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Liga MX

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Liga MX
Organising bodyFederación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF)
Founded1943; 83 years ago (1943)
(as Liga Mayor)
CountryMexico
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of clubs18
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toLiga de Expansión MX
(suspended)
Domestic cupCampeón de Campeones
International cup(s)Continental:
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Subregional:
Leagues Cup
Campeones Cup
Current championsToluca
(12th title)
Most championshipsAmérica
(16 titles)
Most appearancesÓscar Pérez (745)
Top scorerEvanivaldo Castro (312)
Broadcaster(s)Domestic
Claro[1]
ESPN[2]
Fox[3]
Televisa[4]
TV Azteca[5]
International
OneFootball (Selected matches in selected markets outside of Mexico)
Websitewww.ligamx.net
Current: Clausura 2026 Liga MX season

Liga MX, officially named Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons,[6] is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly named Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and Primera División de México (1949–2012). The Liga MX has 18 participating clubs, each season is divided into two short tournaments, Apertura (from July to December) and Clausura (from January to May). The champions of each tournament are decided by a final knockout phase, commonly known as liguilla. Since 2020, promotion and relegation has been suspended until 2026–27.

The league currently ranks first in CONCACAF's league ranking index.[7] According to the IFFHS, Liga MX was ranked as the 10th strongest league in the first decade of the 21st century.[8] According to CONCACAF, the league – with an average attendance of 25,557 during the 2014–15 season – draws the largest crowds on average of any football league in the Americas and the third largest crowds of any professional sports league in North America.[9] Liga MX ranks second in terms of television viewership in the United States, behind the English Premier League.[10]

América is the most successful club with 16 titles, followed by Guadalajara and Toluca with 12 titles each, Cruz Azul with 9 titles, Tigres UANL and León with 8 titles each.[11] In all, twenty-four clubs have won the top professional division at least once.[11]

History

[edit]

Amateur era

[edit]

Prior to the Liga Mayor, there was no national and professional football league in Mexico, and football competitions were held within relatively small geographical regions. The Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association, a local league consisting of teams near and around Mexico City, was the first amateur football league created in Mexico, and also other regional leagues were created, which were the Liga Amateur de Veracruz, Liga Amateur de Puebla, Liga Occidental De Jalisco and the Liga Amateur del Bajío that had talented clubs.

In 1922, after the foundation of the first football federation in Mexico, they created the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza, which was the first amateur league organized by a national football federation. It was held from 1922 to 1943, although most of the participating teams were from Mexico City and the first matches held outside the country's capital were played until the 1940–41 season.

Many club owners were keen to remain amateur although they paid players under the table. The increasing interest in football would not thwart a unified professional football system in the country. The first true national and professional league in Mexico was established in 1943, under the name Liga Mayor.[12]

Liga Mayor

[edit]

The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) announcement of the nation's first professional league brought interest from many clubs to join. The FMF announced that 10 clubs would form the Liga Mayor. The league was founded by six clubs from the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association, two clubs from the Liga Occidental, and two clubs from the Liga Veracruzana.

Founding members

[edit]
Asturias in 1927.

Primera División de México

[edit]

Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, many small clubs faced many economic difficulties which were attributed to the lack of international competition by Mexico's clubs and an unrewarding league format. Consequently, clubs from Mexico that placed high in the league standings could not afford to participate in the overarching continental competitions, such as the Copa Libertadores.

The 1970 World Cup held in Mexico was the first World Cup televised on a grand scale. The season following the FIFA World Cup, the FMF changed the league format and established a final phase to determine the national champion. This was done to regenerate interest and reward teams that placed fairly high in the standings.

The final phase, known as liguilla, was played using various formats to determine the champions. The most common format was a straight knock-out between the top eight teams in the table. At other times the league was divided into groups with the top two in each group, often as well as the best 3rd placed teams, qualifying for the liguilla and in some seasons the playoff matches themselves involved teams playing in groups with the group winners playing off for the title. The format was changed from season to season to accommodate international club commitments and the schedule of the Mexico national team.

The change in the rules affected teams that traditionally dominated the table, as talented teams that had not performed well in the regular season were able to perform successfully in the final phase (Cruz Azul in the 1970s, América in the 1980s, and Toluca in the 2000s).

