The Curse of the Liga MX “Super Líder” | OneFootball

The Apertura So Far

With only three games left in the Liga MX regular season, the battle for the top of the table is heating up. Five teams are fighting tooth and nail for the coveted super líder position. Toluca currently leads with 32 points, closely followed by América and Monterrey with 30, while Tigres UANL and Cruz Azul trail just one step behind with 29. The rest of the pack sits at least eight points away, making it a five-horse race for regular-season supremacy.

The Liga MX Apertura Top 5. Source: Sofascore

Being super líder (the team that finishes first in the table) carries prestige. It’s a mark of consistency and dominance throughout the regular season. Yet, history warns that being on top can be more of a curse than a blessing. Since the introduction of short tournaments in 1996, Liga MX has crowned 57 champions. Of those, only 12 times has the super líder gone on to lift the trophy. That’s just 21%… a strikingly low success rate for the supposed best team in the league.

In fact, second and third place teams have fared much better. Runners-up in the standings have claimed the championship 17 times, while third-place teams have won it 13 times. Even more telling is that fifth place or lower have also managed to win 12 tournaments — matching the total number of super líder champions. The numbers paint a clear picture: in Mexican soccer, finishing first often doesn’t pay off.

Why #1 Does Not Equal Success

Why does this happen? Part of the answer lies in the unique structure of Liga MX. The playoffs, known as la liguilla, introduce a knockout format that often favors form, grit, and mental strength over regular-season consistency. Teams entering the playoffs in second or third place often carry less pressure, allowing them to play more freely, while the super líder bears the heavy tag of “favorite.” That psychological burden has been enough to sink even the strongest sides.

The historical record of Monterrey and Tigres is a perfect example. Both teams from the city of Monterrey have learned the hard way that being first in the table guarantees nothing. Tigres, for instance, finished as super líder twice, and both times they were eliminated by Pachuca, even suffering defeat at home. Monterrey’s heartbreaks are even fresher: after setting a record-breaking points total in 2023, they fell in the semifinals to archrival Tigres. The story was similar in 2016, when they again topped the table only to be knocked out by Pachuca.

Even América, one of the most successful clubs in Liga MX history, has endured painful defeats as super líder. Fans still remember the 2005 Apertura liguilla when the #1 ranked Águilas held a 3–1 advantage after the first leg against Tigres. Upon the returning to the Estadio Azteca the suffered a collapse, losing 4–1 and getting knocked out 5-4 on aggregate.

So, while finishing first brings bragging rights and momentum, it rarely translates into silverware. The real prize lies in second through fourth. This ensures home advantage and a smoother playoff path without carrying the cursed crown of the super líder. In Liga MX, as history shows, it’s not how you start or even how you finish the regular season. It’s how you survive la liguilla that truly defines a champion.