History of Liga MX in Timeline

Liga MX is the top-tier professional football league in Mexico, currently featuring 18 clubs. The league year is split into two tournaments: the Apertura (July-December) and the Clausura (January-May), each culminating in a playoff phase called "liguilla" to determine the champion. Historically known as Liga Mayor and Primera División de México, the league temporarily suspended promotion and relegation in 2020 until 2026.

1922: Foundation of Campeonato de Primera Fuerza

In 1922, the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza was founded as the first amateur league organized by a national football federation in Mexico.

1940: First Matches Outside Mexico City

In the 1940-41 season, the first Campeonato de Primera Fuerza matches held outside Mexico City were played.

1943: Liga Mayor Established

In 1943, Liga MX was established and known as Liga Mayor, marking the beginning of professional association football league in Mexico.

1943: End of Campeonato de Primera Fuerza

In 1943, the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza ended, after being held since 1922.

1943: Establishment of First National Professional League

In 1943, the first true national and professional league in Mexico was established, marking a significant step in the country's football history.

1949: Liga renamed Primera División de México

In 1949, Liga MX was renamed Primera División de México, after being known as Liga Mayor since 1943.

1970: First Televised World Cup and League Format Change

In 1970, the FIFA World Cup held in Mexico was the first to be televised on a grand scale. The season following the World Cup, the FMF changed the league format and established a final phase to determine the national champion.

1970: Modernization of the league with La liguilla

The start of La liguilla in 1970 modernized the league, clubs were now better able to compete and generate profits.

1986: Voit Becomes Official Match Ball Manufacturer

Since 1986, Voit has been the official match ball manufacturer for Liga MX.

1996: Introduction of Short Tournament Schedule

From 1996 to 2002, the league followed a two short tournaments in the season, schedule with Invierno and Verano tournaments.

2002: Division into Three Groups

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.

2011: End of Three-Group Division

In 2011, the system of dividing the 18 teams into three groups of six was discontinued in Liga MX.

2011: Rule Change for Final Game Scheduling

Since 2011, a new rule requires teams to play the final game of every season on Sunday during prime time in order to capture more television audience.

2012: Cancellation of Television Rights Agreement

In 2012, Liga MX canceled an agreement where the promoted team could only negotiate with the company holding the television rights of the relegated team, leading to a dispute with Televisa after the promotion of Club León.

2012: Liga renamed Liga MX

In 2012, Liga MX was renamed from Primera División de México, marking a change in the league's identity.

2012: Creation of Liga MX/Ascenso MX and Rebranding

Prior to the start of the 2012–13 season, the organization Liga MX/Ascenso MX was created to replace the FMF as the organizing body of the competition. In 2012, the league also announced a rebranding, with the introduction of a new logo.

2012: Liga MX Did Not Have a Title Sponsor

Up until its rebranding in 2012, Liga MX did not have a title sponsor.

July 2013: BBVA Bancomer Becomes Official 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.

2013: Telemundo Broadcast

From 2013 to 2016, Club León matches were broadcast in the United States by Telemundo.

2014: Contract Extended for Voit

In 2014, the contract with Voit was extended for four years, continuing their role as the official match ball manufacturer for Liga MX.

September 2015: Sponsorship Deal Extended

On 18 September 2015, the sponsorship deal with BBVA Bancomer was extended until 2019.

2016: Exclusivity of Guadalajara Home Matches on Chivas TV

For the Apertura 2016, Guadalajara home matches in Mexico were exclusively shown on an internet streaming service called Chivas TV.

February 13, 2017: Univision Deportes to Live Stream Games on Facebook

On February 13, 2017, it was announced that Univision Deportes would live stream 46 games in English on Facebook in the United States.

April 8, 2017: Guadalajara Matches Shown on Televisa and Chivas TV

As of April 8, 2017, Guadalajara home matches in Mexico were shown on both Televisa's Televisa Deportes Network (TDN) and Chivas TV.

July 2017: TVN to Show Liga MX Matches in Chile

In July 2017, Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) announced it would show Liga MX matches involving Chilean players in Chile.

September 2017: Univision Acquires Rights to All Liga MX Teams

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.

October 2017: Fox Sports Acquires Rights to Tijuana and Santos Laguna Matches

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.

2017: Changes in Relegation and Promotion Rules

Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, the rules for relegation and promotion changed: a relegated Liga MX team of that season will be obligated to pay the prize money to the Ascenso MX team (MXN$120 million).

May 26, 2018: Fox Sports Acquires Rights to C.F. Monterrey Matches

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. 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.

August 2018: Liga MX to Test VAR Technology

On August 20, 2018, it was announced that Liga MX would begin testing the use of VAR technology. The initial test run was conducted during under-20 matches played inside senior league stadiums.

2018: Teams Meeting Requirements for Promotion

As of the 2018–19 season, only six teams met the full requirements to be promoted to Liga MX: Atlético San Luis, Atlante, Celaya, Juárez, Sinaloa, and UdeG.

2018: Fox Sports starts airing Tijuana home matches

In 2018, Fox Sports started airing Tijuana home matches after acquiring the long-term exclusive Spanish-language rights to them.

2018: Univision Ends Rights to All Liga MX Teams

Univision held the rights to all 18 Liga MX teams through the end of the Clausura 2018 season.

June 2019: League Renamed Liga BBVA MX

On 18 June 2019, the league was renamed as Liga BBVA MX, adopting the new identity of the sponsor, BBVA.

July 2019: Sponsorship Contract with BBVA Renewed

On 4 July 2019, the sponsorship contract with BBVA was renewed until 2021.

2019: ESPN Deportes Airs Regular Season Matches

As of the Apertura 2019 season, ESPN Deportes airs the majority of León, Necaxa, Pachuca, Querétaro, and UANL regular season home matches in the United States via a sublicense agreement with Univision.

2019: OneSoccer Broadcasts Liga MX in Canada

From 2019-20 until 2021-22, OneSoccer broadcast the Liga MX league for viewers in Canada.

2019: DAZN Broadcasts Liga MX in Brazil

In 2019, DAZN began broadcasting Liga MX in Brazil for two seasons 2019–20 and 2020–21.

2019: Fox Sports starts airing Santos Laguna home matches

In 2019, Fox Sports started airing Santos Laguna home matches after acquiring the long-term exclusive Spanish-language rights to them.

April 16, 2020: Ascenso MX Folded, Promotion and Relegation Suspended

On April 16, 2020, the Ascenso MX was folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of financial resources. Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announced that promotion and relegation would be suspended for six years, and the Ascenso MX was replaced with the Liga de Expansión MX.

2020: DAZN Broadcasts Liga MX in Brazil

In 2020, DAZN broadcasted Liga MX in Brazil for two seasons 2019–20 and 2020–21.

2020: Suspension of Promotion and Relegation

In 2020, promotion and relegation in Liga MX were suspended, with plans to remain so until 2026.

July 2021: OneFootball to Broadcast Live Matches Internationally

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.

August 2021: Eleven Sports to Broadcast Guadalajara Matches

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.