Liga MX

[edit]

Prior to the start of the 2012–13 season, the organization Liga MX/Ascenso MX was created to replace the FMF as the main organizing body of the competition. The league also announced a rebranding, with the introduction of a new name and a new logo.[13]

On August 20, 2018, it was announced that Liga MX would begin testing the use of VAR technology.[14] The initial test run was conducted during under-20 matches played inside senior league stadiums, with live testing across senior Liga MX matches taking place during weeks 13 and 14 of the Apertura tournament. The league needed final approval from FIFA to fully implement the technology.[15]

Competition format

[edit]

Regular phase

[edit]
Liga MX Trophy

Liga MX uses a single table of 18 clubs that play two short tournaments (Apertura and Clausura) resulting in two champions per season. The season opens with the Apertura from July to December, followed by the Clausura from January to May. This format matches other Latin American schedules and corresponds with FIFA's world footballing calendar, which "opens" in July/August and "closes" in April/May of the next year. The top 10 clubs advance to the final phase for each tournament, with the top 6 clubs in the table at the end of the regular phase of the tournament qualifying directly to the Liguilla, and the next 4 clubs qualifying for the play-in round that determines the next 2 Liguilla spots. If one club is in last place in the league's relegation table (see below), that club is replaced by the one that finished 11th in the regular phase.

From 1996 to 2002, the league followed a schedule consisting of two short tournaments in the season, Invierno and Verano tournaments. From 2002 to 2011, the 18 clubs were divided into three groups of six, with the top two from each group and the two best third-place clubs qualifying for the Liguilla. The clubs played in the same group for each tournament. The qualification phase of the tournament lasted 17 weeks, with all clubs playing each other once per tournament in a home and away series over both tournaments.

Final phase

[edit]

The final phase of each tournament, commonly known as Liguilla, consisting of 10 clubs that qualify for the tournament based on regular phase point totals — the six highest-placed advance to the quarterfinals while clubs seven through ten compete in the play-in round.[16][17] The clubs ranked 7-10 play a single match hosted by the higher seed; the winner of the match between 7th and 8th-placed advances to the quarterfinals as the 7th seed. The losing club then faces the winners of the match between 9th and 10th-placed; the winner of that match advances and is seeded 8th in the quarterfinals. For the remaining rounds, the clubs are paired according to seeding, with the highest-seeded club playing the lowest-seeded and so on. Each tie is played over two legs with the winner on aggregate score progressing.

The champions are awarded the Liga MX trophy, and the runners-up is awarded a smaller version of the trophy. The start of Liguilla in 1970 modernized the league despite the disagreements between the traditionalists and the modernists. Clubs that were near bankruptcy were now better able to compete and generate profits.

Tie-breaking criteria

[edit]

If at least two clubs finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following criteria are used to break the tie:[18]

  • Goal difference
  • Number of goals scored
  • Number of away goals scored
  • Head-to-head matchup
  • Best placed in the general quotient table
  • Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match)
    • Yellow card: −1 points
    • Indirect red card by second yellow card: −3 points
    • Direct red card: −3 points
    • Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points
  • Drawing of lots.

Relegation

[edit]

Originally at the end of a season, after the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, one club is relegated to the next lower division, Ascenso MX, and one club from that division is promoted and takes the place left open by the relegated team. Currently, the relegated club is determined by computing the points-per-game-played ratio for each club, considering all the games played by the club during the last three seasons (six short tournaments). The club with the lowest ratio is relegated; if the club that is in last place in the relegation table is among the 12 clubs qualifying for the Liguilla at the end of the Clausura tournament, the 13th place team qualifies for the Liguilla instead. For clubs recently promoted, only the games played since their promotion are considered (two or four tournaments). The club promoted from Ascenso MX is the winner of the Campeón de Ascenso, the division's super cup between the Apertura and Clausura champions. If a club becomes the champions in both tournaments, it is automatically promoted.

Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, the rules for relegation and promotion changed: if a club wins promotion but does not meet certain Liga MX requirements (e.g. stadium infrastructure and a youth team) the relegated Liga MX club of that season will be obligated to pay the prize money to the Ascenso MX club (MXN$120 million) for winning the promotion playoff, which should be utilized to fulfill necessary requirements for promotion within the next season, and remain in Ascenso MX,[19] and the relegated Liga MX club will remain in the top division. However, if the relegated Liga MX club cannot distribute the prize money to the promoted Ascenso MX club, both clubs will lose their right to play in Liga MX and must play in Ascenso MX the following season.[20]

As of the 2018–19 season, only six clubs met the full requirements to be promoted to Liga MX, those clubs being Atlético San Luis, Atlante, Celaya, Juárez, Sinaloa, and UdeG.[21]

On April 16, 2020, the Ascenso MX was folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the lack of financial resources. Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla later announced during a video meeting with the club owners of the league that promotion and relegation would be suspended for six years.[22][23] During the suspension, the Ascenso MX was replaced with the Liga de Expansión MX although no club from that league will be promoted to Liga MX nor any Liga MX team that performs poorly will be relegated from the Liga MX for the time being.[24]

In May 2025, a group of ten league member clubs from the Liga de Expansión MX filed a lawsuit before the Court of Arbitration for Sport seeking the reinstatement of promotion and relegation between the Liga de Expansión MX and Liga MX;[25] four clubs subsequently dropped the lawsuit, the six remaining clubs formed an opposing bloc within the league, which was formed with the aim of combating some of the measures that had occurred previously,[26] their first triumph was the rejection of the relocation of Celaya F.C. to Veracruz and the sale of the affiliation certificate between Cimarrones de Sonora and Club Jaiba Brava.[27]

On September 4, 2025, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its verdict on the dispute filed by the six Liga de Expansión MX clubs seeking to reinstate promotion to Liga MX. The ruling established the return of relegation on the Liga MX starting with the 2026–27 season;[28] however, the CAS allowed the Mexican Football Federation to retain the authority to establish the requirements for clubs to be promoted to the top flight of Mexican football, returning to a situation similar to that in place before the creation of the Liga de Expansión MX in 2020.[29]

CONCACAF Champions Cup qualification

[edit]

Each year, at least six clubs from Liga MX qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the North American premier club competition; Liga MX itself is guaranteed six spots while teams from the league can earn three more spots via the Leagues Cup with MLS for a maximum of nine spots. Generally, the Apertura and Clausura champions and runners-up, as well as the next best two clubs in the aggregate table, qualify, with the higher ranking champion from the Apertura and Clausura tournaments earning a bye to the Round of 16. Liga MX would implement a formula for ensuring that the Apertura and Clausura had two qualifying clubs should one or more clubs reach the finals of both tournaments, devised when Liga MX sent 4 clubs to North America premier club competition:[30]

  • If the same two clubs qualify for the finals of both tournaments, those two clubs will qualify along with the non-finalists with the best record in both the Apertura and Clausura.
  • If the same club wins both the Apertura and Clausura (facing two different clubs in the finals of each tournament), then the berth reserved for the Clausura champions is passed to the Clausura runners-up and the berth reserved for the Clausura runners-up is passed to the non-finalists with the best record in the Clausura. This occurred most recently in the 2021–22 season (2023 CONCACAF Champions League) when Atlas (2021 Apertura and Clausura 2022 champions), Pachuca (Clausura 2022 runners-up) and León (Apertura 2022 runners-up) were placed in Pot 1, while Tigres UANL (non-finalists with the best record in the Clausura 2022) were placed in Pot 2 (at the time, the pot placings were determined via the CONCACAF Club Index, which ranked the performance of certain spots within the last 5 years). As of the 2022–23 season, the team that wins both the Apertura and Clausura also automatically qualifies for the Round of 16.
  • If the Apertura runners-up win the Clausura (facing two different clubs in the finals of each tournament), then the berth reserved for the Apertura runners-up is passed to the non-finalists with the best record in the Apertura. This occurred most recently in the 2011-12 season (2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League) when UANL (Apertura 2011 champions) and Santos Laguna (Apertura 2011 runners-up and Clausura 2012 champions) were placed in Pot A, while Guadalajara (non-finalists with the best record in the Apertura 2011) and Monterrey (Clausura 2012 runners-up) were placed in Pot B (at the time, the champions and runners-up were placed in different pots).
  • If the Apertura champions are runners-up in the Clausura (facing two different clubs in the finals of each tournament), then the berth reserved for the Clausura runners-up is passed to the non-finalists with the best record in the Clausura. This has not happened since Liga MX began using this qualification procedure.

