Liga MX

Association football league in Mexico

Football league

Liga MX

Organising body| Mexican Football Federation
Founded| 1943; 81 years ago (1943), as Primera División
Country| Mexico
Confederation| CONCACAF
Number of teams| 18
Level on pyramid| 1
Domestic cup(s)|

* Copa MX
* Campeón de Campeones

International cup(s)|

* CONCACAF Champions Cup
* Leagues Cup
* Campeones Cup

Current champions| América
(15th title)
(Clausura 2024)
Most championships| América
(15 titles)
Most appearances| Óscar Pérez (745)
Top goalscorer| Evanivaldo Castro (312)
TV partners| Domestic
Claro[1]
ESPN[2]
Fox Sports[3]
Televisa[4]
TV Azteca[5]
International
OneFootball (Selected matches in selected markets outside of Mexico)
Website| www.ligamx.net
Current: Apertura 2024

The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons,[6] is the top professional football division in Mexico. Formerly known as the Primera División de México (Mexican First Division), it is contested by 18 clubs and is divided into two tournaments – "Apertura" and "Clausura"– which typically run from July to December (the former) and January to May (the latter). The champion of each tournament is decided via a playoff ("Liguilla") system. Since 2020, promotion and relegation has been suspended, which is to last until 2026.

The league currently ranks first in CONCACAF's league ranking index.[7] According to the IFFHS, the 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, behind only the National Football League and Major League Baseball. It is also the fourth most attended football league in the world behind Germany's Bundesliga, England's Premier League and Spain's La Liga.[9] The Liga MX ranks second in terms of television viewership in the United States, behind the English Premier League.[10]

Club América have won the league a record of 15 times, followed by Guadalajara with 12 titles.[11] In all, twenty-four teams have won the Primera División/Liga MX title at least once.[11]

## History

[edit]

### Amateur era

[edit]

Prior to the Liga Mayor, there was no national football league in Mexico, and football competitions were held within relatively small geographical regions. The winners of the Primera Fuerza, a local league consisting of teams near and around Mexico City, was regarded as the then national competition although there were other regional leagues, such as in Veracruz, Liga Amateur de Puebla the Jalisco and the Liga Amateur del Bajío that had talented clubs. 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 Mexico. The professional national league was established in 1943.[12]

### Professional era

[edit]

The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación (F.M.F.) announcement of the nation's first professional league brought interest from many clubs to join. The F.M.F. announced that 10 clubs would form the Liga Mayor (Major League). The league was founded by six clubs from the Primera Fuerza of Mexico City, two clubs from the Liga Occidental, and two from the Liga Veracruzana.

#### Founding members

[edit]

Club Asturias in 1927.

Primera Fuerza: América, Asturias, Atlante, Veracruz, Necaxa, and Marte.
Liga Occidental de Jalisco: Atlas and Guadalajara.
Liga Amateur de Veracruz: ADO and Moctezuma.

#### Reformation

[edit]

Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, many small clubs faced economic difficulties which were attributed to the lack of international competition by Mexico's clubs and an unrewarding league format. Consequently, teams 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 Mexican league boom

[edit]

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 F.M.F. changed the league format and established a playoff phase to determine the national champion. This was done to regenerate interest and reward teams that placed fairly high in the standings.

The play-off, called the Liguilla, was played using various formats to determine the champion. 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 play-offs and in some seasons the play-offs 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 play-offs (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 Mexican Football Federation as the organizing body of the competition. The league also announced a rebranding, with the introduction of a new logo.[13]

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

## Competition format

[edit]

### Regular season tournaments

[edit]

Liga MX Trophy

Liga MX uses a single table of 18 teams that play two annual tournaments (Apertura & Clausura) resulting in two champions per season. The season opens with the apertura tournament (opening tournament- running from July to December) followed by the clausura (closing – running 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 12 teams advance to the liguilla for each tournament, with the top 4 teams in the table at the end of the regular phase of the tournament qualifying directly to the liguilla, and the next 8 teams qualifying for the play-in round that determines the next 4 liguilla spots. If one team is in last place in the league's relegation table (see below), that team is replaced by the team that finished 13th in the tournament.

From 1996 to 2002, the league followed a two-tournament schedule with invierno (winter) and verano (summer) tournaments. From 2002 to 2011 the 18 teams were divided into three groups of six with the top two teams from each group and the two best third place teams qualified for the liguilla. The teams played in the same group for each tournament. The qualification phase of the tournament lasted 17 weeks, with all teams playing each other once per tournament in a home and away series over both tournaments.

