Baltazar, Crisoforo Juárez, Secundino Alvarado, Teofilo and Juan Aguilera playing as forwards. The club came out with a 1–0 victory, winning its first league title. This club wore a white shirt with black shorts and socks.
The club that plays today under the name Club Deportivo Irapuato was founded in 1948 where it had trouble staying in the league. in the late 1940s there were various clubs that represented the city of Irapuato and it was until 1948 when they decided to merge in order to become more competitive and so they did and joined the Segunda División de México in 1949. The men in charge of the merge were Oscar Bonfiglio and Jesús Vaca Gaona both had participated in the 1928 Olympic games in Amsterdam. The club would once again change its name this time to Club Deportivo Irapuato A.C which many people believe to be the date when the club was established.
Promotion to Primera División
The club was one of the first clubs to inaugurate the Segunda División de México in the 1949–50 tournament where after 3 seasons the club won its first promotion. The club made its debut to the Primera División de México in the league on August 22, 1954 against Zacatepec who they beat 4–5. In the second round the club played at home in the Estadio Revolución stadium against Puebla who they also defeated 4–0. The club also revived its rivalry which had stopped in the late 1930s against León, that game ended in a 1–1 draw. The club's best tournament was the 1963–64 Mexican Primera División season where the club finished 4th place with 32 points; Guadalajara finished with 33 points.
Relegation
In the 1971-72 season the club found itself playing in group 2 with clubs Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Atlante, Pachuca, Pumas, Toluca and Torreón. At the end of the tournament the club finished last and had to play a relegation series against the other last place teams. The series was played against Torreón, Atlético Español, and Veracruz. the first match was played against Veracruz who defeated them 3–1 the first leg, the second leg ended in a 0–0 draw. The last game was played against Torreón in the Estadio Jalisco where Irapuato lost 1–0 and were relegated for the first time in 18 years to the Segunda División de México.
Segunda División
Back in the Segunda División the club became a top club reaching the final in its first year back against Petroleros de Ciudad Madero. The first game was played in Irapuato which they won 1–0. It seemed the club would clinch its promotion having the second match at home, but surprisingly Ciudad Madero came out with a 2–0 victory and so earning its promotion.
In the 1974–75 season, the club had its second opportunity when they once again reached the final this time playing against Tecos. The club would lose that final match 1–0. It took place in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The club would get a third opportunity to earn a promotion in 1978; this time against Zacatepec. This time a series was played. The first match ended in a 1–0 victory for Zacatepec. The second match ended in a 4–1 victory for Zacatepec and so the club would lose its third promotion series in 6 years.
Second promotion
In the 1980s the club had a streak of qualifying to the quarterfinals but not been able to reach the final. After four years the club finally reached the final in the 1984-85 tournament under the management of Diego Malta Solano against Pachuca. The first match was played in Irapuato where they took a 2–1 advantage. in the return match Irapuato came out with a win and finally earn the promotion after 13 years. Notable players from that club were Anselmo Romero, Rafael Lira, Jesús Montes, Eugenio Constantino and Teodoro Orozco.
Second relegation
In the 1990-91 season Irapuato got relegated to the Segunda División for the second time. In 1994, Irapuato joined the newly formed Primera División 'A' de México and got the opportunity to return to the Primera División.
1999–00 promotion
In the Invierno 99 season, Irapuato faced Zacatepec in the Final, they beat them 3–1 in the first leg with goals from Cristián Ariel Morales, and Martín Rodríguez in the second leg things got complicated when Zacatepec tied the game, but Morales and Rodriguez scored and they took the championship with an overall score of 5–3.
In the Verano 2000 season, the champion Irapuato made it to the final, again this time facing Cruz Azul Hidalgo if Irapuato would win they would be promoted to the Primera División, the first leg was played in Hidalgo and the score was 2–2 Martín Rodríguez and Jesús Gutiérrez scored the two goals for Irapuato. The second leg and Promotional Final was played in The Sergio León Chávez on June 10, 2000. The final score was 2–2 Cristián Morales and Martín Rodríguez scored for Irapuato, Alejandro Corona and James Owusu-Ansah scored for Cruz Azul Hidalgo. In extra time no one scored so they went to penalties, Cruz Azul Hidalgo's Pedro Resendiz, Josef Nemec, scored the penalties but Erik Marín, and Mario Ramírez missed. However, Irapuato's Martín Rodríguez, Cristián Morales, Víctor Saavedra and Héctor Gómez scored the penalties the final score was 4–2 in penalties. Irapuato would return to the Primera División almost a decade after being relegated in 1991.
