Liga MX explained

Liga MX
Pixels:x150px
Organiser:Mexican Football Federation
Country:Mexico
Confed:CONCACAF
Founded:, as Primera División
Levels:1
Teams:18
Domest Cup:
Confed Cup:
Champions:América
(15th title)
(Clausura 2024)
Most Successful Club:América
(15 titles)
Most Appearances:Óscar Pérez (745)
Top Goalscorer:Evanivaldo Castro (312)
Tv:Domestic
Caliente TV
Claro[1]
ESPN[2]
Fox Sports[3]
Televisa[4]
TV Azteca[5]

International
OneFootball (Selected matches in selected markets outside of Mexico)

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

Amateur era

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

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

Primera Fuerza: América, Asturias, Atlante, Veracruz, Necaxa, and Marte.

Liga Occidental de Jalisco: Atlas and Guadalajara.

Liga Amateur de Veracruz: ADO and Moctezuma.

Reformation

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

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

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

Regular season tournaments

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)

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

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

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]

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

Clubs and champions

2023–24 season

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

TeamPosition 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
América1 1943–441081943–4410815Clausura 2024
Atlas17 1051979–80713Clausura 2022
Atlético San Luis12 2019–2072019–2070-
Cruz Azul8 1964–65871964–65879Guardianes 2021
Guadalajara4 1943–441081943–4410812Clausura 2017
Juárez16 2019–2072019–2070-
León9 1944–45842012–13218Guardianes 2020
Mazatlán14 2020–2152020–2150-
Monterrey2 1945–46931960–61915Apertura 2019
Necaxa11 1951–52782016–17133Invierno 1998
Pachuca7 1967–68591998–99497Apertura 2022
Puebla18 1944–45882007–083121989–90
Querétaro10 1990–91372009–10270-
13 1988–89611988–89616Clausura 2018
Tijuana15 2011–12232011–12231Apertura 2012
Toluca6 1953–54981953–549810Bicentenario 2010
UANL3 1974–75741997–98518Clausura 2023
UNAM5 1962–63891962–63897Clausura 2011

Champions

See also: List of Mexican football champions. Bold indicates clubs currently playing in Liga MX.

ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning years
América15 101965–66, 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
Guadalajara1291956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1969–70, 1986–87, Verano 1997, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2017
Toluca1081966–67, 1967–68, 1974–75, Verano 1998, Verano 1999, Verano 2000, Apertura 2002, Apertura 2005, Apertura 2008, Bicentenario 2010
Cruz Azul9121968–69, Mexico '70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021
León871947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1991–92, Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014, Guardianes 2020
UANL61977–78, 1981–82, Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2019, Clausura 2023
UNAM781976–77, 1980–81, 1990–91, Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2009, Clausura 2011
Pachuca73Invierno 1999, Invierno 2001, Apertura 2003, Clausura 2006, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2016, Apertura 2022
Santos Laguna65Invierno 1996, Verano 2001, Clausura 2008, Clausura 2012, Clausura 2015, Clausura 2018
Monterrey56Mexico '86, Clausura 2003, Apertura 2009, Apertura 2010, Apertura 2019
Atlante341946–47, 1992–93, Apertura 2007
Necaxa31994–95, 1995–96, Invierno 1998
Atlas1950–51, Apertura 2021, Clausura 2022
Puebla221982–83, 1989–90
Zacatepec11954–55, 1957–58
Veracruz01945–46, 1949–50
Oro151962–63
Morelia3Invierno 2000
Tampico21952–53
Tecos11993–94
Real España1944–45
Tijuana0Apertura 2012
Asturias1943–44
Marte1953–54