With Liga MX sending a minimum of six clubs to the Champions Cup (Liga MX can send a maximum of nine clubs if three Liga MX clubs all hold the top three spots in the Leagues Cup), these rules still generally apply, although if a club qualifies for the Champions Cup via Liga MX and the Leagues Cup, the spot is given to the next best club in the aggregate table. If a club is the highest-ranked tournament champion or the champion of both Apertura and Clausura tournaments and also wins the Leagues Cup for that same cycle, both the Apertura and Clausura champions qualify for the round of 16.

Previous qualification tournaments

[edit]

Participating clubs

[edit]
Main article: List of football clubs in Mexico

2025–26 season

[edit]

The 2025–26 Liga MX season has the following 18 participating clubs.

Club Position in Apertura 2025 First season in top division Total seasons First season of current spell in top division Consecutive seasons Titles Last title
América 4th 1943–44 113 1943–44 113 16 Apertura 2024
Atlas 14th 1943–44 110 1979–80 76 3 Clausura 2022
Atlético San Luis 15th 2019–20 12 2019–20 12 0 –
Cruz Azul 3rd 1964–65 92 1964–65 92 9 Guardianes 2021
Guadalajara 6th 1943–44 113 1943–44 113 12 Clausura 2017
Juárez 8th 2019–20 12 2019–20 12 0 –
León 17th 1944–45 89 2012–13 26 8 Guardianes 2020
Mazatlán 16th 2020–21 10 2020–21 10 0 –
Monterrey 5th 1945–46 98 1960–61 96 5 Apertura 2019
Necaxa 13th 1951–52 83 2016–17 18 3 Invierno 1998
Pachuca 9th 1967–68 64 1998–99 54 7 Apertura 2022
Puebla 18th 1944–45 93 2007–08 36 2 1989–90
Querétaro 12th 1990–91 42 2009–10 32 0 –
Santos Laguna 11th 1988–89 66 1988–89 66 6 Clausura 2018
Tijuana 7th 2011–12 28 2011–12 28 1 Apertura 2012
Toluca 1st 1953–54 103 1953–54 103 12 Apertura 2025
UANL 2nd 1974–75 79 1997–98 56 8 Clausura 2023
UNAM 10th 1962–63 94 1962–63 94 7 Clausura 2011

Performances

[edit]
See also: List of Mexican football champions
Rank Club Titles Runners-up Winning years
1 América 16 11 1965–66, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1983–84, 1984–85, Prode 1985, 1987–88, 1988–89, Verano 2002, Clausura 2005, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2014, Apertura 2018, Apertura 2023, Clausura 2024, Apertura 2024
2 Guadalajara 12 10 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1969–70, 1986–87, Verano 1997, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2017
Toluca 12 8 1966–67, 1967–68, 1974–75, Verano 1998, Verano 1999, Verano 2000, Apertura 2002, Apertura 2005, Apertura 2008, Bicentenario 2010, Clausura 2025, Apertura 2025
4 Cruz Azul 9 12 1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979-80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021
5 León 8 7 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1991–92, Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014, Guardianes 2020
UANL 8 7 1977–78, 1981–82, Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2019, Clausura 2023
7 UNAM 7 8 1976–77, 1980–81, 1990–91, Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2009, Clausura 2011
Pachuca 7 4 Invierno 1999, Invierno 2001, Apertura 2003, Clausura 2006, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2016, Apertura 2022
9 Santos Laguna 6 6 Invierno 1996, Verano 2001, Clausura 2008, Clausura 2012, Clausura 2015, Clausura 2018
10 Monterrey 5 7 México 1986, Clausura 2003, Apertura 2009, Apertura 2010, Apertura 2019
11 Atlante1 3 4 1946–47, 1992-93, Apertura 2007
Atlas 3 3 1950–51, Apertura 2021, Clausura 2022
Necaxa 3 3 1994–95, 1995–96, Invierno 1998
14 Puebla 2 2 1982–83, 1989–90
Zacatepec2 2 1 1954–55, 1957–58
Veracruz4 2 0 1945–46, 1949–50
17 Oro3 1 5 1962–63
Morelia1 1 3 Invierno 2000
Real Club España4 1 1 1944–45
Tecos2 1 1 1993–94
Asturias4 1 0 1943–44
Tampico4 1 0 1952–53
Marte4 1 0 1953–54
Tijuana 1 0 Apertura 2012
25 UdeG1 0 3 —
Tampico Madero1 0 2 —
Atlético Español4 0 1 —
Celaya2 0 1 —
Toros Neza2 0 1 —
San Luis4 0 1 —
Querétaro 0 1 —
Notes
  1. Clubs currently in Liga de Expansión MX.
  2. Clubs currently in Liga Premier.
  3. Clubs currently in Liga TDP.
  4. Defunct clubs.