First disappearance
Suddenly, on December 26, 2001, Grupo Pegaso announced that Irapuato was sold and moved to the city of Veracruz, Veracruz and renamed Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz for its spot in the Primera División after the original Veracruz franchise was sold and moved to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas and renamed Jaguares de Chiapas, and therefore, the city Irapuato was left without a team for the Verano 2002 season. Also, in the Invierno 2002 season or Apertura 2002, it was announced that Querétaro, a Segunda División team was also sold and moved to Irapuato under the name Real Irapuato. In their first season, they made it to the final against La Piedad and eventually won the Apertura 2002 championship in penalties.
First reappearance
For the Apertura 2002, Querétaro, a team from the Primera División 'A' de México was sold and transferred to Irapuato after La Piedad was dissolved in the Primera División and later sold and transferred to the city of Querétaro, Querétaro.
2002–03 promotion
In the 2003, season Irapuato made it to the 2002-03 promotional final against Clausura 2003 champions and arch rivals León. The first leg was played on June 18, 2003 when Irapuato won the Clásico del Bajío and the first game in Leon's home 2–1 with a goal from Ariel González and an own goal from Gorsd, the second leg was played in Irapuato and in the last moments of the game Josias Ferreira scores a goal ending the game 1–0 and returning Irapuato to the Primera División.
Second disappearance
After the Clausura 2004, Irapuato ended up with 6 wins, 8 ties and 5 losses with a total of 26 points. It was announced that the club was sold and relocated to the city of Colima, Colima, but the FMF reduced the league from 20 to 18 teams, and Irapuato was joined with Querétaro to dissolve both of those teams.
Second reappearance and third relegation
Irapuato was the city without a soccer team for 1 year, but it was announced that Mérida F.C., a team from the Segunda División was transferred to Irapuato for the Apertura 2005. After the Clausura 2006, the team was playing for a survival to stay in the league, but they relegated to the Tercera División de México after losing in a playoff against Delfines de Coatzacoalcos.
Return to Liga de Ascenso
- Apertura 2008: Promoted from the Segunda División from Pachuca Juniors and renamed "Club Irapuato Por Siempre". They made it all the way to the final, but lost to Querétaro on the road after tied 0–0 at their home turf.
- Clausura 2009: Bad Torneo, with 20 points (17th overall and 4th in Group 2).
- Apertura 2009: Changed format to one full standings from 3 groups from the federation and reduced the teams to 17. Clinched Homefield and 1st round bye with a first-place finish of a total of 32 points. They made it all the way to the final for the second time in 3 Torneos, but lost to Necaxa in extra time at home after losses 1–0 on the road in the first leg.
- Bicentenario 2010: They maintain their roster, but finished 11th place with 20 points.
- Apertura 2010: Increased the teams to 18. They brought Cuauhtémoc Blanco to Irapauto for 1.5 seasons. They made it all the way to the final for the third time in 5 Torneos, but lost to Veracruz (the top seed in the playoffs) in full-time on the road after tied 1–1 at their home turf in the first leg with their 26 points and finished in the top 4.
Clausura 2011 Champions
In the Clausura 2011 Season, Irapuato was crowned Champion by defeating Tijuana in the final with a score of 2–1. The First Leg was played in Tijuana, Baja California and it ended in a 1–1 draw goals were scored by Luis Alberto Valdez at 8' for Irapuato, and Alejandro Molina at 60' for Tijuana. The Second Leg was played in Irapuato and ended in a 1–0 win for Irapuato crowning them as Champions of the Clausura 2011, the goal was scored by José Cruz Gutiérrez in the 85' minute of the game.
