After finishing 3rd in the regular season of the Apertura 2011 Tournament, they returned after a 6-year absence to the 2012 Copa Libertadores, playing in the first stage. Tigres played home and away qualifying matches against Chile's Unión Española. They played the first match in Chile, on 25 January 2012 at 6:50pm local time (3:50pm CST). Unión Española took the first game by a score of 1–0, scoring at the 58th minute, after Tigres sent a reserve squad to play the match. They hosted their Chilean rival on 2 February 2012, at 8:00 pm CST. They tied 2–2 and failed to qualify for the Group Stage. Coach Ricardo Ferretti was criticized by the media and fans for sending a reserve squad to play the matches.