### Playoffs (liguilla)

[edit]

The liguilla (Spanish for "little league") is the play-off phase of the tournament. This phase starts with the qualifying round, with teams ranked 7–10 playing a single match hosted by the higher seed with the winner decided on the night. After this round, the two teams that have won the round, advance to the quarterfinals against the 2 best teams, while the 3 v. 6 and 4 v. 5 play in two more matchups, with the winner on aggregate score progressing. The Champion team is awarded the First division trophy, and the runner-up is awarded a smaller version of the trophy. The birth of La 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.

### Relegation

[edit]

Originally at the end of a season, after the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, one team is relegated to the next lower division, Ascenso MX, and one team from that division is promoted and takes the place left open by the relegated team. Currently, the relegated team is determined by computing the points-per-game-played ratio for each team, considering all the games played by the team during the last three seasons (six tournaments). The team with the lowest ratio is relegated; if the team that is in last place in the relegation table is among the 12 teams qualifying for the Liguilla at the end of the Clausura tournament, the 13th place team qualifies for the Liguilla instead. For teams recently promoted, only the games played since their promotion are considered (two or four tournaments). The team promoted from Ascenso MX is the winner of a two-leg match between the champions of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments of that division. If a team becomes the champion 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 team wins promotion but does not meet certain Liga MX requirements (e.g. stadium infrastructure and a youth team) the relegated Liga MX team of that season will be obligated to pay the prize money to the Ascenso MX team (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,[16] and the relegated Liga MX team will remain in the first division. However, if the relegated Liga MX team cannot distribute the prize money to the promoted Ascenso MX team, both teams will lose their right to play in Liga MX and must play in Ascenso MX the following season.[17]

As of the 2018–19 season, only six teams met the full requirements to be promoted to Liga MX, those teams being Atlético San Luis, Atlante, Celaya, Juárez, Sinaloa, and UdeG.[18]

On April 16, 2020, the Ascenso MX, the 2nd division of the Mexican football league system, was folded due to the 2019–20 coronavirus 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.[19][20] During the suspension, the Ascenso MX was replaced with the Liga de Expansión MX although no club from that league will be promoted to the Liga MX nor any Liga MX team that performs poorly will be relegated from the Liga MX for the time being.[21]

### CONCACAF Champions Cup qualification

[edit]

Each year, at least six teams from Liga MX qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the premier North American 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 winners and runners-up, as well as the next best two teams 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 teams should one or more teams reach the finals of both tournaments, devised when Liga MX sent 4 teams to North America's top club competition:[22]

* If the same two teams qualified for the finals of both tournaments, those two teams will qualify along with the non-finalists with the best record in both the Apertura and Clausura.
* If the same team wins both the Apertura and the Clausura (facing two different teams 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 2022 Clausura champions), Pachuca (2022 Clausura runners-up) and León (2021 Apertura runners-up) were placed in Pot 1, while UANL (non-finalists with the best record in the 2022 Clausura) 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 teams 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 (2011 Apertura champions) and Santos Laguna (2011 Apertura runners-up and 2012 Clausura champions) were placed in Pot A, while Guadalajara (non-finalists with the best record in the 2011 Apertura) and Monterrey (2012 Clausura 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 of the Clausura (facing two different teams 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 teams to the Champions Cup (Again, Liga MX can send a maximum of nine teams if three Liga MX teams all hold the top three spots in Leagues Cup), these rules still generally apply, although if a team qualifies for the Champions Cup via Liga MX and the Leagues Cup, the spot is given to the next best team in the aggregate table. If a team is the highest ranked tournament champion 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]

* Campeonato Centroamericano (1959)
* Copa Interamericana (1968–1991)
* CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup (1991–1998)
* CONCACAF Giants Cup (2001)
* InterLiga (2004–2010)
* Copa Sudamericana (2005–2008)
* SuperLiga (2007–2010)
* Copa Libertadores (1998–2015)

## Clubs and champions

[edit]

Main article: List of football clubs in Mexico

### 2023–24 season

[edit]

The following 18 clubs will compete in the Liga MX during the 2023–24 season.

