[9] Internationally, Guadalajara has won two CONCACAF Champions Cup/League titles, and is the best Mexican side to compete in Copa Libertadores having reached the semifinals twice (2005 and 2006) and being runner-ups in the 2010 edition.

First named "Union" because of the camaraderie between the players of different nationalities, most of whom were employees of the Fábricas de Francia store, with founder Everaert as coach.

[13][14] On a tour of Europe, Everaert noticed that European teams named after their respective town or city seemed to generate more support from fans in their communities.

[17] During the 1956 season, players such as Salvador "Chava" Reyes, Jaime "El Tubo" Gomez, Arturo "Curita" Chaires, Juan Jasso, Isidoro "Chololo" Díaz, Guillermo "Tigre" Sepúlveda, Ignacio "Cuate" Calderón, and José "Jamaicón" Villegas were part of what is considered one of the finest teams in Mexican football history, El Campeonísimo.

During the 1980–81 season, on 14 February 1981, the bus transporting the team to a match in Puebla was hit by a trailer, taking the life of midfielder Jose "Pepe" Martínez.

The Apertura 2003 season would see poor results in the first half of the tournament, putting an end to de la Torre's tenure as coach.

Coaching responsibilities would be temporarily assumed by Dutchman Hans Westerhof and the team would qualify for a wild card showdown against Club Deportivo Toluca, only to be subsequently eliminated.

Players such as goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez, Ramon Morales, Omar Bravo, and newly acquired Adolfo Bautista, became instant fan favorites.

[32] Nevertheless, the team had shown, since Vergara's arrival, that it was highly competitive, including in the 2005 Copa Libertadores, where it defeated favorites Boca Juniors 4–0 aggregate to reach the semifinals.

After the Apertura 2006 championship the team had gone through a series of changes with the departures of Oswaldo Sánchez, Adolfo Bautista, and Omar Bravo who left to play in Spain.

After Flores's stint at the club Omar Arellano Nuño was appointed, but he only coached one league game and two Copa Libertadores matches.

[35] Under José Luis Real, Chivas saw many young and promising players blossoming even more rapidly than expected,[36] including Javier Hernández, who was signed by English club Manchester United on 8 April;[37] Hernandez additionally finished the tournament as joint-top scorer with 10 goals and named best forward.

[38] Chivas qualified to the championship stage after a second place general table finish but lost to Monarcas Morelia in the first round with an aggregate score of 5–2.

On 30 July, Chivas played their inaugural match in their newly constructed stadium against Manchester United, as part of a deal where Javier Hernández was headed to the English club.

[39] Hernández played for Guadalajara in the first half, scoring within the first 8 minutes and switched sides in the second, unable to prevent a 3–2 defeat for Manchester United.

[43] On 22 November 2013 Guadalajara placed multiple important players on the transfer list: Marco Fabián, Miguel Ponce, and veterans Luis Michel and Héctor Reynoso.

[51] On 7 October 2014, former Mexico national team manager José Manuel de la Torre was appointed as head coach.

[52] The club started the 2015 season with a 2–1 loss against Chiapas, and this result caused them to become tied in the last position of the Liga MX relegation table with Puebla.

[53] The very next week the club showed better character after a 2–1 win at home against Pumas UNAM in front of a very supportive, and completely sold-out crowd of fans.

[54] By game 12 of the 2015 Clausura season, Guadalajara managed to earn 21 points after winning crucial matches against teams such as Monterrey and relegation rivals Puebla.

José Manuel de la Torre's strategic 4–2–3–1 formation proved effect during matches despite the fans' constant requests to use two strikers in the starting line-up.

On 26 November, Amaury Vergara officially presented Ricardo Peláez as the club's new sporting director and Luis Fernando Tena as the new manager.

[79] Following a seventh place general table finish, they made it to the Guardianes 2020 semi-finals, losing 2–1 to eventual league winners Club León.

It would be later revealed that Sporting Director Ricardo Peláez had consistently been trying to leave the club but president Amaury Vergara declined his resignation.

In the quarter-finals, they would face and tie with city rivals Atlas 1–1 on aggregate, with Chivas advancing due to having the better position on the regular season table.

Gago would lead Chivas to the qualification zone in the Clausura 2024 as the 6th seed with 31 points and bring them back to the semifinals where they would soon be eliminated by rivals Club America.

The actual crest design is credited to brothers Everardo and Jose Espinosa, Angel Bolumar, and Antonio Villalvazo, all of whom were players or directors of the team during that time.

On 10 November 2017, it was announced that Mexican automotive oil firm Grupo Akron would buy the naming rights of Estadio Chivas.

[89] The Clásico Tapatío, as it is known, is the oldest derby in Mexican football since its inception in 1916, being a game that is lived with great passion on the part of supporters of both Chivas and Club Atlas.

The fans of what some surveys say is the most popular football team in the country remain loyal to a club that has only won four championship titles (in a period of more than 50 years) since its heyday in 1970.