Champions of Clausura 2011
Squad
1 Adrián Martínez- 2 Margarito González
- 8 Jorge Manrique
- 10 Cuauhtémoc Blanco
11 Ariel González 
89'- 13 Gandhi Vega
- 16 Arturo Alvarado
- 18 Esteban Alberto González 64'
- 21 José Luis López 88'
- 27 Gerardo Gomez
- 44 Juan Carlos Arellano
Substitutes
- 6 Francisco Razo
89' - 7 Alejandro Castillo
- 45 José Cruz Gutiérrez 64'
- 23 Javier Saavedra
- 28 Luis Alberto Valdés
- 29 José Guadalupe Martínez
- 58 Efraín Cruz 88'
- 5 Ezequiel Brítez
2011 promotional final
1st leg
After being crowned Champions of the Clausura 2011 season. Irapuato faced Tijuana the Apertura 2010 Champions again, for a spot in the Primera División. The First leg of the Promotional final was played at Irapuato, Guanajuato on May 18, 2011, four days after winning the championship at home. Irapuato was highly motivated to return to the Primera División after 7 years of absence, Tijuana on the other hand had never had Primera División experience. The first leg of the final was tied in a scoreless tie between the two teams.
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
       Irapuato
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Tijuana
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2nd leg
Three days after the first match in Irapuato, the second leg of the Promotional final was played in Tijuana's Estadio Caliente stadium. Tijuana made several changes to their starting 11 players, replacing defender Miguel Almazán with a forward, and changing their formation from a 5-4-1 formation to a more attacking 4-2-2 formation. Irapuato made many drastic changes as well; they changed to a 5-3-2 formation fortifying their defense with 5 players. During the match, Tijuana had various chances for goal and the first goal came from young prospect Joe Corona scoring a header in the first half. Three minutes later, Mauro Gerk scored. Five minutes after the second goal, Irapuato scored after Alejandro Molina from Tijuana accidentally pushed the ball into the net from a free kick done by José Cruz Gutiérrez. The game ended in a 2–1 win for Tijuana. Tijuana got promoted to the Primera División while Irapuato remained in the Liga de Ascenso de México.
Estadio Caliente, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Attendance: 33,333
Referee: Oscar Macías Romo (Mexico)
Tijuana
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Irapuato
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After promotional final
- Apertura 2011: The league reduced the teams to 16. Cuauhtémoc Blanco didn't play some games due to injury, but they still finished in 5th place. However, they were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by their rivals León.
- Clausura 2012: The league reduced the teams once again to 15 teams. Cuauhtémoc Blanco was released from the team due to injury issues and a bad season. They earned 14 points and finished in 12th place after they didn't win in their final 5 games.
- Apertura 2012: They have their worst season, with 16 points. They finished in 12th place after they didn't win in their last 5 games. When the season was over, the federation was owed 3 million for Cuauhtémoc Blanco. On December 15, they had a 65% chance of being dissolved. The team was then sold and relocated to Zacatepec, Morelos and renamed Zacatepec beginning next season.
Third disappearance and played in Segunda División
After the Clausura 2013, Irapuato finished in the bottom 5 of the standings and the team was sold and moved to Zacatepec, Morelos and rebranded as Zacatepec 1948. Union de Curtidores was rumored to be moving into the city of Irapuato to replace the dissolved franchise there, but the owner of Union de Curtidores decided to keep the team in León after getting approval to play their home games in Estadio Nou Camp. However, some time after a franchise from the city of Querétaro was purchased, the team was revived in the Segunda Division de México and began playing in the Liga Premier for the Apertura 2013.
The franchise came to join the Copa de la Liga Premier de Ascenso Apertura 2013, where they reached the final against Cruz Azul Jasso and lost 1–0 on aggregate, so Irapuato was runner-up. At the end of the tournament the franchise returned to the city of Querétaro, because of the restructuring that occurred in Grupo Delfines, which decided that the team that played in the Apertura 2013 at Estadio Sergio León Chávez as Irapuato, would return to their roots to play either at Estadio Corregidora or La Cañada.
Return to Ascenso MX and third reappearance
On May 29, 2014, Enrique Bonilla, Sports CEO of the Ascenso MX unveiled the emergence of Irapuato, instead of Ballenas Galeana, who had to relocate to the city of Irapuato due to their economic and financial problems, same which were resolved by guanajuatenses entrepreneurs which in turn called for the team to move to their state. Furthermore, circulated a letter from the President of the Civil Association Club Irapuato, J. Concepción Director and Enrique Bonilla, secretary general of the Ascenso MX, where the AC are declared owners of the brand name and badge Irapuato equipment. Ballenas Galeana was sold and moved to Irapuato and renamed Club Irapuato.
Fourth disappearance and returns to Liga Premier
On June 7, 2015, Irapuato was officially sold and relocated to Los Mochis, Sinaloa and renamed Murciélagos Los Mochis. They began playing in the Segunda División de México after playing one season in the Ascenso MX.
