C.D. Irapuato

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.

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.

18 May 2011

20:00 UTC−5

Irapuato	0–0	Tijuana
	Report

Estadio Sergio León Chávez

Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)

Irapuato

Tijuana

GK 1 Adrián Martínez LB 13 Gandhi Vega  67' CB 16 Arturo Alvarado CB 6 Francisco Razo RB 2 Margarito González LM 45 José Cruz Gutiérrez  75' CM 27 Gerardo Gómez  63'  73' CM 8 Jorge Manrique  73' RM 21 José Luis López  64' CF 11 Ariel González (c) CF 10 Cuauhtémoc Blanco  87' Substitutions: RM 28 Luis Alberto Valdés  64' CM 23 Javier Saavedra  73' LM 18 Esteban Alberto González  75' Manager: Ignacio Rodríguez

GK 25 Leonín Pineda RB 2 Richard Ruíz CB 3 Javier Gandolfi (c) CB 5 Joshua Abrego  86' CB 4 Miguel Almazán LB 13 Alejandro Molina  67' RW 28 Fernando Massiel Santana CM 16 Gerardo Galindo  61' CM 10 Raúl Enríquez  85' LW 22 Juan Carlos Núñez CF 11 Luis Orozco  74' Substitutions: CB 24 Javier Yacuzzi  67' CF 9 Mauro Gerk  74' CF 29 Armando Pulido  85' Manager: Joaquín del Olmo

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.

21 May 2011

15:00 UTC−7

Tijuana	2–1	Irapuato
Joe Corona 29' Mauro Gerk 31'	Report	Alejandro Molina (own goal) 38'

Estadio Caliente, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Attendance: 33,333

Referee: Oscar Macías Romo (Mexico)

Tijuana

Irapuato

GK 25 Leonín Pineda RB 2 Richard Ruíz CB 3 Javier Gandolfi (c)  64' CB 13 Alejandro Molina OG 38' LB 5 Joshua Abrego CM 16 Gerardo Galindo  50' CM 17 Félix Ayala  4'  71' RW 15 Joe Corona 29' AM 10 Raúl Enríquez LW 24 Javier Yacuzzi CF 9 Mauro Néstor Gerk 31'  60' Substitutions: CB 4 Miguel Almazán  64' CM 22 Juan Carlos Núñez  72' FW 11 Luis Orozco  60' Manager: Joaquín del Olmo

GK 1 Adrián Martínez RB 16 Arturo Alvarado  74' CB 13 Gandhi Vega  65' CB 44 Juan Carlos Arellano CB 2 Margarito González LB 27 Gerardo Gómez CM 8 Jorge Manrique RW 58 Efraín Cruz  23'  33' LF 11 Ariel González (c)  55' LW 45 José Cruz Gutiérrez RF 28 Luis Alberto Valdés  47' Substitutions: LB 19 Jonathan Miramontes  74' LW 21 José Luis López  33' RF 7 Alejandro Castillo  5' Manager: Ignacio Rodríguez

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]

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)

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.

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Daniel Alcántar
Assistant managers	Gerardo Castillo Víctor Morales Félix Martínez
Goalkeepers coach	Roberto Cota
Fitness coach	Román Bermúdez
Team doctor	Enrique Hernández

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  MEX Gerardo Magaña 2 FW  PAR Sebastián Doldán 3 DF  USA Ventura Alvarado 4 DF  MEX Manlio Rivera 5 DF  BRA Elbis 6 MF  MEX Eduardo del Ángel 7 MF  MEX Jayson Sosa 9 FW  ARG Juan Román Pucheta 10 MF  MEX Juan Pablo Rangel 11 FW  MEX Jorge Lumbreras 12 DF  MEX Jahir Gutiérrez 13 MF  MEX Rafael Martínez 14 DF  MEX Juan de Alba 15 MF  MEX Juan Magaña 16 DF  MEX Raúl Sandoval 17 FW  USA Daniel Cervantes (on loan from Guadalajara)

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 DF  MEX Mauricio Reyes 19 FW  MEX César Santana 20 GK  MEX Humberto Hernández 21 MF  MEX Jesús Chacón 22 FW  MEX Guillermo Muñoz (on loan from Santos Laguna) 23 MF  MEX Jesse Zamudio 24 MF  MEX Alan Rodríguez 25 FW  MEX Benjamín Sánchez 26 DF  MEX Emilio Santillán 27 MF  MEX Adolfo Reynaga 28 MF  MEX Juan Gamboa 31 DF  MEX Ricardo Peña 32 GK  MEX Williams Bravo 33 MF  CHI Juan Delgado 34 MF  MEX Jassiel Ruiz 35 DF  MEX Alan Pérez

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.

National

CD Irapuato honours

Type	Competition	Titles	Winning editions	Runners-up
Top division	Copa México	0	–	1955–56
Promotion divisions	Primera División A/Liga de Ascenso	4s	Invierno 1999, Verano 2000, Invierno 2002, Clausura 2011	Apertura 2008, Apertura 2009
	Campeón de Ascenso	2s	2000, 2003	2011
	Segunda División/Liga Premier	4	1953–54, 1984–85, 2020–21, Clausura 2025	1972–73, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1993–94, Apertura 2016, Clausura 2017, Apertura 2017, Apertura 2024
	Copa México de Segunda División	3	1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54	Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014
	Campeón de Campeones de Segunda División	1	1954	1953, 2025

Notes

^s shared record

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.