Team  | Position in
2023–24 | First season in
top division  | Seasons
in top
division  | First season of
current spell in
top division  | Consecutive
Seasons
in Liga MX  | Top
division
titles  | Last top
division title

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

América | 1 | 1943–44 | 108 | 1943–44 | 108 | 15 | Clausura 2024
Atlas | 17 | 1943–44 | 105 | 1979–80 | 71 | 3 | Clausura 2022
Atlético San Luis | 12 | 2019–20 | 7 | 2019–20 | 7 | 0 | \-
Cruz Azul | 8 | 1964–65 | 87 | 1964–65 | 87 | 9 | Guardianes 2021
Guadalajara | 4 | 1943–44 | 108 | 1943–44 | 108 | 12 | Clausura 2017
Juárez | 16 | 2019–20 | 7 | 2019–20 | 7 | 0 | \-
León | 9 | 1944–45 | 84 | 2012–13 | 21 | 8 | Guardianes 2020
Mazatlán | 14 | 2020–21 | 5 | 2020–21 | 5 | 0 | \-
Monterrey | 2 | 1945–46 | 93 | 1960–61 | 91 | 5 | Apertura 2019
Necaxa | 11 | 1951–52 | 78 | 2016–17 | 13 | 3 | Invierno 1998
Pachuca | 7 | 1967–68 | 59 | 1998–99 | 49 | 7 | Apertura 2022
Puebla | 18 | 1944–45 | 88 | 2007–08 | 31 | 2 | 1989–90
Querétaro | 10 | 1990–91 | 37 | 2009–10 | 27 | 0 | \-
Santos Laguna | 13 | 1988–89 | 61 | 1988–89 | 61 | 6 | Clausura 2018
Tijuana | 15 | 2011–12 | 23 | 2011–12 | 23 | 1 | Apertura 2012
Toluca | 6 | 1953–54 | 98 | 1953–54 | 98 | 10 | Bicentenario 2010
UANL | 3 | 1974–75 | 74 | 1997–98 | 51 | 8 | Clausura 2023
UNAM | 5 | 1962–63 | 89 | 1962–63 | 89 | 7 | Clausura 2011

### Champions

[edit]

See also: List of Mexican football champions

Bold indicates clubs currently playing in Liga MX.

Club  | Winners  | Runners-up  | Winning years

|
|
|

América | 15  | 10  | 1965–66, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1983–84, 1984–85, Prode '85, 1987–88, 1988–89, Verano 2002, Clausura 2005, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2014, Apertura 2018, Apertura 2023, Clausura 2024
Guadalajara | 12  | 9  | 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 | 10  | 8  | 1966–67, 1967–68, 1974–75, Verano 1998, Verano 1999, Verano 2000, Apertura 2002, Apertura 2005, Apertura 2008, Bicentenario 2010
Cruz Azul | 9  | 12  | 1968–69, Mexico '70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021
León | 8  | 7  | 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1991–92, Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014, Guardianes 2020
UANL | 8  | 6  | 1977–78, 1981–82, Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2019, Clausura 2023
UNAM | 7  | 8  | 1976–77, 1980–81, 1990–91, Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2009, Clausura 2011
Pachuca | 7  | 3  | Invierno 1999, Invierno 2001, Apertura 2003, Clausura 2006, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2016, Apertura 2022
Santos Laguna | 6  | 5  | Invierno 1996, Verano 2001, Clausura 2008, Clausura 2012, Clausura 2015, Clausura 2018
Monterrey | 5  | 6  | Mexico '86, Clausura 2003, Apertura 2009, Apertura 2010, Apertura 2019
Atlante | 3  | 4  | 1946–47, 1992–93, Apertura 2007
Necaxa | 3  | 3  | 1994–95, 1995–96, Invierno 1998
Atlas | 3  | 3  | 1950–51, Apertura 2021, Clausura 2022
Puebla | 2  | 2  | 1982–83, 1989–90
Zacatepec | 2  | 1  | 1954–55, 1957–58
Veracruz | 2  | 0  | 1945–46, 1949–50
Oro | 1  | 5  | 1962–63
Morelia | 1  | 3  | Invierno 2000
Tampico | 1  | 2  | 1952–53
Tecos | 1  | 1  | 1993–94
Real España | 1  | 1  | 1944–45
Tijuana | 1  | 0  | Apertura 2012
Asturias | 1  | 0  | 1943–44
Marte | 1  | 0  | 1953–54

## Stadiums and locations

[edit]