Stadiums and locations

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2024–25 Liga MX teams
class=notpageimage|
Location of the 2024–25 Liga MX teams in Greater Mexico City
Club City Stadium Capacity
América Mexico City Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (temporary)

34,253[31]

Atlas Guadalajara Estadio Jalisco 56,713[32]
Atlético San Luis San Luis Potosí Estadio Alfonso Lastras Ramírez 25,111
Cruz Azul Mexico City Estadio Olímpico Universitario (temporary) 72,000[33][34]
Guadalajara Zapopan Estadio Akron 45,364[35]
Juárez Ciudad Juárez Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez 19,703[36]
León León Estadio León 31,297[37]
Mazatlán Mazatlán Estadio El Encanto 25,000[38]
Monterrey Guadalupe Estadio BBVA 53,500[39]
Necaxa Aguascalientes Estadio Victoria 25,500[40]
Pachuca Pachuca Estadio Hidalgo 25,922[41]
Puebla Puebla Estadio Cuauhtémoc 51,726[42]
Querétaro Querétaro Estadio Corregidora 33,162[43]
Santos Laguna Torreón Estadio Corona 30,000[44]
Tijuana Tijuana Estadio Caliente 27,333[45]
Toluca Toluca Estadio Nemesio Díez 30,000[46]
UANL San Nicolás de los Garza Estadio Universitario de la UANL 42,000[47]
UNAM Mexico City Estadio Olímpico Universitario 72,000[33][34]

Media coverage

[edit]

All Liga MX clubs have the right to sell their own broadcast rights. Televisa, TV Azteca, Imagen Televisión, Claro Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN have broadcasting rights in México, while ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Univision, and Telemundo have the rights in the United States, with FS1/FS2 airing select matches with English commentary.

In previous years, when a team was relegated, the team that was promoted could only negotiate with the company holding the television rights of the relegated team. This agreement was canceled by Liga MX in 2012 when the promotion of Club León caused a television rights dispute with Televisa.[48] Currently, Club León matches are broadcast in Mexico by Fox Sports and other online media sites, and in the United States by Univision (Telemundo from 2013–16).[49]

Telelatino and Fox Sports World formerly hold broadcasting rights in Canada. From 2019–20 until 2021–22, OneSoccer broadcast the league for Canada viewers.[50][51]

Fox Sports is the only network that holds rights to broadcast selected matches in United States and South America.

Additionally, Televisa-owned networks Sky Sports and TUDN hold exclusive broadcasting rights over selected matches throughout the regular season, although the majority of the most important ones are broadcast live on the national networks. The coverage also available for Central America viewers.

Most of the Saturday afternoon and evening matches broadcast by Televisa are shown primarily on Gala TV, though Saturday games played by Televisa's club America, are broadcast on Televisa's flagship network, Canal de las Estrellas. However, a blackout policy is usually applied in selected markets where affiliates are forced to air alternate programming during the matches, Sunday noon and afternoon games broadcast by Televisa are shown on Canal de las Estrellas. All of the games broadcast by TV Azteca on Saturday and Sunday are shown on Azteca 13; Friday's matches however are shown on Azteca 7. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (known in Mexico as Fecha Doble or Double Date) matches picked by the national networks are shown on Canal 5 and Azteca 7 and the rest of the matches air on Sky Sports and TDN.

A recent rule, in effect since 2011, requires teams to play the final game of every season on Sunday during prime time, regardless of whether the team used to play local games in another timeslot, in order to capture more television audience during the game. This also prevents most playoff collusion, where one or both teams already in the liguilla put in lesser effort to lose or draw, in order to draw a more favorable opponent.

For the Apertura 2016, and the majority of the Clausura 2017, Guadalajara home matches in Mexico were not shown on over-the-air television or cable and satellite operators. Instead, they were exclusively shown on an internet streaming service called Chivas TV. As of April 8, 2017, the matches are shown on both Televisa's Televisa Deportes Network (TDN) and Chivas TV.

