When does the 2026 Liga MX Clausura tournament begin? Dates and competition schedule
The Apertura 2025 is coming to an end, but in less than a month Liga MX activity returns - with a compressed calendar to accommodate the World Cup.
It’s championship day in Liga MX. Toluca and Tigres face off at Estadio Nemesio Diez later tonight to decide the winner of the Apertura 2025.
One more semester of Mexican soccer will be written into the history books, while the rest of the league already looks ahead to the Clausura 2026, which is just around the corner.
Antes del silbatazo, la ilusión. 🙌
— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) December 13, 2025
En las gradas, la fiesta. 🎉
En la cancha, intensidad, entrega y pasión. 🔥
Y el #Acceso, cortesía de @RexonaMx, nos regala tomas exclusivas del primer capítulo de la #FinalDeLaAfición. 📽️#RexonaNoTeAbandona | #UANLTOL #AP25 pic.twitter.com/zTWE23oLF8
Quick turnaround: the Clausura 2026 starts January 9
Fans won’t have to wait long for the next tournament. After today’s final, Liga MX will pause for less than a month. The Clausura 2026 kicks off Friday, January 9 at 8:00 PM EST with the opening round of matches.
The season will run from January 9 through May 18, with a compressed schedule due to next summer’s 2026 World Cup, which opens at Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca on June 11.
To fit everything in, the league will feature three double-match weeks, eliminate the play-in round, and allow clubs to field up to nine foreign players during the playoffs.
The key dates of the Clausura 2026
- Week 1 opening games: January 9
- Week 17 regular season concludes
- Quarter-finals: May 2 and 3 (first legs) | May 9 and 10 (second legs)
- Semifinals: May 13 and 14 (first leg games) | May 16 and 17 (second leg games).
- Final: May 21 and 24
Concacaf Champions Cup adds extra pressure
The first half of 2026 also brings international competition. Six Liga MX clubs—Toluca, Cruz Azul, Pumas, Monterrey, Tigres, and América—will compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which begins in February 2026. That means an even busier calendar for Mexico’s top teams as they balance domestic and continental ambitions.
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