From Collapse to Contenders: Pumas’ 2026 Comeback Story | OneFootball

It’s been 15 years since Pumas last won a Liga MX title, the longest wait since the club won its first back in 1977. But are they finally back, competing for a spot at the top of Mexican football?

Since their last piece of silverware, the club have come close. Two runner-up medals brought Pumas close to greatness, but defeats to Tigres in 2015 and León in 2020 left players and fans alike wondering ‘what could have been?’.

Los Universitarios have since slipped to seventh place in terms of total titles won. Tigres and Léon have jumped over them, and Pachuca drew level after their 2022 Apertura triumph

Return of the fighting spirit

Over the years, Pumas accepted that they were not at the level of Club América, Toluca and Tigres, teams that have all had dominant spells as of late.

To make matters worse, Mexico City’s giants failed to reach the playoffs in the Apertura. They needed a victory in the league’s final game over Cruz Azul to qualify for the play-in competition. That one didn’t go well, and disgruntled fans had seen enough. Boos rang out after the 3-1 loss to Pachuca which eliminated them.

The concern at this stage was not only that the team had fallen way below the level to compete for a title, but they couldn’t even qualify in the top half to reach the postseason.

However, the turn of the year has brought about a new spirit in this team. Performances have improved, and they’ve managed to secure big results against teams at the top end of the table.

Boost of new signings

Pumas’ display in the Apertura was undoubtedly not good enough. A team was significant history and an impressive trophy cabinet has had nothing to boost in recent years, but failing to reach the playoff was a warning sign.

In between competitions, the club made a vow to improve its roster. Signings like Robert Morales from Toluca, Flamengo’s Junior (coming off a Copa Libertadores triumph), along with Jordan Carrillo and Cesar Garza, indicated that Pumas weren’t prepared to repeat their poor Apertura record.

These signings helped bridge the gap that was evident in the first half of the season and results started to improve as a result.

A team ready to compete?

A new squad, one that manager Efraín Juárez was excited to work with, took no time to record major results.

Despite an opening day draw to Querétaro, the new-look team announced themselves for the new year with a major away win against Tigres before hitting Santos Laguna for four.

A quick stumbling block was hit when Pumas became the first Liga MX casualty in the Concacaf Champions Cup, losing to San Diego FC, but they returned to domestic football in high spirits with wins over Puebla and Monterrey.

After 12 matches, Los Universitarios have suffered only one defeat, coming against reigning champions Toluca, who needed two late goals to secure maximum points.

Best of the capital?

To continue their impressive start to the season, Juárez’s side had two major tests, against Cruz Azul and Club América.

The first ended in a 2-2 draw, but it is a result which is more credible considering they went behind twice in the game and had defender Nathan Silva sent off with twenty minutes left to play.

Against América, they also held their own, but this time, they managed to walk away with all three points thanks to a last minute penalty from Morales.