Liga MX Format Explained: Apertura and Clausura

The Liga MX represents the highest level of professional football in Mexico, with the league split into two championships per season, the Apertura and the Clausura.

Find out how the Liga MX works below.

Liga MX Apertura and Clausura format explained

Each Liga MX season is split into two championships of 17 regular season games each, with play-offs following both.

For the 2023/24 season, there was the 2023 Apertura (opening) and the 2024 Clausura (closing).

Although both championships see all teams play 17 games each, the fixtures aren't evenly split home and away. For example, in the 2023 Apertura, America played 10 home games and seven away games, reversing for the Clausura.

At the end of the Apertura, the top six teams qualify for the play-off quarter-finals. The next four teams qualify for the play-in round.

The team finishing seventh plays the team finishing eighth at home in a one-legged tie. The winner will be given the #7 seed for the quarter-finals. The loser will play the winner of the teams finishing ninth and 10th from their tie. The winner of that match is awarded the #8 seed for the quarter-finals. The rest of the top six teams are seeded according to their league finish.

The play-offs from the quarter-finals onwards are played over two legs, and the highest ranked seed left in the competition will be drawn against the lowest-ranked seed for the semi-final.

The same format is then applied for the Clausura.

While seasons can have two different champions, a third team can have the highest aggregate points total across the two campaigns without being crowned champions, though they, along with the second highest team not already qualified, will earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round.

Liam Williams

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