Stadiums and locations

ClubLocationStadiumdata-sort-type="number" CapacityRef
AméricaMexico CityAzteca87,523[23]
AtlasGuadalajaraJalisco56,713[24]
Atlético San LuisSan Luis Potosí CityAlfonso Lastras25,111
Cruz AzulMexico CityEstadio Ciudad de los Deportes33,000
GuadalajaraZapopanAkron45,364[25]
JuárezCiudad JuárezOlímpico Benito Juárez19,703[26]
LeónLeónLeón31,297[27]
MazatlánMazatlánMazatlán25,000[28]
MonterreyGuadalupeBBVA53,500[29]
NecaxaAguascalientes CityVictoria25,500[30]
PachucaPachucaHidalgo30,000[31]
PueblaPuebla CityCuauhtémoc51,726[32]
QuerétaroQuerétaro CityCorregidora33,162[33]
Santos LagunaTorreónCorona30,000[34]
TijuanaTijuanaCaliente27,333[35]
TolucaTolucaNemesio Díez30,000[36]
UANLSan Nicolás de los GarzaUniversitario42,000[37]
UNAMMexico CityOlímpico Universitario72,000[38] [39]

Media coverage

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

TeamTelevisionStreaming
Mexico[53] United States[54] [55] [56] [57] MexicoUnited States
AméricaTelevisaUnivisionVix
Atlas
Atlético San Luis ESPNDisney+Vix
Cruz AzulTelevisaVix
GuadalajaraNoneTelemundoChivas TV
Prime Video
Peacock
JuárezFox SportsFox SportsFox Sports Premium
Vix
Tubi
Vix
LeónFox SportsUnivisionFox Sports Premium
Vix
Vix
MazatlánFox Sports
TV Azteca
Vix
MonterreyTelevisa
Necaxa
PachucaFox SportsFox Sports Premium
Vix
Vix
PueblaFox Sports
TV Azteca
Vix
QuerétaroCaliente TVCaliente TVVix
Santos LagunaTelevisaVix
TijuanaCaliente TVCaliente TV
TolucaTelevisaVix
UANLTV AztecaEstrella TV
Fox Sports
Estrella TV
UNAMTelevisaUnivisionVixVix

Sponsorship

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

The current managers in the Liga MX are:

Nat.NameTeamAppointedTime as manager
Pachuca
Querétaro
América
Necaxa
Atlas
Toluca
UNAM
Guadalajara
Cruz Azul
León
Juárez
Santos Laguna
Mazatlán
Atlético San Luis
Puebla
Tijuana
Veljko PaunovićUANL
Monterrey

Player records

Most appearances

RankPlayerAppearances
1 Óscar Pérez741
2 Oswaldo Sánchez725
3 Benjamín Galindo700
4 Juan Pablo Rodríguez685
5 Jesús Corona670
6 Rodrigo Ruiz638
7 Adolfo Ríos635
8 Miguel España631
9 Alfonso Sosa610
10 Cristóbal Ortega609
Italics denotes players still playing professional football.
Bold denotes players still playing in the Liga MX.

Most goals

RankNatNameYearsGoalsAppsRatio
1Evanivaldo Castro1974–1987312427
2Carlos Hermosillo1984–2001294534
3Jared Borgetti1994–2010252475
4José Cardozo1994–2005249332
5Horacio Casarín1936–1957238326
6Osvaldo Castro1971–1984214398
7Luís Roberto Alves1986–2003209577
8Adalberto López1942–1955201231
9Carlos Eloir Perucci1972–1984199398
10Sergio Lira1978–1996191564
Italics denotes players still playing professional football.
Bold denotes players still playing in the Liga MX.

