As Toluca triumphed in 2025, so-called Liga MX “giants” remained stuck in the past
Toluca won back-to-back Liga MX championships in 2025, as traditional Mexican powerhouses continued to fall short in the modern era.
Toluca’s Apertura 2025 title repeat didn’t just strengthen its standing among the most successful clubs in Mexican soccer - it also reignited a debate the numbers no longer allow anyone to ignore. Over the past 50 years, Liga MX has seen its protagonists shift, and several of the teams traditionally labeled “giants” have lost ground in the modern era.
Although the all-time trophy count still favors clubs like Chivas Guadalajara and Cruz Azul, recent analysis shows a clear divide between those dominating the present and those living off past glories. With back‑to‑back titles in 2025, Toluca has become the clearest example of sustained excellence outside the traditional historical narrative.
Liga MX powerhouses under the microscope
If you look strictly at championships won over the last 50 years, the contrast is stark. Club América has maintained its supremacy with 14 titles out of a possible 16 finals in that span, proving its greatness isn’t just rooted in history - it’s still very much alive.
Pumas also presents a compelling case: seven titles in seven finals, a perfect record that keeps them firmly in the conversation as a competitive force, even if they haven’t consistently controlled every decade. The asterisk for Club Universidad, however, is a 14‑year championship drought.
Chivas and Cruz Azul, meanwhile, show numbers that explain much of their current narrative. Guadalajara has managed just four titles in 12 finals over that period, while Cruz Azul owns four championships in nine tries - figures that reflect more frustration than celebration in modern Mexican soccer.
Toluca and the clubs that defined the modern era
Toluca’s back‑to‑back crowns in 2025 reaffirmed a trend decades in the making. Los Diablos Rojos have racked up nine titles in 11 finals over the past 50 years - an efficiency rate that puts them ahead of several clubs historically considered bigger.
Joining them is a group of teams that have been steady protagonists throughout the 21st century. Tigres boast eight titles in eight finals, while Rayados have won five out of five - total dominance whenever a championship has been on the line.
Santos Laguna (six titles in six finals) and Pachuca (seven titles in seven finals) round out a block of clubs that, despite lacking the traditional “big club” label, have built a truly winning identity in the modern era of Mexican soccer.
Living off the past or competing in the present
Numbers don’t erase history, but they do redefine the present. Chivas and Cruz Azul remain massive clubs with huge followings and major media influence, yet their on‑field impact over the last 50 years has fallen short of projects that have been more consistent and better built.
As Toluca celebrates a championship repeat that cements its place among the most successful teams in contemporary Mexican soccer, Liga MX makes one thing clear: in the modern era, greatness is maintained through recent titles - not just memories.
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