What the heck is happening in Liga MX after the owners’ meeting? | OneFootball

If Liga MX were a TV series, the latest owners’ assembly would qualify as one of those chaotic mid-season episodes where every plot-line moves at once and somehow raises more questions than answers.

The Big Reforms

Let’s start with the “big reform,” because every revolution needs a headline. Liga MX is finally breaking up—legally, at least—with the Federación Mexicana de Futbol. After 14 years of talking about it, the league will now operate as its own civil association, aiming to run more like the Premier League or LaLiga.

In theory, this means a more modern structure, with committees for sporting matters, business strategy, investment, and governance. In practice… well… Mexican football has never lacked committees; what it’s lacked is consistency. Still, the idea of appointing a league president (with Fran Iturbide among the names floated) suggests a shift toward centralized leadership, something Liga MX has danced around for years.

Then comes one of the more curious decisions: the league has scrapped the infamous financial penalty tied to relegation. Yes, you can still finish last, but now you won’t be fined for it. A relief for underperforming clubs, though it doesn’t exactly scream “competitive integrity.” Promotion and relegation technically remain, but with certification requirements still acting as a bottleneck, the system continues to feel more theoretical than real.

And just when you thought things couldn’t get more surreal—enter Atlante.

A New Player; Trimming Some Plays

The historic Atlante F.C. is back in the top flight after acquiring the place of Mazatlán F.C., which quietly exits stage left. Atlante will now share the Estadio Banorte with giants like Club América and Cruz Azul—because if there’s one thing Mexico City needed, it was more tenants in the same stadium.

Meanwhile, the league is also trying to clean up its long-criticized multi-ownership model. The sale of Atlas F.C. by Grupo Orlegi to Grupo PRODI is being framed as progress toward eliminating the practice by 2027. Optimistic? Sure. Definitive? Not quite. For now, it leaves Grupo Pachuca as the last major player still juggling multiple clubs.

On the competition side, Liga MX is also trimming the fat: goodbye Play-In. The format experiment is already being shelved for the Apertura 2026, in a rare moment of self-awareness. The calendar, however, remains as packed and slightly chaotic as ever: the next tournament kicks off on July 16, just days before the World Cup final, because clearly, global football scheduling is more of a suggestion than a rule.

Oh, and there’s more. Matches involving the Mexican national team will remain widely accessible, with broadcast rights secured across major networks for years to come. A rare piece of stability in an otherwise whirlwind meeting.

So What Does it all Mean?

Liga MX is trying, yet again, to modernize, professionalize, and globalize. There are genuine steps forward here: structural independence, movement on ownership rules, and a clearer governance model. But the contradictions remain. You can’t fully sell yourself as an elite league while keeping promotion optional in practice, stadium logistics improvised, and competitive rules constantly shifting.

In other words, Liga MX is evolving… just in its own uniquely unpredictable way.

We also recommend: https://hooligan-soccer.com/cruz-azul-set-to-sack-nicolas-larcamon/