The rule that saved Pumas and eliminated América from Liga MX playoffs after 6-6 shocker
Liga MX’s unusual playoff tiebreaker left casual fans confused after Pumas eliminated América without extra time or penalties.
Pumas are through to the semifinals of the Liga MX Clausura 2026 playoffs after edging past Club América, kind of, in another dramatic Clásico Capitalino on Sunday.
Having played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of the quarterfinals on May 3, the Mexico City rivals repeated the feat a week later, resulting in a 6-6 aggregate score few would have seen coming. Yet despite being tied after 180 minutes, it was Pumas who progressed to the last four without the need for extra time or penalties.
Why did Pumas advance after drawing with América?
Many Liga MX fans will, of course, be well aware of the league’s playoff rules, which are relatively unorthodox in world soccer. However, more casual followers were left scratching their heads as to why América had been dumped out of the liguilla after two draws.
In the opening rounds of the Liga MX playoffs, there is no extra time and no penalty shootout. Instead, if teams are level at the end of the second leg, the team that finished higher in the 17-game regular season holds the tiebreaker as a reward.
Pumas, who had the best regular-season record of all Liga MX teams, therefore qualified for the semifinals on the back of two ties against América, who finished eighth. Similarly, Chivas, second in the regular season, progressed to the last four by virtue of a 3-3 aggregate score against seventh-placed Tigres.
Does the Liga MX final use the same tiebreaker?
That particular tiebreaker does not apply to the playoff final, in which 30 minutes of extra time, split into two 15-minute periods, are played if the teams are tied at the end of the second leg. A penalty shootout follows if they still cannot be separated.
Pumas gaining ground in Clásico Capitalino rivalry
This year marked the eighth time Pumas and América have faced each other in Liga MX’s short tournament format, and UNAM continued to chip away at the head-to-head imbalance. América won five of the first six ties between the teams, but Pumas have now come out on top in the last two, leaving the overall series at 5-3 in Las Águilas’ favor.
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