Clausura 2026 playoffs set to crown historic new champion
As the Liga MX playoffs head into the semifinals, Mexican soccer is preparing to witness a first-time title winner.
The Clausura 2026 playoffs have now reached the semifinal stage - and all of the head coaches in the last four are chasing their first ever Liga MX championship.
Liga MX to crown new title winner on the bench
The most experienced of the four managers still standing is Efraín Juárez. The Pumas boss has taken charge of 55 matches in the top flight of Mexican men’s league soccer.
Gabriel Milito has managed 41 games in Liga MX, all with Chivas Guadalajara, marking just the second time the Argentine has guided a team into the playoffs.
Next up is Esteban Solari. The Pachuca manager has overseen just 21 Liga MX matches in total, reaching his first postseason as a head coach in Mexican soccer.
Rookie coach Joel Hiqui, meanwhile, is just three games into his spell as interim boss at Cruz Azul, having replaced Nicolás Larcamón at the tail end of the Clausura 2026 regular season.
Three of the semifinals’ four coaches knocked out managers who have won back-to-back Liga MX titles. Huiqui eliminated Diego Cocca, who captured consecutive championships with Atlas.
Solari ousted the most recent back-to-back Liga MX winner, Antonio “El Turco” Mohamed, while Juárez knocked out André Jardine, a three-time champion in Mexican soccer.
In total, the quartet of Juárez, Milito, Solari and Hiqui have eliminated coaches who, combined, have lifted the Mexican title seven times. Jardine and Mohamed alone account for the last five championships.
How were the semifinals set?
Pumas will face Pachuca, while Chivas gets a shot at redemption against Cruz Azul, after being eliminated by La Máquina in the Apertura 2025.
The first legs will be played Wednesday and Thursday, with the return matches set for Saturday and Sunday.
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