From 2015, Irapuato reached three consecutive finals, losing them all. The Apertura 2016 and Clausura 2017 against Tlaxcala and the Apertura 2017 against Tepatitlán.
Atlético Irapuato
On June 17, 2019, the team was renamed as Atlético Irapuato, but maintained the same shield design, colors and identity.[4]
Club Deportivo Irapuato
On July 30, 2020, the club was renamed Club Deportivo Irapuato after Grupo Temachalco took possession of the franchise.[5] At the end of the season, the team won its third Segunda División championship after defeating Cruz Azul Hidalgo 1–3 on the aggregate scoreboard.[6]
At first it was reported that Irapuato was promoted after the Liga Premier championship.[7] However, on June 3, 2021, the FMF announced the opening of a selection process to choose the club that would occupy the Liga Premier's third place,[8] because Irapuato still had to meet some requirements to compete in the Liga de Expansión MX,[9] three Liga Premier clubs were chosen for an audit process that would determine the winner of the promotion. On July 5, 2021, it was confirmed that no team undergoing the certification audit approved the procedure, so there would be no club promoted from the Liga Premier, for this reason the promotion of Irapuato was very frustrated by administrative issues of the club and regulations of the league.[10]
Therefore, the club announced that it would continue to participate in the Serie A and began a process to form a new roster of players.[11] However, at the end of August 2021, Grupo Tecamachalco transferred the franchise to local businessmen to ensure its continuity and avoid promotion problems for the club, this after Fernando San Román, CEO of Tecamachalco, was sanctioned by the FMF and the company decided to seek the purchase of a football team in Costa Rica.[12]
However, at the end of August 2021, the Irapuato city council denied the use of the Estadio Sergio León Chávez to the club due to breach of the agreement signed between the team and the government, since a clause of the agreement stipulated that the team should be promoted to the Liga de Expansión MX for the 2021–22 season, something that could not be fulfilled.[13][14] After this fact, the new board sought to establish the team in a city near Irapuato while the city council negotiated with the owners of Alebrijes de Oaxaca for the arrival of a new franchise that would continue the football in the city. Finally, neither the club nor the city council managed to close the negotiations, so on September 10, it was announced that the team went into a hiatus, so it would not dispute any competition during the season.[15][16]
After two years of absence, the team was reestablished in June 2023, keeping the name Club Deportivo Irapuato and returning to play in the Liga Premier – Serie A.[17] Under that era, the team won the Serie A championship in the 2025 Clausura tournament.[18]
Following that victory, the team began to be considered as a candidate for an invitation to participate in the Liga de Expansión MX. This invitation became effective on June 19, 2025, when Irapuato's entry into that league as a guest team was announced because Peribán, the season's champion team in the Liga Premier – Serie A, did not meet the requirements to aspire to promotion.[19] However, the announcement sparked an institutional crisis within the team. Juan Manuel Albo, president of an association named Club Deportivo Irapuato A.C., which holds the rights to the club's logo and name, announced that he would not allow the franchise operated by Healthy People to play in the Liga de Expansión MX due to an alleged financial debt related to the payment of the rights to use the brand. Furthermore, Albo intended to pursue his own sports project in the same league.[20] Consequently, the league and the FMF announced that they would not allow the participation of any project other than the one operated by Healthy People, which caused football in Irapuato to go on a hiatus for several weeks.[21]
The crisis was finally resolved after the intervention of the Government of Guanajuato, which acted as a mediator between the opposing sides, and on July 10, 2025, Irapuato's entry into the Liga de Expansión MX was confirmed.[22]
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Historic badges
1911
2002-04
2008–13
Names
Summarize
Perspective
Denominations and franchises
Throughout its history, "Irapuato" has seen how the name of the institution has changed to its current name. The club was founded under the name of Club Deportivo Irapuato. The different names that the club has had throughout its history are listed below:
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (1948-01) Official name when the franchise debuted.
Real Irapuato: (2002–04) Official name when the franchise moved from Querétaro to Irapuato.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2005–08) Official name when the franchise moves from Mérida to Irapuato.
