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Organising body | Mexican Football Federation |
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Founded | 1943 | , as Primera División
Country | Mexico |
Confederation | CONCACAF |
Number of teams | 18 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Domestic cup(s) | |
International cup(s) | |
Current champions | América (15th title) (Clausura 2024) |
Most championships | América (15 titles) |
Most appearances | Óscar Pérez (745) |
Top goalscorer | Evanivaldo Castro (312) |
TV partners | Domestic Claro[1] ESPN[2] Fox Sports[3] Televisa[4] TV Azteca[5] International OneFootball (Selected matches in selected markets outside of Mexico) |
Website | www |
Current: Apertura 2024 |
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]
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.