| Season: | 2008−09 |
| Winners: | Toluca (9th title) |
| League Topscorer: | Héctor Mancilla (13 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Atlas 5–0 Jaguares (July 26, 2008) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Monterrey 0–4 Morelia (September 20, 2008) |
| Highest Scoring: | Guadalajara 3–5 Santos Laguna (with a total of 8 goals; August 23, 2008) |
| Matches: | 183 |
| Total Goals: | 431 |
| Nextseason: | Clausura 2009 |
The 2008 Primera División Apertura is the first football tournament of the Mexican Primera División 2008−09 season. The tournament began in August 2008 and was contested by the league's 18 teams.
Reigning champion Santos Laguna failed to advance to the final losing 2-1 on a two-leg aggregate (0-0 in the first leg) to eventual champions Toluca in the semifinals, and were unable to defend their title. The team of Toluca would beat Cruz Azul 7-6 in penalties after tying 2-2 on a two-leg aggregate (2-0 in the first leg). This was Toluca's 9th championship, placing them as the third most successful club behind América and Guadalajara.
| Club | Home city | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| América | Mexico City | Azteca | 115,000 | |
| Atlante | Cancún | Andrés Quintana Roo | 20,000 | |
| Atlas | Guadalajara | Jalisco | 72,600 | |
| Chiapas | Tuxtla Gutiérrez | Víctor Manuel Reyna | 23,208 | |
| Ciudad Juárez | Ciudad Juárez | Olímpico Benito Juárez | 22,300 | |
| Cruz Azul | Mexico City | Azul | 35,000 | |
| Guadalajara | Guadalajara | Jalisco | 72,600 | |
| Monterrey | Monterrey | Tecnológico | 38,000 | |
| Morelia | Morelia | Morelos | 41,500 | |
| Necaxa | Aguascalientes | Victoria | 25,000 | |
| Pachuca | Pachuca | Hidalgo | 30,000 | |
| Puebla | Puebla | Cuauhtémoc | 42,649 | |
| San Luis | San Luis Potosí | Alfonso Lastras | 24,000 | |
| Santos | Torreón | Corona | 18,050 | |
| Toluca | Toluca | Nemesio Díez | 27,000 | |
| Tecos | Guadalajara | 3 de Marzo | 30,015 | |
| UANL | Monterrey | Universitario | 41,000 | |
| UNAM | México | Olímpico Universitario | 83,700 |
This is a list of managerial changes made during the tournament.
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of departure | Incoming manager | Date hired | Position in table | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ciudad Juárez |  Sergio Orduña | Sacked | Aug. 18, 2008[1] | Héctor Hugo Eugui | Aug. 19, 2008[2] | 18th | |
| Tecos | José Trejo | Sacked | Sep. 1, 2008[3] | Miguel Herrera | Sep. 2, 2008[4] | 8th | |
| Atlas |  Miguel Brindisi | Resigned | Sep. 4, 2008[5] | Darío Franco | Sep. 5, 2008[6] | 17th | |
| Puebla | José Sánchez | Sacked | Sep. 17, 2008[7] | Mario Carrillo | Sep. 17, 2008[8] | 16th | |
| Chiapas | Sergio Almaguer | Sacked | Oct. 1, 2008[9] | Francisco Avilán | Oct. 1, 2008[10] | 18th | |
| Necaxa | Salvador Reyes Jr. | Sacked | Oct. 13, 2008[11] | Octavio Becerril | Oct. 14, 2008[12] | 18th |
See main article: Primera División de México Apertura 2008 Liguilla.
| P | Player | Team | Goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center rowspan=1 | 1 | Hector Mancilla | Toluca | align=center rowspan=1 | 13 |
| align=center rowspan=1 | 2 |  Andrés Mendoza | Morelia | align=center rowspan=1 | 10 |
| align=center rowspan=2 | 3 | Adolfo Bautista | Chiapas | align=center rowspan=2 | 9 |
 Hugo Rodallega | Necaxa | ||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 5 | Christian Giménez | Pachuca | align=center rowspan=2 | 8 |
| Lucas Lobos | UANL | ||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | 7 |  Christian Benítez | Santos Laguna | align=center rowspan=5 | 7 |
| Ariel Bogado | Atlas | ||||
| Víctor Piríz | San Luis | ||||
| Pablo Zeballos | Cruz Azul | ||||
Source: MedioTiempo