Guadalajara
Atlas

Atl. San Luis

León

UANL
Monterrey

Mazatlán

Necaxa

Pachuca

Puebla

Juárez

Querétaro

Santos Laguna

Tijuana

Toluca

Mexico City

class=notpageimage|

Location of the 2023–24 Liga MX teams

América
Cruz Azul

UNAM

class=notpageimage|

Location of the 2022–23 Liga MX teams in Greater Mexico City

Club  | Location  | Stadium  | Capacity  | Ref

|
|
|
|

América | Mexico City | Azteca | 87,523  | [23]
Atlas | Guadalajara | Jalisco | 56,713  | [24]
Atlético San Luis | San Luis Potosí City | Alfonso Lastras | 25,111  |
Cruz Azul | Mexico City | Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes | 33,000  | [23]
Guadalajara | Zapopan | Akron | 45,364  | [25]
Juárez | Ciudad Juárez | Olímpico Benito Juárez | 19,703  | [26]
León | León | León | 31,297  | [27]
Mazatlán | Mazatlán | Mazatlán | 25,000  | [28]
Monterrey | Guadalupe | BBVA | 53,500  | [29]
Necaxa | Aguascalientes City | Victoria | 25,500  | [30]
Pachuca | Pachuca | Hidalgo | 30,000  | [31]
Puebla | Puebla City | Cuauhtémoc | 51,726  | [32]
Querétaro | Querétaro City | Corregidora | 33,162  | [33]
Santos Laguna | Torreón | Corona | 30,000  | [34]
Tijuana | Tijuana | Caliente | 27,333  | [35]
Toluca | Toluca | Nemesio Díez | 30,000  | [36]
UANL | San Nicolás de los Garza | Universitario | 42,000  | [37]
UNAM | Mexico City | Olímpico Universitario | 72,000  | [38][39]

## Media coverage

[edit]

All First Division 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.[40] 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).[41]

Telelatino and Fox Sports World formerly hold broadcasting rights in Canada. From 2019–20 until 2021–22, OneSoccer broadcast the league for Canada viewers.[42][43]

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.[44]

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.[45]

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.[46] The matches air on Fox Sports in the United States (via Fox Deportes) and the rest of Latin America (including Mexico and excluding Brazil).[46]

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.[47] 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.[47]

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.[48] Televisa also sublicenses one match per week to ESPN in Mexico and Central America.[49]

In Brazil, DAZN broadcast the league for two seasons 2019–20 and 2020–21.[50]

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.[51]

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.[52]

### Broadcast rights

[edit]

Team  | Television  | Streaming

|
|

Mexico[53] | United States[54][55][56][57] | Mexico  | United States
América | Televisa | Univision | Vix
Atlas | Televisa
Atlético San Luis | ESPN | Disney+ | Vix
Cruz Azul | Televisa | Vix
Guadalajara | None[Note 1] | Telemundo | Chivas TV
Prime Video[Note 1] | Peacock
Juárez | Fox Sports | Fox Sports[Note 2] | Fox Sports Premium
Vix | Tubi
Vix
León | Fox Sports | Univision | Fox Sports Premium
Vix | Vix
Mazatlán | Fox Sports
TV Azteca | Vix
Monterrey | Televisa
Necaxa
Pachuca | Fox Sports | Fox Sports Premium
Vix | Vix
Puebla | Fox Sports
TV Azteca | Vix
Querétaro | Caliente TV | Caliente TV | Vix
Santos Laguna | Televisa | Univision | Vix | Vix
Tijuana | Caliente TV | Univision | Caliente TV | Vix
Toluca | Televisa | Vix
UANL | TV Azteca | Estrella TV
Fox Sports[Note 2] | Estrella TV | Estrella TV
UNAM | Televisa | Univision | Vix | 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. ^

Select matches air exclusively on Izzi and a select number of matches air on TV Azteca and Televisa's over-the-air networks.