On February 13, 2017, it was announced Univision Deportes would live stream 46 games in English on Facebook in the United States.[52]

After the Clausura 2017 season, Azteca América sold the rights of the Atlas, Morelia, Tijuana, and Veracruz matches to Univision. The network then held the rights of 17 of the 18 clubs, only missing recently promoted Lobos BUAP. In September 2017, Univision began airing Lobos BUAP's home matches, thus holding the rights to all 18 Liga MX teams through the end of the Clausura 2018 season.

In July 2017, Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) announced it would show Liga MX matches involving Chilean players in Chile.[53]

In October 2017, Fox Sports announced that it acquired the long-term exclusive Spanish-language rights to Tijuana and Santos Laguna home matches in the United States, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America starting in the Apertura 2018 and Apertura 2019 respectively, thus ending Univision's monopoly.[54] The matches air on Fox Sports in the United States (via Fox Deportes) and the rest of Latin America (including Mexico and excluding Brazil).[54]

On May 26, 2018, Fox Sports announced it acquired the rights of C.F. Monterrey's home matches in the United States and Latin America.[55] The network announced the matches would be shown in the United States on Fox Deportes in Spanish as well as the Fox Sports family of networks in English.[55]

As of the Apertura 2019 season, via a sublicense agreement with Univision, ESPN Deportes airs the majority of León, Necaxa, Pachuca, Querétaro, and UANL regular season home matches in the United States. The network also airs at least one home match of nine other clubs.[56] Televisa also sublicenses one match per week to ESPN in Mexico and Central America.[57]

In Brazil, DAZN broadcast the league for two seasons 2019–20 and 2020–21.[58]

On 15 July 2021, OneFootball announced it would broadcast between two and five live matches as part of a deal covering the 2021/22 Liga MX season in selected international markets.[59]

On 16 August 2021, Eleven Sports announced it would broadcast the home Liga MX matches of C.D. Guadalajara for the 2021-22 season in more than 100 countries.[60]

Broadcast rights

[edit]
Team Television Streaming
Mexico[61] United States[62][63][64][65][66][67] Mexico United States
América Televisa Univision
CBS Sports[Note 7]		 Vix
Atlas
Atlético San Luis ESPN Disney+ Vix
Cruz Azul Televisa Vix
Guadalajara None[Note 1] Fox Sports[Note 6]
NBCUniversal[Note 3]		 Chivas TV
Prime Video[Note 1]		 Peacock
Juárez Fox
TV Azteca		 Estrella TV
Fox Sports[Note 2]
NBCUniversal[Note 3]		 Tubi Estrella TV[Note 4]
Tubi
León Fox Univision
CBS Sports		 Tubi Vix
Mazatlán Fox
TV Azteca		 TV Azteca Digital
Tubi		 Vix
Monterrey Televisa Vix
Necaxa Claro
Televisa
TV Azteca		 Claro
Vix		 Vix
Pachuca Fox Tubi Vix
Puebla Fox
TV Azteca		 TV Azteca Digital
Tubi		 Vix
Querétaro Fox Tubi Vix
Santos Laguna Televisa Vix
Tijuana Fox Tubi Vix
Toluca Televisa
TV Azteca
Fox		 Tubi
Vix		 Vix
UANL Fox
TV Azteca		 Estrella TV
Fox Sports
NBCUniversal[Note 2]		 Tubi Estrella TV[Note 4]
UNAM Televisa Univision
CBS Sports		 Vix
  1. ^
    Guadalajara home matches in Mexico are not shown on over-the-air television or cable and satellite operators, instead they exclusively are shown on an internet streaming service called Chivas TV. The service is also available on Prime Video as a Prime Video channel.
  2. ^
    Matches are shown on Fox Deportes in Spanish as well as the Fox Sports family of networks (FS1, FS2, Fox Soccer Plus) in English.
  3. ^
    Matches air on the NBCUniversal family of networks (Telemundo and Universo).
  4. ^
    Estrella TV is available for streaming through various platforms, including Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi and the network's app.
  5. ^
    Select number of matches air on TV Azteca and Televisa's over-the-air networks.
  6. ^
    Matches only air on tape delay.
  7. ^
    Select matches air in English on CBS Sports Network or CBS Sports Golazo Network.

Sponsorship

[edit]
BBVA México is the league's current title sponsor after the 2019 rebranding of BBVA Bancomer.

