Club Necaxa Femenil announced Tuesday that Hugo Sánchez Gutiérrez will assume the role of director técnico of Centellas beginning with the Apertura 2026 tournament.
The announcement, posted on the club's social media on Tuesday, May 26, framed the appointment as an internal promotion and a continuation of the club’s development plan: "Club Necaxa da la bienvenida al profesor Hugo Sánchez Gutiérrez, quien asumirá la dirección técnica de Centellas a partir del torneo Apertura 2026."
Necaxa underlined the continuity theme in a second statement, saying Sánchez Gutiérrez’s arrival "representa continuidad al trabajo y desarrollo que ha construido dentro de la institución, respaldado por su experiencia en futbol formativo y profesional, así como por el conocimiento del entorno y la identidad del Club." The timing matters because Apertura 2026 begins on July 16, leaving a limited window to prepare a side that finished 15th in Clausura 2026 with 18 points.
Sánchez Gutiérrez has been inside the Necaxa system since 2023. He has worked in the club’s youth setup, taken administrative and sporting roles, served as an assistant coach with the Sub 19 and Sub 23 teams, directed the Sub 15 team and recently coached the Sub 14 team, according to the club’s announcement.
The move leaves Necaxa betting that institutional memory and knowledge of the academy pathway can be converted into immediate first-team improvement. The club also announced a commercial return: Voit will design the team’s uniforms starting in Apertura 2026, with the club saying, "¡Nos enorgullece anunciar el regreso de Voit para este nuevo ciclo. ¡Bienvenidos, Fuerza Rayos!" Voit previously designed Necaxa's kit between 2007 and 2010, and the club had worked with Pirma for six years before changing brands.
On the pitch, Necaxa’s schedule in the summer raises stakes for the new coach. The club will compete in Apertura 2026 and in the Leagues Cup, where Necaxa is set to face MLS opponents Chicago Fire, Philadelphia Union and New York City. Necaxa’s Leagues Cup group includes a scheduled match against Chicago Fire on August 6 at SeatGeek Stadium. The tournament carries continental implications: the Leagues Cup offers three places in the Concacaf Champions Cup 2027.
The appointment highlights a friction at the heart of the club’s message. The leadership pronounces continuity and development; the record from Clausura 2026—15th with 18 points—underscores why change feels urgent. Sánchez Gutiérrez’s résumé is all academy and youth-team work rather than prior senior head-coaching experience, which is precisely why the move will be watched closely.
The club said more information about the Centellas’ preparation for the next tournament will be released in the coming days. The single urgent question after this announcement is whether promoting from within will translate into better results on the table and in the Leagues Cup, where a strong showing could yield one of three spots in the Concacaf Champions Cup 2027.
Sánchez Gutiérrez will begin his role with the Centellas when Apertura 2026 kicks off on July 16, and the team’s new Voit-designed uniforms will be revealed soon as Necaxa prepares for a condensed and consequential summer.