## Sponsorship

[edit]

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

Up until its rebranding in 2012, the 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.[58] On 18 September 2015, the sponsorship deal was extended until 2019.[59] On 18 June 2019, the league was renamed as Liga BBVA MX, adopting the new identity of the sponsor.[60] On 4 July 2019, the sponsorship contract with BBVA was renewed until 2021.[61]

Since 1986, Voit has been the official match ball manufacturer. In 2014, the contract was extended for four years.[62]

## Managers

[edit]

The current managers in the Liga MX are:

Nat.  | Name  | Team  | Appointed  | Time as manager

|
|
|
|

| Guillermo Almada | Pachuca | 2 December 2021 | 2 years, 233 days
| Mauro Gerk | Querétaro | 30 May 2022 | 2 years, 53 days
| Fernando Ortiz | Monterrey | 29 May 2023 | 1 year, 54 days
| André Jardine | América | 16 June 2023 | 1 year, 36 days
| Eduardo Fentanes | Necaxa | 5 September 2023 | 321 days
| Beñat San José | Atlas | 24 November 2023 | 241 days
| Renato Paiva | Toluca | 1 December 2023 | 234 days
| Gustavo Lema | UNAM | 12 December 2023 | 223 days
| Fernando Gago | Guadalajara | 20 December 2023 | 215 days
| Martín Anselmi | Cruz Azul | 20 December 2023 | 215 days
| Jorge Bava | León | 21 December 2023 | 214 days
| Maurício Barbieri | Juárez | 8 February 2024 | 165 days
| Ignacio Ambríz | Santos Laguna | 12 February 2024 | 161 days
| Víctor Manuel Vucetich | Mazatlán | 7 May 2024 | 76 days
| Domènec Torrent | Atlético San Luis | 15 May 2024 | 68 days
| José Manuel de la Torre | Puebla | 22 May 2024 | 61 days
| Juan Carlos Osorio | Tijuana | 24 May 2024 | 59 days
| Veljko Paunović | UANL | 9 June 2024 | 43 days

## Player records

[edit]

### Most appearances

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Appearances

|
|

1  |  Óscar Pérez | 741
2  |  Oswaldo Sánchez | 725
3  |  Benjamín Galindo | 700
4  |  Juan Pablo Rodríguez | 685
5  |  Jesús Corona | 670
6  |  Rodrigo Ruiz | 638
7  |  Adolfo Ríos | 635
8  |  Miguel España | 631
9  |  Alfonso Sosa | 610
10  |  Cristóbal Ortega | 609
Italics denotes players still playing professional football.
Bold denotes players still playing in the Liga MX.

### Most goals

[edit]

Rank  | Nat  | Name  | Years  | Goals  | Apps  | Ratio

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  | Evanivaldo Castro | 1974–1987 | 312 | 427 | 0.73
2  |  | Carlos Hermosillo | 1984–2001 | 294 | 534 | 0.55
3  |  | Jared Borgetti | 1994–2010 | 252 | 475 | 0.63
4  |  | José Cardozo | 1994–2005 | 249 | 332 | 0.75
5  |  | Horacio Casarín | 1936–1957 | 238 | 326 | 0.73
6  |  | Osvaldo Castro | 1971–1984 | 214 | 398 | 0.54
7  |  | Luís Roberto Alves | 1986–2003 | 209 | 577 | 0.36
8  |  | Adalberto López | 1942–1955 | 201 | 231 | 0.87
9  |  | Carlos Eloir Perucci | 1972–1984 | 199 | 398 | 0.5
10  |  | Sergio Lira  | 1978–1996 | 191 | 564 | 0.34
Italics denotes players still playing professional football.
Bold denotes players still playing in the Liga MX.

## Promotion and relegation

[edit]

