Liga MX Power Ranking: América Still on Top, Rayados Rising and Cruz Azul Getting Nervous | OneFootball

Liga MX finally returned with Matchday 4 of the Apertura 2026 after taking a week-and-a-half vacation to accommodate the Leagues Cup. Because apparently one tournament at a time is simply too boring.

Some clubs picked up where they left off, others found their winning ways again, and a few are already giving their fans reasons to stare blankly at the ceiling.

América remains the best team in the league and gets another week at the top of our Power Ranking. Chivas finally remembered what winning feels like, while Cruz Azul and Tigres are heading in the opposite direction after suffering their second straight defeats.

Then there is Monterrey, which was arguably the biggest winner of the week. Rayados not only crushed Juárez but also booked their place in the next round of the Leagues Cup, making it quite the productive week for Matías Almeyda’s side.

With the first third of the tournament approaching, here is how the Liga MX hierarchy looks right now.

1. América (3-1-0)

League position: First, 10 points

Against the odds — and perhaps against everyone’s preseason expectations — América remains at the top.

Guillermo Almada has already started putting his stamp on the team, giving young players plenty of opportunities while somehow producing results despite the club not making the blockbuster signings many expected.

Three wins from four games, very few obvious weaknesses and a team that seems perfectly comfortable winning without making a Hollywood production out of it.

For now, América is the team everyone else has to catch. And yes, that is usually where things get uncomfortable for everyone else.

2. Rayados (3-0-1)

League position: Third, 9 points

Monterrey was the best team of Matchday 4. The 4-0 win over Juárez was impressive enough, but the bigger picture is even more encouraging: three straight games without a loss and a Leagues Cup qualification ticket safely in the pocket.Matías Almeyda appears to have done something that coaches in Monterrey are occasionally expected to do: make Rayados look like Rayados.

They are not No. 1 here simply because América refuses to lose. Rude, but fair.

3. Xolos (3-1-0)

League position: Second, 10 points

Sebastián Abreu has clearly wasted no time putting his fingerprints all over Tijuana. Xolos delivered one of the biggest statements of the weekend by beating Cruz Azul and moving into second place with 10 points. They are also unbeaten, and only goal difference keeps them from sitting at the very top of the table.

Suddenly, Tijuana is not just the fun surprise of the opening weeks. They are becoming a team everyone should probably stop underestimating.

4. Cruz Azul (2-0-2)

League position: 10th, 6 points

The defending champions are currently experiencing the strange phenomenon known as “being very good on paper.”

Cruz Azul has now lost two straight games, including the defeat against Xolos, and the pressure is beginning to build around Joel Huiqui. This is not a crisis. Not yet, anyway. But when you’re the defending champion, six points from four games is enough to make everyone start using the word “crisis” while insisting they are definitely not using the word “crisis.”

The squad has enough talent to turn things around. The question is how quickly they can do it.

5. Chivas (2-1-1)

League position: Ninth, 7 points

Chivas still looks like a team searching for the version of itself that made people optimistic last season. The win over Santos Laguna was therefore a welcome dose of oxygen. It was not exactly a masterpiece, but at this point, three points are three points and nobody in Guadalajara is asking too many artistic questions.

The next challenge will be Xolos, which is about as convenient as being asked to prove you’re feeling better by running a marathon. And then there is the uncertainty surrounding a potential departure for Armando González.

6. Toluca (2-1-1)

League position: Fifth, 7 points

The reigning back-to-back champions have lost some of the terrifying aura they carried last season. Toluca’s goalless draw against Atlante was hardly the kind of result that makes opponents lose sleep. Antonio Mohamed’s team looked short on the attacking punch that made them so difficult to stop during their title-winning campaign.

Still, there is no need to panic. At least not yet. Toluca has enough quality to climb back toward the top. They just need to remember where the goal is.

7. Pumas (2-1-1)

League position: Sixth, 7 points

Pumas returned from Leagues Cup without exactly setting the world on fire. Sebastián Córdova’s season-ending injury certainly did not help, and the team failed to secure a third consecutive league victory after being held to a goalless draw by Querétaro.

To be fair, Querétaro has already taken points from Tigres and competed well against América, so this was hardly a walk in the park. Still, Pumas will need to show considerably more in the coming weeks if they want to be taken seriously as contenders.

8. León (2-0-2)

League position: 11th, 6 points

León appears to have discovered that losing is not actually mandatory. After opening the tournament with two defeats, Javier Gandolfi’s team completely changed its momentum. Three consecutive wins in the Leagues Cup were followed by two straight Liga MX victories.

They are still outside the top eight, but the signs are encouraging.

If León keeps playing this way, a playoff push is no longer a wild idea. And considering how this team started the tournament, that qualifies as a pretty impressive plot twist.

9. Atlas (3-0-1)

League position: Fourth, 9 points

Hernán Crespo has given Atlas a new personality. The Rojinegros are sitting fourth with nine points and have looked considerably more competitive than many expected before the season began. Now comes the difficult part: proving this is not just one of those classic Liga MX hot starts that disappears the moment everyone starts paying attention.

For now, though, Atlas deserves the credit.

10. Atlante (1-2-1)

League position: 13th, 5 points

Atlante may not have one of the league’s most intimidating squads, but the Potros have certainly made themselves annoying to play against — which, in Liga MX, is often half the battle.

They opened the tournament with a loss to Necaxa, but since then they have shown plenty of personality and have taken points against América, Cruz Azul and Toluca. Only one defeat after four matches is a respectable return for a team many expected to spend most of the season fighting for scraps.

Atlante may not be ready to challenge for the title, but they are proving that nobody gets a free three points against them. And honestly, that’s a pretty good way to make friends (or enemies) in this league.

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