Atlético Morelia set for Liga MX return? | OneFootball

Atlético Morelia is one of Mexico’s sleeping soccer giants. Currently, they sit trapped outside of the top flight but could soon find themselves back.

Based in the state of Michoacán, this club has a rich and storied history alongside the biggest clubs in the country. So when its owners, Grupo Salinas, prepared to move the club to the northern coastal city of Mazatlán in 2020, it left everyone in shock.

In the same month that the club “disappeared” north, Morelia were suddenly “back” after acquiring the rights of Club Atlético Zacatepec. leading to a change in name from Monacras Morelia to Atlético Morelia.

Here’s a timeline to help you make sense of it all:

Morelia’s sudden fall

Initially founded in 1924 in Michoacán, Morelia boasts one of the oldest records in Mexican football.

Before its sharp decline in the late 2010s, Morelia earned its first and only Liga MX title in 2000, defeating Toluca in the final. Thirteen years later, the club would win its last major trophy, lifting the Copa MX with a win over Atlas.

In February 2002, Monarcas Morelia’s form was so strong that the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) ranked them among the best-performing clubs in the world for that month. This achievement placed them alongside clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal and Bayern Munich as global soccer powerhouses.

Then, of course, came the 2020 move. Right until the very end, Monarcas Morelia showed real fight. In that year’s Clausura they finished 9th, missing out on the playoffs by the narrowest margin on goal difference. The next season, they would be Mazatlán, and Morelia would be reborn in the Liga MX de Expansión.

Morelia in the Expansión

Unfortunately, their remodelling coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disaster that also forced the suspension of promotions and relegations within the Mexican leagues. So for six years, Atlético Morelia have been trapped in Liga MX de Expansión, and remain locked out of the top flight.

As a result, the club has competed in the second division with no reward waiting at the end of the road.

The club has continued pushing for success, even if the rewards have often fallen short. In 2022, Morelia secured their first and so far only Liga de Expansión MX title, coming between two runner-up finishes.

Are Morelia back?

Rumours of a promotion and relegations comeback continue to grow, but not at a pace that Morelia would like.

At the same time, murmurs are increasingly suggesting that the club are in talks of buying the rights of a Liga MX team to force their way back.

Any chances of purchasing Mazatlán, the team that stole their place, died late last year when fellow Expansión side Atlante beat them to it. However, fellow Grupo Salinas side, Puebla FC, are reportedly up for sale, sparking interest in Morelos.

Atlético Morelia have denied any involvement in negotiations to buy their way back into the league, six years on from cruelly losing their place, but the door isn’t completely closed for this once household name in Mexican football to rejoin the Liga MX.