Pumas vs Cruz Azul: A Rivalry That Feels Like a Clásico

So where did the “obsession” come from?

Fans have a name for all this: the “Clásico de la Obsesión.” Pumas supporters coined it on social media, and the joke is that Cruz Azul is obsessed with beating the university side, especially when it matters most. Cruz Azul fans, naturally, would say it works both ways.

The history backs up the drama. Cruz Azul beat Pumas in the 1978-79 final, and the two clubs have kept running into each other in big knockout games ever since. The rivalry grew sharply in the 1990s, when both teams started meeting regularly in the regular season and the Liguilla.

Then came the Guard1anes 2020 semifinals. Cruz Azul won the first leg 4-0, and everyone assumed the tie was done. Pumas came back and knocked them out. Fans on both sides still haven’t forgotten it, and that comeback is a big reason the nickname stuck.

In the Clausura 2024 quarterfinals, Cruz Azul got its revenge by eliminating Pumas. The tension got another layer in 2025, when Cruz Azul had to play its home games at CU while its own stadium was unavailable. They treated the place like their own living room, even winning a continental title there, and Pumas fans watched from the outside, not thrilled.

Flashpoints that keep it burning

Rivalries don’t survive on trophies alone. They need small fires, and this one has plenty.

One was the injury to Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier after a foul by Pumas midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, a moment that sparked real anger in the Cruz Azul camp. Another came when then-coach Nicolás Larcamón exploded at the referees after a match against Pumas in the Clausura 2026. Add the social media jabs, the celebrations that went a little too far, and the sense that both sides keep score, and you get a rivalry with a pulse.

Even the players feel it. Former forward Francisco Palencia, who won titles with both clubs, put it best: Cruz Azul is like his mother, because it’s where he was born, and Pumas is like his wife, because it gave him a family and stability late in his career. That’s not how people talk about an ordinary fixture.

The final that sealed it

The biggest chapter came last May. Cruz Azul and Pumas met in the Clausura 2026 final, and the second leg was at CU. Cruz Azul won 2-1 on aggregate, with Rodolfo Rotondi scoring in the final minute, and lifted its tenth league title in the opponent’s own stadium.

For Cruz Azul, it was sweet. For Pumas, who were chasing their first title in 15 years and an eighth star, it was brutal. Some Mexican outlets have since declared Cruz Azul the “absolute winner” of the rivalry. Pumas fans will surely have thoughts about that.