Up until its rebranding in 2012, Liga MX did not have a title sponsor. In July 2013, league president Decio de María announced BBVA Bancomer as the official sponsor, with the goal of modernizing the league's image. De María also stated that the money generated from the sponsorship would be divided among the 18 clubs and to be invested in each club's youth teams.[68] On 18 September 2015, the sponsorship deal was extended until 2019.[69] On 18 June 2019, the league was renamed as Liga BBVA MX, adopting the new identity of the sponsor.[70] On 4 July 2019, the sponsorship contract with BBVA was renewed until 2021.[71]

Since 1986, Voit has been the official match ball manufacturer. In 2014, the contract was extended for four years.[72]

Managers

[edit]

Current managers of Liga MX clubs:

Manager Club Appointed Time as manager
Brazil André Jardine América 16 June 2023 2 years, 204 days
Argentina Antonio Mohamed Toluca 11 December 2024 1 year, 26 days
Argentina Guido Pizarro UANL 2 March 2025 310 days
Mexico Efraín Juárez UNAM 2 March 2025 310 days
Uruguay Sebastián Abreu Tijuana 30 April 2025 251 days
Spain Francisco Rodríguez Santos Laguna 10 May 2025 241 days
Spain Domènec Torrent Monterrey 21 May 2025 230 days
Argentina Gabriel Milito Guadalajara 26 May 2025 225 days
Spain Guillermo Abascal Atlético San Luis 30 May 2025 221 days
Argentina Nicolás Larcamón Cruz Azul 16 June 2025 204 days
Argentina Diego Cocca Atlas 12 August 2025 147 days
Mexico Ignacio Ambríz León 29 September 2025 99 days
Argentina Esteban Solari Pachuca 14 November 2025 53 days
Spain Albert Espigares Puebla 20 November 2025 47 days
Portugal Pedro Caixinha Juárez 4 December 2025 33 days
Chile Esteban González Querétaro 6 December 2025 31 days
Uruguay Martín Varini Necaxa 8 December 2025 29 days
Mexico Christian Ramírez Mazatlán 12 December 2025 25 days

Player records

[edit]

Top appearances

[edit]
Rank Player Years Apps
1 Mexico Óscar Pérez 1993–2019 741
2 Mexico Oswaldo Sánchez 1993–2014 725
3 Mexico Benjamín Galindo 1979–2001 700
4 Mexico Juan Pablo Rodríguez 1997–2018 685
5 Mexico Jesús Corona 2002–2025 682
6 Chile Rodrigo Ruiz 1994–2013 638
7 Mexico Adolfo Ríos 1985–2004 635
8 Mexico Miguel España 1983–2003 631
9 Mexico Julio César Domínguez 2006–2025 616
10 Mexico Alfonso Sosa 1985–2004 610
Notes
  • Italic — players still playing professional football.
  • Bold — players still playing in Liga MX.

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Years Goals Apps Ratio
1 Brazil Evanivaldo Castro 1974–1987 312 427 0.73
2 Mexico Carlos Hermosillo 1984–2001 294 534 0.55
3 Mexico Jared Borgetti 1994–2010 252 475 0.63
4 Paraguay José Cardozo 1994–2005 249 332 0.75
5 Mexico Horacio Casarín 1936–1957 238 326 0.73
6 Chile Osvaldo Castro 1971–1984 214 398 0.54
7 Mexico Luís Roberto Alves 1986–2003 209 577 0.36
8 Mexico Adalberto López 1942–1955 201 231 0.87
9 Brazil Carlos Eloir Perucci 1972–1984 199 398 0.5
10 France André-Pierre Gignac 2015–2025 192 355 0.54
Notes
  • Italic — players still playing professional football.
  • Bold — players still playing in Liga MX.

