Liga MX and its liguilla format: how the title is decided
August 21, 2026 · 7 min
Mexican football has one of the most exciting formulas on the continent: winning the regular season isn't enough, you have to conquer the liguilla. If you're used to leagues where the champion is simply the team with the most points, this format may come as a surprise. At Golazo Scores we explain how the title is decided in Liga MX.
Two tournaments per season: Apertura and Clausura
Unlike European leagues, which award a single title per season, Liga MX crowns two champions a year. The Apertura tournament is played in the second half of the year and the Clausura in the first half of the following year.
Each is a complete, stand-alone competition, with its own regular season and its own champion. As a result, the same year can see two different teams lifting the trophy, which multiplies the excitement and the chances of silverware.
The regular season
During the regular season, all the teams face each other over a series of matchdays and collect points under the usual system (3 for a win, 1 for a draw). But here, finishing top doesn't make you champion: it only gives you an advantage for the next stage.
The highest-placed teams secure their place in the liguilla and also earn privileges such as playing the second leg of their ties at home, which is extremely valuable. That's why, even though the title isn't decided here, every point in the regular season counts.
The play-in: the gateway
Before the liguilla, Liga MX includes a stage called the play-in. In it, the teams that finished in the middle positions of the table battle it out for the last tickets to the main event.
It works as a repechage in the form of decisive matches: the winner goes through, while the loser may still get a second chance depending on their position. This step adds drama and keeps more teams alive until the very end.
The liguilla: the title decided by knockout
The liguilla is the final stage that crowns the champion. The qualified teams contest the quarter-finals, semi-finals and a grand final, all over two legs (home and away), with the aggregate score deciding who progresses.
The thrilling part is that a team that finished well off the top can be crowned champion if it gets it right at the crucial moment. Winning the regular season helps, but the trophy is lifted in the liguilla. It is a format built for spectacle, and it explains why the climax of every Mexican tournament is lived with such intensity.
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