Cruz Azul officially announced Wednesday night that Nicolás Larcamón is out as head coach, ending his spell with one regular-season match left and the team already locked into the Liguilla. Joel Huiqui was named interim coach as the club tries to steady itself before facing Necaxa in Jornada 17.
The club said the move was driven by what it called an "inercia negativa en resultados y formas" that had become impossible to ignore, including six league matches without a win and three straight 1-1 draws. Cruz Azul also pointed to criticism from its supporters, whom it described as the institution's greatest asset, and said it heard those complaints.
Larcamón's exit came after Cruz Azul fell to LAFC in the Concacaf Champions Cup 2026 quarterfinals. In the league, the side was sitting in fourth place with 30 points from 16 matches, a position that still secured a place in the Clausura 2026 postseason, but not enough to quiet the noise around the team.
The club said the timing was deliberate, even if it knew the decision could draw criticism. After a deep review, Cruz Azul said it believed intervening before the Liguilla gave it the best chance to change the trend and protect the sporting project.
Huiqui will be joined on the interim staff by Sergio Pinto as assistant coach and Marco Calvillo as second assistant coach, while Fernando Ramos was named fitness coach with support from Jorge Martínez. Cruz Azul said it will wait until after the Mundial 2026 to begin the search for a permanent coach for the Apertura 2026, leaving the short-term job to a staff charged with getting the team through the postseason without another stumble.
For a club that had already done enough to reach the playoffs, the decision shows how quickly the standards shift when the results stop matching the badge. The next test comes immediately against Necaxa, and Cruz Azul will spend the rest of the Clausura trying to prove the shake-up changed more than the name on the bench.