Goals, chaos and fierce rivalries: the LigaMX playoffs are a wonderful watch

The Guardian

06-05-2025

T he Liga MX playoffs, better known as the Liguilla, kick off on Wednesday, running until a champion is crowned on 25 May. Whether this is your first time with the tournament or you're a diehard fan, there's reason to be excited. Here's everything you need to know about this year's version, starting with the most basic question there is. Why should I care?
Well, if you're one of the many millions in Mexico, the US and elsewhere that already know this competition, you probably already know. But for the uninitiated: As the Concacaf Champions Cup continually shows, Liga MX is the best league in the region. It boasts not only some familiar faces from international football, but also players who will be the stars of tomorrow - usually performing in full, vibrant stadiums, each with a long-established culture and history.
You won't be alone if you tune in. While US TV ratings aren't as strong as they were a few years ago compared to other competitions, Liga MX playoff matches still regularly draw one million viewers. Those are numbers that would turn plenty of heads for most leagues, but in the US they tend to be ignored because most of the viewers are watching in Spanish. You may not be watching yet, but your neighbor probably is.
It's popular for a reason: these games tend to be exciting. Matches become reminiscent of the NBA with one team attacking, then the other responding immediately with an attack of their own. Rinse, repeat and enjoy – though, fair warning, you likely will have to get past a bit of pushing and shoving, exaggeration, and excruciatingly long VAR decisions or discussions with the referee.
It all adds to the theater, and it's worth sticking with it and enjoy what is consistently one of soccer's best spectacles. What happened to Rodríguez and Ramos?
The last time the Guardian checked in on Mexico's most notable imports from Spain, things were going quite well. León were top of the league thanks to James Rodríguez's contributions, while excitement was building in Monterrey with Sergio Ramos set to bolster the back line. Sergio Ramos and James Rodríguez have brought star power to this season in Mexico. Photograph:The shine has come off both superstars in Liga MX, though they're still alive in their hunt for a brand new trophy to add to their resumes. Rodríguez was brought in partly to boost León in the Club World Cup, but Fifa announced in March that the club wouldn't be able to participate. That has led the team to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is expected to rule on the matter this week.
The uncertainty seemed to unmoor León, who earned just four points in five matches after the decision came down. Rodríguez was sent off for a pair of yellow cards in the regular season finale, meaning he's suspended for the first leg of the quarter-final against Cruz Azul.
Monterrey narrowly made it into the final eight, beating Pumas 2-0 in a play-in match Sunday for the last spot. Ramos watched from a luxury box, as he missed his second match in a row because of a leg injury. Fellow Spaniards Sergio Canales and Oliver Torres entered as second-half substitutes after also missing a 2-1 loss to Pachuca in the previous play-in match with injuries of their own. Rayados may need Ramos fit to have any chance to stop high-scoring Toluca, but his status for the first leg is up in the air. Henry Martín lifted the Liga MX trophy at the end of last campaign, the Clausura 2024. Photograph: Eyepix Group/LightRocket/Getty Images Who is the favorite?
Mexico City giant Club América have won back-to-back-to-back titles, becoming the first team in the short tournament era to three-peat. So, yes, Las Aguilas are the favorites, and this team certainly have a target on their backs. Even without the championship streak, they are beloved by many and hated by even more. América's own fans relish the role of a villain, wearing shirts that say 'Odiame más' ('Hate me more.')
The pressure hasn't gotten to the club so long as Andre Jardine has been manager – the former Brazil U-23 boss has turned everything he's touched into gold since arriving in Mexico City.
This season, the club are arguably in better shape going into the Liguilla than they have been in past editions they have won. América have had to cope with injury absences in 2025, and occasionally struggled to finish after striker Henry Martín suffered an achilles injury, but that was nothing compared to the Apertura 2024. In that tournament, the most recently concluded, América missed nearly every key player for at least a few games and had to come through the play-in but still managed to win the title.
Ahead of a quarter-final series with Pachuca, Martín is healthy, and América will be able to lean on him, do-it-all midfielder Álvaro Fidalgo and Mexico No 1 goalkeeper Luis Malagón as they seek yet another league crown. skip past newsletter promotion
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While América have been dominant in league play, Cruz Azul ended Las Aguilas' hopes of a continental championship, beating the fellow Mexico City club in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. The teams have clashed in each of the past two playoffs, with América squeezing past La Maquina both times. Cruz Azul's last loss came all the way back in February, seeming to pave the road to another showdown between so-called 'grandes' – any of Mexico's big four clubs that are historically the most successful and best-supported. Who can play spoiler?
While América may be the favorite, Toluca goes into the postseason as the No 1 seed after dropping just two matches in the regular season.
Toluca are a high-octane team, with Portuguese striker Paulinho leading the line with a league-high 12 goals plus another nine (plus eight assists) from Alexis Vega. Toluca scored 41 goals in 17 matches this year, five more than any other Liga MX team and good for a 2.41 goals-per-game average. They'll concede a few goals, sure, and they fell short after a similarly explosive regular season in the Apertura a few months ago, but Toluca look like a serious competitor for the trophy this time around.
Necaxa could also surprise some people, with a similar all-attack strategy as Toluca (though not quite as good). The team's star-studded ownership group includes Hollywood stars like Eva Longoria, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and others like Mesut Özil, Shawn Marion and Justin Verlander. In the best season since foreign investment arrived in 2021, Necaxa racked up 36 goals and finished fifth place as manager Nicolaás Larcamón guided the team to 10 wins in his first campaign.
Their reward is a series with Tigres, led by a manager, Guido Pizarro, who was playing for the team as recently as this season before being tapped for coaching duties. Striker Andre-Pierre Gignac had been this team's talisman for years, but the 39-year-old is finally feeling his age, suffering injuries that allowed him to play just 78 minutes of the regular season and kept him out of the Concacaf Champions Cup entirely.
With fans frustrated at Tigres' CCC exit, a Gignac return would be welcome against a Necaxa team who are the Liguilla's dark horse. How can I watch?
While some of Liga MX's quirks lend charm, its television rights are still negotiated on a team-by-team basis. Univision and its sports network TUDN have the US broadcast rights for the majority of teams in the postseason.