Relegation and Promotion by Club Club  | Promotions  | Relegations

|
|

Zacatepec | 5 (1950–51, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1983–84) | 5 (1961–62, 1965–66, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85)
Querétaro | 4 (México '86, 1989–90, 2005–06, 2009–10) | 3 (1993–94, 2006–07, 2012–13*)
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)
Atlas | 3 (1954–55, 1971–72, 1978–79) | 3 (1953–54, 1970–71, 1977–78)
San Luis | 3 (1970–71, 2001–02, 2004–05) | 2 (1973–74, 2002–03)
Puebla | 3 (1969–70, 1998–99, 2006–07) | 2 (1998–99, 2004–05)
Unión de Curtidores | 2 (1982–83, 1998–99*) | 2 (1980–81, 1983–84)
Veracruz | 2 (1963–64, 2001–02) | 5 (1951–52, 1978–79, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2018–19)
Real Zamora | 2 (1954–55, 1956–57) | 2 (1955–56, 1959–60)
Tampico Madero | 2 (1964–65, 1972–73) | 2 (1966–67, 1974–75)
Atlante | 2 (1976–77, 1990–91) | 3 (1975–76, 1989–90, 2013–14)
Monterrey | 2 (1955–56,1959–60) | 1 (1956–57)
Morelia | 2 (1956–57, 1980–81) | 1 (1967–68)
UANL | 2 (1973–74, 1996–97*) | 1 (1995–96)
León | 2 (1989–90, 2011–12) | 2 (1986–87, 2001–02)
Sinaloa | 2 (2003–04, 2014–15) | 2 (2005–06, 2015–16)
La Piedad | 2 (2000–01, 2012–13*) | —
Necaxa | 2 (2009–10*, 2015–16) | 2 (2008–09, 2010–11)
UAT | 1 (1986–87) | 1 (1994–95)
Atlético Potosino | 1 (1974–75) | 1 (1988–89)
Indios de Ciudad Juárez | 1 (2007–08) | 1 (2009–10)
Toros Neza | 1 (1988–89) | 1 (1999–00)
Tecos | 1 (1974–75) | 1 (2011–12)
Tijuana | 1 (2010–11) | —
UdeG | 1 (2013–14) | 1 (2014–15)
BUAP | 1 (2016–17) | 1 (2017–18*)
Oro | — | 1 (1979–80)
Chiapas | — | 1 (2016–17)
Tapachula | 1 (2017–18*) | —
Atlético San Luis | 1 (2018–19*) | —

Notes:

* 1976–77: Tampico Madero bought San Luis's spot in first division.
* 1977–78: Deportivo Neza bought San Isidro Laguna and took its spot.
* 1981–82: Tampico Madero bought Atletas Campesinos and took over its spot.
* 1983–84: Ángeles de Puebla bought Oaxtepec and took over its spot.
* 1988–89: C.D. Veracruz bought Potros Neza and took over its spot.
* 1992–93: U.T. Neza changes its name to Toros Neza.
* 1996–97: UANL gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.
* 1998–99: Puebla bought Unión de Curtidores and took over its spot.
* 1999–00: Irapuato gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.
* 2009–10: Necaxa gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.
* 2012–13: Chiapas relocated to Querétaro rebranding to Querétaro.
* 2012–13: C.D. Veracruz bought Reboceros de La Piedad's spot in first division.
* 2017–18: Tapachula won promotion to Liga MX, but were not certified to be promoted to Liga MX.
* 2018–19: Atlético San Luis gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.

## See also

[edit]

* Liga de Expansión MX
* Ascenso MX
* Campeón de Campeones (Super Cup)
* Copa MX
* Football in Mexico
* Primera Fuerza
* Liga Amateur de Veracruz
* Liga MX Femenil
* Liga Occidental De Jalisco
* Liga Premier
* List of foreign Liga MX players
* Mexican Football Federation
* Sport in Mexico
* Tercera División de México

## References

[edit]

