Liga MX playoff picture: These are the teams eliminated from the Clausura 2026
With the Clausura 2026 regular season approaching its climax, we take a look at the clubs that are already out of playoff contention.
Only two matchdays remain in the Liga MX’s Clausura 2026. It’s been an atypical tournament, played ahead of the World Cup, and one that brought with it a significant change: the elimination of the play‑in, the knockout format that had extended the number of clubs with title aspirations. In its place, the league returned to a direct qualification system for the top eight teams - something that had not happened since the Apertura 2019.
With that in mind, and at this stage of the championship, there are five teams that no longer have any mathematical chance of breaking into the top seeds and earning a spot in the ‘big dance’. In several cases, their elimination represents nothing short of a massive failure.
The teams eliminated from the Clausura 2026:
- Monterrey
With a multimillion‑dollar budget and a fanbase accustomed to packing out the team’s Gigante de Acero home stadium, Monterrey stand as the biggest disappointment of the tournament. Sitting on just 15 points and currently in 14th place, they are already out of reach of León’s 22 points, which have the Panzas Verdes holding down eighth place.
- Atlético San Luis
Despite boasting one of the most prolific scorers in Mexican soccer, the San Luis project has failed to take the next step forward. Like Monterrey, they made a midseason managerial change, but the move did not produce the desired turnaround. Time to start planning for the Apertura 2026.
- Puebla
A club that has been drifting for years, with its current situation merely reflecting the lack of urgency shown by the front office. Minimal reinforcements and a head coach getting his first opportunity in Mexican soccer resulted in a badly unbalanced squad - one that has conceded twice as many goals as it has scored.
- Mazatlán
Not much needs to be said about a team that felt doomed from the outset. Los Cañoneros have been sold, and this is their final tournament - not just in the top flight, but as an entity altogether. Their only possible consolation now is to avoid last place in the overall standings during this farewell campaign, though given the opponents they face down the stretch, even that appears difficult.
- Santos Laguna
The league’s cautionary tale. For nearly five years now, the club has lost the respect of its peers, grown accustomed to the bottom of the table, and despite having a national‑team caliber goalkeeper, they are by a wide margin the worst defensive side in the tournament. The need for a deep rebuild has been urgent for quite some time.
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