Liga MX
In 1922, the first football federation in Mexico created the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza. This amateur league operated until 1943 and featured teams mostly from Mexico City. Regional leagues like the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association existed alongside it. Clubs near Veracruz, Puebla, Jalisco, and Bajío also formed their own local competitions. Many club owners wanted to stay amateur even while paying players under the table. The transition to a unified professional system took over two decades of regional fragmentation.
The inaugural professional season began in 1943, 44 with ten founding clubs. Asturias finished as the first champions in history. The league changed its name multiple times, starting as Liga Mayor (1943, 1949) then becoming Primera División de México (1949, 2012). A final phase called liguilla was introduced after the 1970 World Cup to determine national champions. From 1996 to 2002, the schedule used Invierno and Verano tournaments instead of Apertura and Clausura. Since 2012, each season splits into two short tournaments: Apertura runs July to December and Clausura runs January to May. The top ten clubs advance to the knockout phase for each tournament.
América holds sixteen titles, making them the most successful club in league history. Guadalajara and Toluca follow closely with twelve titles each. Cruz Azul has won nine championships while Tigres UANL and León have eight apiece. Twenty-four different clubs have claimed at least one title across 113 editions. América's winning years span from 1965, 66 through Apertura 2024. Guadalajara secured their last title in Clausura 2017. Toluca recently added Apertura 2025 to their collection. These three giants dominate a landscape where smaller clubs like Pachuca and Santos Laguna occasionally break through.
Originally, one club was relegated annually based on points-per-game ratios over three seasons. The system suspended promotion and relegation starting the 16th of April 2020 due to the pandemic. Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announced a six-year suspension during a video meeting with owners. The Ascenso MX division folded that same year. In May 2025, ten clubs from Liga de Expansión MX filed a lawsuit before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Six clubs remained after four dropped out. On the 4th of September 2025, the court ruled relegation would return for the 2026, 27 season. Clubs must now meet specific infrastructure requirements to avoid automatic demotion.
Televisa and TV Azteca historically held exclusive broadcasting rights across Mexico. Fox Sports acquired long-term Spanish-language rights for Tijuana and Santos Laguna matches starting in Apertura 2018. Univision Deportes began live streaming forty-six games in English on Facebook in February 2017. Club León matches moved to Fox Sports and online media sites after a 2012 dispute ended Televisa's monopoly. Guadalajara home matches were exclusively shown on Chivas TV until the 8th of April 2017. As of the 2021, 22 season, Eleven Sports broadcast Guadalajara matches in over one hundred countries. DAZN aired the league in Brazil for two seasons between 2019 and 2021.
The league averages twenty-five thousand five hundred fifty-seven spectators per match during the 2014, 15 season. UNAM's Olímpico Universitario stadium holds seventy-two thousand fans. Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara accommodates fifty-six thousand seven hundred thirteen people. América plays at Ciudad de los Deportes with thirty-four thousand two hundred fifty-three seats. Monterrey's BBVA stadium fits fifty-three thousand five hundred. The league draws the largest crowds on average of any football league in the Americas. It ranks third among professional sports leagues in North America by attendance figures. Saturday afternoon and evening matches often air on Gala TV or Canal de las Estrellas depending on the broadcaster.
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Common questions
When did the first football federation in Mexico create the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza?
The first football federation in Mexico created the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza in 1922. This amateur league operated until 1943 and featured teams mostly from Mexico City.
Who won the inaugural professional season of Liga MX in 1943?
Asturias finished as the first champions in history during the inaugural professional season that began in 1943. The league started with ten founding clubs and changed its name multiple times over the decades.
Which club holds the most titles in Liga MX history?
América holds sixteen titles, making them the most successful club in league history. Their winning years span from 1965 through Apertura 2024 while Guadalajara and Toluca follow closely with twelve titles each.
When will relegation return to Liga MX after the suspension announced by Enrique Bonilla?
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on the 4th of September 2025 that relegation would return for the 2026, 27 season. Clubs must now meet specific infrastructure requirements to avoid automatic demotion following a lawsuit filed in May 2025.
How many spectators attended Liga MX matches per game during the 2014, 15 season?
The league averages twenty-five thousand five hundred fifty-seven spectators per match during the 2014, 15 season. It ranks third among professional sports leagues in North America by attendance figures and draws the largest crowds on average of any football league in the Americas.