1. ^ includes Claro Sports
2. ^ includes ESPN 2
3. ^ includes Fox Sports 2
4. ^ Includes Canal 5, Nueve, Las Estrellas, Sky México, TUDN and Izzi Telecom
5. ^ includes Azteca 7 and Azteca Uno
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35. ^ "Estrenará "Caliente" capacidad el viernes". el-mexicano.com.mx. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
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37. ^ "Estadio Universitario". tigres.com.mx. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
38. ^ "Estadio Olímpico Universitario". pumas.mx. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
39. ^ "Liga MX - Página Oficial de la Liga del Fútbol Profesional en México .: Bienvenido". Liga MX / Ascenso MX. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
40. ^ "Carlos Slim And Multi-Ownership In Mexico". businessofsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
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42. ^ "Mediapro Canada extends LigaMX rights". Mediapro. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
43. ^ "OneSoccer To Stream LigaMX". Northern Tribune. 2019-07-11. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
44. ^ "Liga MX to air live on Facebook in English". ESPN.com. February 13, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
45. ^ "Liga MX se verá por televisión abierta chilena". Archived from the original on 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
46. ^ a b "FOX Deportes Adds Liga MX to Soccer Lineup". Foxsports.com. October 24, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
47. ^ a b "FOX Sports Latin America adquiere derechos de Rayados de Monterrey". Archived from the original on 2018-05-27. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
48. ^ Gabriela Nuñez (October 20, 2016). "Liga MX Returns to ESPN Deportes TV". espnpressroom.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
49. ^ Sutcliffe, John [@espnsutcliffe] (28 July 2019). "@SergioChecko @PumasMX @ClubNecaxa @Televisa nos está dando un ju3go x semana" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 December 2020 - via Twitter.
50. ^ "DAZN FECHA ACORDO E TRANSMITIRÁ A LIGA MEXICANA DE FUTEBOL". DAZN Media Centre (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2019-10-03. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
51. ^ "Liga MX gets OneFootball global streaming deal". sportspro.com. July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
52. ^ Martin Ross (August 16, 2021). "Eleven secures multi-territory streaming rights to Chivas matches". Sportbusiness.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
53. ^ "CALENDARIO DE PARTIDOS" (PDF). S3.amazonaws.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
54. ^ "Univision's TUDN Announces Unparalleled Multi-Platform Coverage for Liga MX's 2021 Apertura". Corporate.uinivision.com. July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
55. ^ "Cómo ver la Liga MX en ESPN+ a partir de este sábado". ESPNdeportes.com. July 30, 2021. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
56. ^ "Chivas vs Atlas: How to watch live, stream link, TV channel". Soccer.nbcsports.com. October 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
57. ^ "Monterrey-Puebla and Tijuana-Tigres Open Torneo Apertura on FOX Deportes on Sunday". Foxsports.com. July 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
58. ^ "La Liga MX consiguió patrocinador". Fox Deportes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
59. ^ "Bancomer renueva patrocinio con la Liga MX" (in Spanish). Noticias MVS. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
60. ^ "Liga MX hace oficial su cambio de nombre y logo". Mediotiempo (in Spanish). 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
61. ^ Collazo, Jonathan (4 July 2019). "Liga MX y BBVA firman por 3 años más e integran a la Liga Femenil". Mediotiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
62. ^ "Renueva Voit patrocinio con Liga MX". Radio Fórmula. Grupo Fórmula. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Liga MX at Wikimedia Commons

* Official website (in Spanish)

* v
* t
* e

Liga MX

2024-25 clubs|

* América
* Atlas
* Atlético San Luis
* Cruz Azul
* Guadalajara
* Juárez
* León
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* Monterrey
* Necaxa
* Pachuca
* Puebla
* Querétaro
* Santos Laguna
* Tijuana
* Toluca
* UANL
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Former clubs|

* Ángeles de Puebla
* Atlante
* Atletas Campesinos
* Atlético Español
* Atlético Potosino
* BUAP
* Celaya
* Chiapas
* Cobras de Ciudad Juárez
* Cuernavaca
* Deportivo Neza
* Indios de Ciudad Juárez
* Irapuato
* La Piedad
* Morelia
* Nacional
* Oaxtepec
* Oro
* Real Zamora
* San Isidro Laguna
* San Luis
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* Tecos
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* UAT
* UdeG
* Unión de Curtidores
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Seasons|

* 1943–44
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* 1953–54
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* 1958–59
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* 1963–64
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* 1967–68
* 1968–69
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* 1970
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* 1974–75
* 1975–76
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* 1977–78
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* 1980–81
* 1981–82
* 1982–83
* 1983–84
* 1984–85
* 1985–86
* 1986–87
* 1987–88
* 1988–89
* 1989–90
* 1990–91
* 1991–92
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* 1995–96
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* 1997–98
* Winter 1998
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* Apertura 2002
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Competition|

* Final phase

Associated competitions|

* CONCACAF Champions Cup
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* v
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Football in Mexico

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* League system
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National teams|

| Men|

* National team
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|

Women|

* National team
* U-20
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League system|

| Men|

* Liga MX
* Liga de Expansión
* Liga Premier
* Liga TDP
* Liga de Balompié Mexicano
* Liga MXA Independiente

|

Women|

* Liga MX Femenil
* Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil

Domestic cups|

| Men|

* Campeón de Campeones
* Copa Conecta
* Copa Promesas MX
* Copa MX (defunct)
* Supercopa MX (defunct)
* Pre Libertadores Cup (defunct)
* InterLiga (defunct)

|

International|

* 1985 Ciudad de México Cup Tournament
* 1985 Azteca 2000 Tournament

Awards|

* Balón de Oro
* Top scorers

Lists|

* El Clásico
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* Men's players
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* Seasons

* v
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* e

Top-level men's football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

Current|

* Anguilla
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Non-recognized|

* Saint Barthélemy
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* † Associated members

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