Promotion and relegation

Relegation and Promotion by Club
ClubPromotionsRelegations
Zacatepec5 (1950–51, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1983–84)5 (1961–62, 1965–66, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85)
Querétaro4 (México '86, 1989–90, 2005–06, 2009–10)3 (1993–94, 2006–07, 2012–13*)
Pachuca4 (1966–67, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98)3 (1972–73, 1992–93, 1996–97)
Irapuato4 (1953–54, 1984–85, 1999–00*, 2002–03)2 (1971–72, 1990–91)
Atlas3 (1954–55, 1971–72, 1978–79)3 (1953–54, 1970–71, 1977–78)
San Luis3 (1970–71, 2001–02, 2004–05)2 (1973–74, 2002–03)
Puebla3 (1969–70, 1998–99, 2006–07)2 (1998–99, 2004–05)
Unión de Curtidores2 (1982–83, 1998–99*)2 (1980–81, 1983–84)
Veracruz2 (1963–64, 2001–02)5 (1951–52, 1978–79, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2018–19)
Real Zamora2 (1954–55, 1956–57) 2 (1955–56, 1959–60)
Tampico Madero2 (1964–65, 1972–73)2 (1966–67, 1974–75)
Atlante2 (1976–77, 1990–91)3 (1975–76, 1989–90, 2013–14)
Monterrey2 (1955–56,1959–60) 1 (1956–57)
Morelia2 (1956–57, 1980–81) 1 (1967–68)
UANL2 (1973–74, 1996–97*)1 (1995–96)
León2 (1989–90, 2011–12)2 (1986–87, 2001–02)
Sinaloa2 (2003–04, 2014–15)2 (2005–06, 2015–16)
La Piedad2 (2000–01, 2012–13*)
Necaxa2 (2009–10*, 2015–16)2 (2008–09, 2010–11)
UAT1 (1986–87)1 (1994–95)
Atlético Potosino1 (1974–75)1 (1988–89)
Indios de Ciudad Juárez1 (2007–08)1 (2009–10)
Toros Neza1 (1988–89)1 (1999–00)
Tecos1 (1974–75)1 (2011–12)
Tijuana1 (2010–11)
UdeG1 (2013–14)1 (2014–15)
BUAP1 (2016–17)1 (2017–18*)
Oro1 (1979–80)
Chiapas1 (2016–17)
Tapachula1 (2017–18*)
Atlético San Luis1 (2018–19*)

Notes:

Notes and References

  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
  6. Web site: Liga MX hace oficial su cambio de nombre y logo. MedioTiempo. es. 18 June 2019. 21 June 2019. 21 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190621213501/https://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/liga-mx/liga-bbva-mx-oficial-nombre-logo. live.
  7. Web site: CONCACAF League Ranking Index. 4 May 2023 . CONCACAF.
  8. Web site: The strongest Leagues in the World in the first Decade of 21st Century. IFFHS. 29 June 2013. 26 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171026110630/http://iffhs.de/?20fa3002f76857a72e00fa2d17f7370eff3702bb1c2bbb6e0d. live.
  9. Web site: Best attended domestic sports leagues in the world . Sporting Intelligence . 19 June 2017 . 22 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210822035059/http://www.sportingintelligence.com/finance-biz/business-intelligence/global-attendances/ . live .
  10. Web site: Shea. Bill. What could top the Super Bowl on U.S. TV? Soccer, aliens and not much else. Major League Soccer ranks third in U.S. soccer viewership after the Premier League and Mexico’s top-flight Liga MX, leagues that have much longer histories.. The Athletic. 9 February 2023. 18 March 2023. 18 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230318045856/https://theathletic.com/4173314/2023/02/09/super-bowl-tv-ratings-soccer/. live.
  11. Web site: Tigres campeón: ¿Cuántos campeonatos tiene cada equipo de la Liga MX? . TUDN . 28 August 2023 . spanish.
  12. Web site: Historia del futbol en México. Femexfut. 2009-07-29. 2018-10-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20181011031316/http://www.femexfut.org.mx/portalv2/(hjfqs545niz5yh55yipntw55)/default.aspx?s=135. live.
  13. Web site: Corporativo . Liga MX . es . https://web.archive.org/web/20160319142428/http://ligamx.net/cancha/corporativo . 19 March 2016 .
  14. Web site: Liga MX to run VAR test at U-20 games, senior games starting Week 13 . SBNation . 20 August 2018 . 20 August 2018 . 21 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180821223239/https://www.fmfstateofmind.com/2018/8/20/17757860/liga-mx-to-run-var-test-at-u-20-games-in-mexico . live .
  15. Web site: Liga MX tendrá VAR en jornadas 13 y 14 del Apertura 2018 . Liga MX will have VAR during weeks 13 and 14 of the Apertura 2018 . La Afición . 20 August 2018 . Milenio . es . 20 August 2018 . 21 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180821122024/http://www.milenio.com/deportes/futbol/liga-mx-var-jornadas-13-14-apertura-2018 . live .
  16. News: Ascenso Bancomer MX Informa . es . www.ascensomx.net . 20 July 2017 . 2 August 2017 . 3 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170803095110/http://www.ascensomx.net/cancha/detallenoticia/21147/ascenso-bancomer-mx-informa . live .
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