LIGA MX
2023 Liga MX Apertura play-in: confirmed teams, dates and format
With the conclusion of the 2023 Apertura season, ten teams advance in the competition with the new play-in round deciding what two teams progress to the Liguilla.
Sunday night saw the curtain come down on the 2023 Liga MX Apertura season with all sides completing their seventeen games of the season.
A place in the top ten was the minimum requirement to keep the season alive as the top six teams progress automatically to the Liguilla with America, Monterrey, Tigres, Pumas, Chivas and Puebla securing top six places.
The 2023 Apertura will see for the first time a new play-in format to see what other two teams progress to the quarterfinals with the structure inspired on the model recently employed by the NBA.
Play-in fixtures
Seventh placed San Luis now face Leon with the winner sealing their place in the quarter-finals. The loser of that fixture then hosts the winner of the meeting between the ninth (Santos Laguna) and 10th-place (Mazatlan) for the final last-eight berth.
Play-in dates
There will be no domestic action this week due to the international break and although Liga MX has not confirmed the definitive match dates and times, everything seems to indicate that the games Atlético San Luis vs León and Santos Laguna vs Mazatlán will be played on Thursday, 23 November.
The third match of the play-in will probably be held on Sunday the 26th of the same week.