Fútbol Club Motagua (Spanish pronunciation: [moˈtaɣwa]), formerly Club Deportivo Motagua up to 2017, is a Honduran professional football club based in Tegucigalpa, that competes in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras, the top division of Honduran football.
Motagua was founded on 29 August 1928, and plays its home games at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés. The club is one of the most successful and renowned in Honduras.
Contents
History
The club was founded on 29 August 1928. Three previous clubs, América, Honduras Atlética and Águila, were in the process of falling apart. Marco Antonio Ponce and Marco Antonio Rosa called a meeting and proposed that the clubs unite to form a new club, Motagua (named for a nearby river). After the success of the meeting, a board of directors was appointed.
The first game was played on 25 November 1928, against Tejeros del España at La Isla. Constantine Gálvez "Tatino" was the captain and Daniel Bustillo was the manager. The team fought to a 1–1 draw.
The first international game was played on 9 April 1939 against Costa Rican side Orión at the San Felipe field in Tegucigalpa; Motagua were managed by Honduran coach Lurio Martínez and won the match 3–0 with three goals from "Gorgojo" Ramos.
Professional era
The team debuted professionally in the 1965–66 season. It took them only three years to win their first-ever championship. Under the leadership of manager Rodolfo Godoy, Motagua surged past two-time defending champions Olimpia to win the 1968–69 title, with 39 points to the Olimpia's 36. Godoy's club completed the double that season by winning the first-ever Honduran Cup.
This was the beginning of a long run at or near the top of the table for Motagua; they finished second behind Olimpia in 1969–70, then won the 1970–71 crown. That last season ended with Motagua and Olimpia level on points, with Motagua hoisting the crown on goal difference. They would likely have won a third championship in 1972–73, as they led the table halfway through the season. However, the season was cancelled at its midway point, and the records expunged.
The rest of the 1970s remained a good time for Motagua. They won titles in 1973–74 and 1978–79, while finishing second in 1974–75 and 1976–77. The club had become established as one of the nation's strongest, and when the Honduras national football team qualified to the World Cup Finals, they featured five Motagua players.
However, the 1980s were not as strong. Between 1979 and 1992, the club was locked out of the Honduran crown. It was not until the end of the 1991–92 season that the drought was over. They claimed that title by beating Real España 1–0 in the championship playoffs. With the drought broken, Motagua began winning titles regularly. They claimed the Honduran Cup in 1993 and 1995, then claimed an unexpected championship in the 1998 Apertura, beating Real España 5–2 on aggregate in the championship final. They repeated as champions that October, beating Olimpia 1–0.
They did it again in 1999–2000, beating Olimpia on penalties in both the Apertura and Clausura finals. They added another title in the 2002 Apertura, beating Marathón on penalties in a thrilling 5–3 shootout. After a drought of nearly five years, Motagua returned to the top with a title in the 2006 Apertura (over Olimpia) and 2011 Clausura (again over Olimpia).
In 2013, a new golden age began. Diego Vásquez, a veteran Honduran keeper who had played in two stints for Motagua, took over. In just his second full season, Vasquez steered Motagua to the 2014 Apertura crown, beating Real Sociedad 2–1 in the championship final (Rubilio Castillo's header was the winner). Three near misses followed, but in 2016–2017, Vasquez would lead the team to new heights.
The club
Colours and badges
Motagua's traditional colour is dark blue, representing the blue waters of the Motagua River. This is because at the time the club was founded, the river was in dispute between Honduras and Guatemala. Since 2011, Motagua has worn pink jerseys for all their games during October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Motagua badge has a blue eagle. This is because one of the three clubs that united to become Motagua was named CD Águila, or Eagle in Spanish.
Stadium
Motagua plays their home matches at Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa. The stadium is named after Honduran football player and manager Chelato Uclés. The stadium is divided into Sol Norte, Sol Sur, Sol Centro, Preferencia, Silla and Palco. The Motaguan supporters "La Revo" are located at Sol Norte and the "Macro Azurra" sits in Sol Centro.
Traditions
There are some traditions within the Motagua institution.
When a player debuts, he must shave his head. This is optional. Most of the players that do shave are recently promoted from the reserve team or are young of age.
