FC Juarez

Early years

FC Juárez is a professional football club in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. It was founded on May 2015 by a group of businesspeople, among them Alejandra de la Vega, who holds the majority ownership stake in the club. The club was established to restore professional football to Ciudad Juárez following the dissolution of the Cobras de Ciudad Juárez in 2005 and the Indios de Ciudad Juárez in 2011. The Indios had folded due to financial difficulties and the climate of insecurity that had affected the city. The club's founders identified the need for a recreational and sporting distraction for the city's residents and pursued the creation of Juárez with that purpose. Juárez's nickname, Los Bravos de Juárez, sometimes shortened to Los Bravos (loosely translated as The Braves, The Brave Ones, or The Tough Ones), derives from the Río Bravo, the international river that runs through Ciudad Juárez and forms the Mexico–United States border. The nickname was formalized in July 2015 following a public poll conducted on the club's website and at physical locations in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, United States.

On 14 July 2015, Juárez made their debut in Ascenso MX, Mexico's second-tier professional league, defeating Lobos BUAP 1–0 at home in front of 16,000 spectators in their first match of the Apertura 2015 season. The Ascenso MX divided its calendar into two seasonal tournaments, the Apertura and Clausura. The club finished second in the regular season standings of the Apertura tournament with 29 points from eight wins, five draws, and two losses, advancing to the playoffs and reaching the final against Atlante in a two-leg match. Juárez lost the first leg 1–0 away before winning 3–0 at home to claim the title 3–1 on aggregate. Winning the Apertura 2015 granted Juárez a place in the Ascenso MX's promotion playoff final, contested against the Clausura 2016 season winners Necaxa for a place in the Primera División, Mexico's top-flight division. Juárez lost the first leg 1–0 away before losing 2–0 at home, failing to earn promotion on a 3–0 aggregate.

In the Clausura 2017 season, Juárez finished fourth in the regular season standings with 28 points from eight wins, four draws, and five losses, advancing to the playoffs and reaching the final against Lobos BUAP. Juárez lost the first leg 2–1 away before losing 2–1 at home, falling 4–2 on aggregate and failing to qualify for the promotion playoff against Dorados de Sinaloa, who had won the preceding Apertura 2016 season. In the Apertura 2017 season, Juárez finished second in the regular season standings with 26 points from seven wins, five draws, and three losses, advancing to the playoffs and reaching the final against Alebrijes de Oaxaca. Juárez lost the first leg 1–0 away before winning 2–1 at home, leveling the aggregate at 2–2 and forcing a penalty shootout, where they lost 2–4. The defeat meant Juárez failed to qualify for the promotion playoff, which was ultimately contested against Cafetaleros de Tapachula, the Clausura 2018 season winners.

In 2019, Juárez participated in the Clausura 2019 Copa MX, a domestic cup tournament featuring clubs from the Primera División and Ascenso MX in a group stage and knockout format. The club went undefeated through the group stage, winning three and drawing one, before reaching the final against América in a single-leg match at their home stadium. Juárez lost 1–0, ending their run at winning their first major tournament.

Promotion to top division

On 11 June 2019, Juárez acquired Lobos BUAP for US$20 million, assuming their place in Liga MX and gaining promotion to the top division as a result. The club's inaugural season in the Primera División was the Apertura 2019, marking the return of top-level professional football to Ciudad Juárez since the Indios de Ciudad Juárez last competed in the top flight in 2010, before being relegated and subsequently dissolved. The Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), which had been affiliated with Lobos BUAP, opposed the acquisition, claiming a share of the revenue from the transaction. Following a lawsuit, the university was awarded MXN$90 million (approximately US$2 million).

In the Apertura 2022 season, Juárez came close to reaching the liguilla (playoffs) for the first time, finishing 11th in the league standings and earning a place in the repechage play-in round. In a single-leg match against Toluca at Nemesio Diez Stadium, they lost 3–0 and were eliminated. In the Clausura 2025 season, Juárez again qualified for the repechage, finishing ninth in the standings, this time facing Pumas UNAM at home. After drawing 1–1 in regular time, the match was decided on penalties, with Juárez losing 1–2 and failing to advance.

The team recorded its best Liga MX performance in the Apertura 2025 season, finishing eighth in the league table. The result qualified the club for the repechage play-in round, where it defeated Pachuca 2–1 at home to secure its first-ever appearance in the liguilla. Juárez was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Toluca, the defending champions, losing 1–2 on aggregate. Juárez lost the first leg at home 1–2 and drew 0–0 in the away match. Toluca went on to win the tournament.