Promotion and relegation

[edit]
Club Promoted to top division Relegated to second level division
Zacatepec 5
(1950–51, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1983–84)		 5
(1961–62, 1965–66, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85)
Pachuca 4
(1966–67, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98)		 3
(1972–73, 1992–93, 1996–97)
Irapuato 4
(1953–54, 1984–85, 1999–00, 2002–03)		 2
(1971–72, 1990–91)
San Luis1 4
(1970–71, 1975–76, 2001–02, 2004–05)		 2
(1973–74, 2003–04)
Atlas 3
(1954–55, 1971–72, 1978–79)		 3
(1953–54, 1970–71, 1977–78)
Unión de Curtidores1 3
(1974–75, 1982–83, 1998–992)		 2
(1980–81, 1983–84)
La Piedad 3
(1951–52, 2000–01, 2012–133)		 1
(1952–53)
Veracruz1 2
(1963–64, 2001–02)		 5
(1951–52, 1978–79, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2018–194)
Atlante 2
(1976–77, 1990–91)		 3
(1975–76, 1989–90, 2013–14)
Querétaro 2
(2005–06, 2008–09)		 3
(1993–94, 2006–07, 2012–135)
Zamora 2
(1954–55, 1956–57)		 2
(1955–56, 1959–60)
Ciudad Madero1 2
(1964–65, 1972–73)		 2
(1966–67, 1974–75)
Cobras1 2
(1985–86, 1987–88)		 2
(1986–87, 1991–92)
León 2
(1989–90, 2011–12)		 2
(1986–87, 2001–02)
Sinaloa 2
(2003–04, 2014–15)		 2
(2005–06, 2015–16)
Necaxa 2
(2009–10, 2015–16)		 2
(2008–09, 2010–11)
Monterrey 2
(1955–56,1959–60)		 1
(1956–57)
Morelia 2
(1956–57, 1980–81)		 1
(1967–68)
Celaya 2
(1957–58, 1994–95)		 1
(1960–61)
UANL 2
(1973–74, 1996–97)		 1
(1995–96)
Tampico1 1
(1958–59)		 3
(1957–58, 1962–63, 1981–82)
UAT 1
(1986–87)		 2
(1987–88, 1994–95)
Puebla 1
(2006–07)		 2
(1998–992, 2004–05)
Cuautla1 1
(1954–55)		 1
(1958–59)
Nacional 1
(1960–61)		 1
(1964–65)
Nuevo León1 1
(1965–66)		 1
(1968–69)
Atlético Potosino1 1
(1973-74)		 1
(1988–89)
Tecos 1
(1974–75)		 1
(2011–12)
Toros Neza 1
(1992–93)		 1
(1999–00)
Tampico Madero 1
(1993–94)		 1
(1994–95)
Indios de Ciudad Juárez1 1
(2007–08)		 1
(2009–10)
UdeG 1
(2013–14)		 1
(2014–15)
BUAP1 1
(2016–17)		 1
(2017–184)
Toluca 1
(1952–53)		 —
UNAM 1
(1961–62)		 —
Cruz Azul 1
(1963–64)		 —
Laguna1 1
(1967–68)		 —
Torreón1 1
(1968–69)		 —
Atletas Campesinos1 1
(1979–80)		 —
Oaxtepec1 1
(1981–82)		 —
Potros Neza1 1
(1988-896)		 —
Tijuana 1
(2010–11)		 —
Atlético San Luis 1
(2018–19)		 —
Tapachula1 1
(2017–187)		 —
San Sebastián1 — 1
(1950–51)
Marte1 — 1
(1954–55)
Jalisco — 1
(1979–80)
Cuernavaca1 — 1
(2002–03)
Chiapas — 1
(2016–17)
Notes
  1. Defunct clubs.
  2. Unión de Curtidores was bought by Puebla to remain in top division.
  3. La Piedad was bought by Veracruz, taking its spot in top division.
  4. Veracruz and Lobos BUAP remained in top division by paying a fine of 120 million pesos.
  5. Querétaro remained in top division by acquiring the Jaguares de Chiapas franchise.
  6. Potros Neza was bought by Veracruz, taking its spot in top division.
  7. Tapachula did not obtain certification for promotion.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ includes Claro Sports
  2. ^ includes ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPN+, and Disney+.
  3. ^ Games are produced and streamed by Fox Deportes through Tubi
  4. ^ Includes Canal 5, Nueve, Las Estrellas, Sky Sports, Vix, TUDN and Izzi Telecom.
  5. ^ includes Azteca 7 and Azteca Uno
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  8. ^ "The strongest Leagues in the World in the first Decade of 21st Century". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
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  10. ^ Shea, Bill (9 February 2023). "What could top the Super Bowl on U.S. TV? Soccer, aliens and not much else". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023. Major League Soccer ranks third in U.S. soccer viewership after the Premier League and Mexico's top-flight Liga MX, leagues that have much longer histories.
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[edit]

Media related to Liga MX at Wikimedia Commons

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