Supporters
Motagua has many supporters throughout Honduras. Motagua has one barra brava and three other supporters' groups. The barra brava is "Los Revolucionarios del Motagua 1928", who call themselves "La Revo". This fan group has "bandas" or smaller groups inside La Revo such as (from Tegucigalpa) "Los Fuser", "Los Dementes", "Escuadron 57", "Comando 21", "Los Poltershe", "Irreverentes", "Capone", "Infernales", "Danger's", "Anarkia", etc. (from Comayagua) "C26", (from San Pedro Sula) "Los Del Norte", (from La Ceiba) "Revo Ceiba", (from Choluteca) "Revo Choluteca", (from El Progreso) "Revo Progreso", (from Siguatepeque) "Revo Sigua". All of the "bandas" hang "mantas" or huge pieces of cloth saying their banda's name inside the stadium. They also hang one with the barra's website and many of Che Guevara. At matches from Motagua against Olimpia, it is illegal to hang these mantas because some of the members steal them, so police have banned this.
Another of the biggest fan groups is "Macro Azurra" which is supported by the club. They can be easily be spotted in the stadium because they usually have blue ballons. This group is bigger in the northern territory and is sponsored by the club and by FedEx.
There are also two smaller groups, "Fortaleza Azul" and "JAH", which stands for "Justicia Amor y Humildad", which means "Justice Love and Humbleness". JAH is a religious fan group which was founded by seven members of the Jehová es Nuestro Pastor church. JAH say that their trips are paid by God.
Rivalries
Superclásico
El Clasico Capitalino (The Capital's Classic) or Superclásico Hondureño (Honduran Super Classic) is played between Motagua and Club Deportivo Olimpia. Their matches are also known as El Clasico Local (The Local Classic) in Tegucigalpa. There is a huge rivalry between the clubs and their fans (La Ultra Fiel [of Olimpia] and La Revo [of Motagua]).
Clásico de las M's
El Clásico de las M's (The M's Classic) or El Derbi de las M's (The M's Derby) is a derby football match played between Motagua from Tegucigalpa and C.D. Marathón from San Pedro Sula, two of the most successful and popular football teams in Honduras.
Motagua–Real España
The Motagua–Real España derby has been contested in seven intense league finals, four won by Real España and three by Motagua. The series has a fairly even record.
Short-lived
One smaller rivalry, which might be called extinct, was against Universidad (also known as UNAH). The club named Universidad, represented the Honduran National Autonomous University in Tegucigalpa, and therefore shared the city with Motagua. This inspired a local derby until UNAH was relocated to Choluteca. UNAH on various occasions left Motagua out of the play-offs, intensifying the rivalry. This derby can now be called extinct since Universidad were relegated to the Liga de Ascenso. The club was eventually sold to, and renamed, Universidad Pedagogica Nacional-Francisco Morázan (also known as UPNFM) (National Pedagogical University-Francisco Morázan).
Honours
Motagua is the second most successful club in Honduras, having won 20 domestic leagues since the inauguration of the Honduran Liga Nacional in 1965–66.
Domestic
Honduran Liga Nacional
Winners (20): 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1991–92, 1997–98 A, 1997–98 C, 1999–2000 A, 1999–2000 C, 2001–02 A, 2006–07 A, 2010–11 C, 2014–15 A, 2016–17 A, 2016–17 C, 2018–19 A, 2018–19 C, 2021–22 C, 2024–25 A, 2025–26 C
Runners-up (16): 1969–70, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1990–91, 1993–94, 2002–03 C, 2007–08 A, 2009–10 C, 2014–15 C, 2015–16 A, 2017–18 A, 2017–18 C, 2020–21 C, 2022–23 A, 2023–24 A
Honduran Cup
Winners (1): 1968
Runners-up (4): 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998
Honduran Supercup
Winners (2): 1999, 2017
Amateur era
Honduran Amateur League: 1948, 1950–51
Francisco Morazán Major League: 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1954
International
CONCACAF League
Runners-up (3): 2018, 2019, 2021
UNCAF Interclub Cup
Winners (1): 2007
Friendly
Copa Corona del Rosal (1): 1968
Copa Burra Rivas (1): 2014
Copa Amistad Padre Alberto Gauci (1): 2015
Copa Ciclón (1): 2015
Records
League records
As of 2021–22
Click 'show' to expand details
All time top scorers
As of 2024–25 Apertura
All-time record vs. opponents
Updated 16 September 2026
Friendly matches not included.
Games decided by penalty shootout are counted as ties.
Squad
First-team squad
As of 12 April, 2026
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 team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
16 – Edy Vásquez, retired for 2 years (2007–09) in memorian of his death.
20 – Amado Guevara, retired.
Notable former players
See also Category:F.C. Motagua players