Liga MX format: Apertura and Clausura of the Mexican Soccer

Even if you don’t know the Liga MX format, MyBookie explains in simple terms why in Mexico two teams are crowned in a single year, instead of just one.

Why is Mexico’s Liga MX divided into Apertura and Clausura Tournaments?

It’s true, Mexico’s first division is nothing like the MLS, Premier League or any UEFA league format, that’s when many bookies have wondered how it works.

For this reason, we will shortly explain the process of the Regular Phase and the “Liguilla”.

Liga MX format

Every year, the Mexican league has different aspects, such as double days, FIFA dates, CONCACAF dates and the famous “Clasicos del futbol mexicano”:

El Clasico de Mexico: Chivas vs América
El Clasico Regio: Tigres vs. Monterrey
El Clasico Joven: América vs. Cruz Azul
El Clasico Tapatio: Atlas vs Chivas

Regular Phase

This stage has 17 matchdays, with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on weekends. During the week, teams play on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with interruptions in the schedule due to the participation of Mexican teams in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Play In

The newly created Play In format closely resembles the format used in the NBA, where the Standing becomes a key factor in determining the teams that will fight for a ticket to the next phase.

From position 7 to 10 in the general classification table, #7 vs #8 will face each other in single duels, where the winner will qualify directly, joining the 6 teams already classified. While the loser awaits the winner of positions #9 vs #10.

Thus, the two teams will face each other in a single duel to determine the last qualifier for the quarterfinals.

Liguilla

The Liguilla is a very popular term in Mexico to refer to the post-season of first division soccer.

Here, the best 8 teams start a phase to define the route to the Champion.

Quarterfinals, Semifinals

Here are the round-robin duels between the teams that qualified for this phase, and the rivalries are determined as follows:

1 vs 8
2 vs 7
3 vs 6
4 vs 5

Final Game

The most anticipated game of this phase is played in round-robin matches. This happens after the quarterfinals defined the best 4 teams that reached the semifinals and later, the final. All in round-robin matches.

Apertura and Clausura Mechanics

This Liga MX format has also been used in other leagues, as in the case of Costa Rica in Central America or Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay, who have also presented this format for their top soccer competition.

It is done this way because the Mexican Soccer Federation (organizer of Mexican football) and the teams benefit economically in terms of sponsorships, players’ market, transfers and promotion of diverse commercial aspects with television stations, digital media and sportsbooks.

That’s right, Mexican soccer benefits from this format to also include multiple strategic operations that allow it to participate in international tournaments, such as the Champions Cup, Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup in the United States.