Club Irapuato Por Siempre: (2008–13) Official name when the Pachuca Juniors franchise moves to Irapuato.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2013–14) Official name when the franchise moves from Querétaro "B" to Irapuato.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2014–15) Official name when the Ballenas Galeana franchise moves to Irapuato.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2015–18) Official name when Desarrollodora de Fútbol México ALC becomes the owner of the team and makes it a subsidiary of Celaya.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2018–19) Official name when Jorge Rocha becomes owner of the team.
Club Atlético Irapuato: (2019–20) Official name when Jorge Rocha decides to change it.
Club Deportivo Irapuato: (2020–present) Official name when Grupo Tecamachalco became the owner of the team and maintained by the management of the Healthy People company.
Owner
- Pegaso Group: (1994-2001)
- Mexican Sports Promoter: (2002–04)
- Arturo and Mauricio Millet Reyes: (2005–08)
- Ramón Morató: (2008–13)
- Concepción Enríquez Fernández: (2013–14)
- FAHARO Group S.A. de C.V.: (2014–15)
- Soccer Developer México ALC S.A. de C.V.: (2015–18)
- Jorge Rocha: (2018–20)
- Tecamachalco Group: (2020–21)
- Healthy People: (2023–present)
Stadium
Irapuato FC play their home matches at Estadio Irapuato founded on 23 March 1969 under the name "Estadio Irapuato" renamed Estadio Sergio Leon Chavez in 1990. Irapuato played their first home matches at Estadio Revolucion. On 27 October 1968 the board of Irapuato invited the Spanish Olympic football team that competed at the 1968 Olympics to play a friendly match against Irapuato, the stadium recorded a large entry in that game the Spanish beat Irapuato.
The first goal was scored by the captain of Spain Juan Manuel Asensi and Marco Antonio Sanchez Moya of Irapuato tied the score. 23 March 1969 was the official opening. in 1970 the Mexico National Team played vs Irapuato at that time Mexico was being prepared for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, The Mexico national team came out victorious with a score of 4–1.
The stadium has hosted two international football tournaments, the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship and the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
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Season to season
- 29 seasons in First Division
- 46 seasons in Second Division
- 21 seasons in Third Division
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League goal scoring champions
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Nickname
The nickname "Trinca Fresera", which means "Strawberry Lashers", originates from the year 1949, when the team got an invitation to Play teams such as La Piedad, Leon, and the Brazilian Team Vasco da Gama. The Games would Take Place in The Estadio de la Ciudad de Los Deportes now known as Estadio Azul in Mexico City. Vasco da Gama had a very good Offence, in that time it was known as "la trinca infernal" the term trinca, utilized in that time as a reference for 3, trinca infernal referenced Vasco da Gama's Offence which had 3 very agile, quick men. Don Agustín González Escopeta, Master of the Sport Commentary, Watched the Match between Irapuato and La Piedad, chronically the Leon vs Vasco match was on and He said: "si el Vasco da Gama es una trinca infernal, el Irapuato es la trinca fresera" ¡que bonito juegan!, which meant "If Vasco da Gama are the Infernal Lashers then Irapuato are the Strawberry Lashers ¡boy they play nice!" . It was then that don Agustín González Escopeta, Baptized Irapuato as la trinca fresera, To this date in any Stadium they enter the fans identify them as la trinca fresera del Irapuato.
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Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
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Managers
Supporters
Irapuato FC Official Supporter group are Los Hijos de la Mermelada which translates to The Children of the Jam in English
Rivalries
El Clásico del Bajio
- Irapuato vs. Leon
Irapuato's most fierce rivalry according to the fans is against León, named after both of the teams region "Clásico del Bajio".
El Derby
- Irapuato vs. Salamanca
Irapuato Also have other Rivals Such As Celaya team in Guanajuato.
Personnel
Coaching staff
Players
First-team squad
- As of 19 October 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Reserve teams
- Irapuato (Liga TDP)
- Reserve team that plays in the Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.
- Irapuato–Olimpo (Liga TDP)
- Reserve team that plays in the Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.
Notable players
- For all Irapuato players with a Wikipedia article see Category:Club Irapuato players.
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Honours
National
Amateur
- Campeonato Estatal de Fútbol de Guanajuato: 1919, 1924, 1925, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1938
- Liga Amateur de Guanajuato: 1928
- Campeonato Federación Nacional de Fútbol: 1931, 1936, 1938, 1942
- Campeonato Liga Mayor del Centro: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954
Friendly
- Copa de Oro de Occidente : 1957, 1959.
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
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