In 2020, the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol announced that promotions and relegations would be abolished following a vote from Liga MX clubs.
The decision was made following the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that a continuation of promotion and relegations would jeopardise the financial strength of teams in both the Liga MX and Liga MX de Expansión.
Since its decision, Mexican football fans have stressed their outrage over the decision. We have seen a lack of interest from teams at the bottom of the Liga MX table, with no significant punishments to improve the quality of performances, resulting in even lower attendances for certain clubs.
As for teams in the Liga MX de Expansión, their reward for winning the league has been... to remain in the same division. The league was introduced as part of these plans to remove promotions and relegations and has offered clubs a space to compete without the possibility of developing and entering the biggest league in Mexican football.
Previous Liga MX de Expansión winners
Following the same format as the Liga MX, with an Apertura and Clausura, Mexico City-based Atlante, has been crowned champions three times. Heavily tipped to become one of the first teams to head towards the Liga MX, Atlante are four-time champions of Mexican football and boast a major fan base, despite battling with Club América, Cruz Azul and Pumas for supporters in the capital.
Tapatío are the only other side to win the Liga MX de Expansión on more than one occasion, Clausura 2023 & Apertura 2024. Deriving from Guadalajara, it is a development team for 12-time Liga MX champions, Chivas. Their relationship with Los Rojiblancos means that they would unlikely ever earn a spot in the top-flight, but the reintroduction of promotions and relegations will boost the quality played in the league, giving players a better chance of earning a call-up into the Chivas squad.
Outside of Atlante and Tapatío, there have been five other league winners. The first ever champions were Jaiba Brava Club (Tampico Madero), before Tepatitlán Football Club later got their hands on the trophy. Other league winners include 2000 Liga MX winners Atlético Morelia, FC Cancún and most recently Club Deportivo Leones Negros de la U. de G.
How did Liga MX teams vote?
363Scores México recently revealed the vote, which took place in April 2020, on how each team voted in regards to the continuation of promotions and relegations.
EL DÍA QUE SE ELIMINÓ EL ASCENSO EN LA LIGA MX 🇲🇽⚽️
— 365Scores México🇲🇽 (@365scoresMX) September 5, 2025
En abril de 2020, los dueños de la Liga MX eliminaron el ascenso y descenso para crear la “Liga de Desarrollo” ❌
📌 10 clubes votaron por eliminarlo
📌 8 clubes querían mantenerlo
📌 Al final, con la multipropiedad, 15 dueños… pic.twitter.com/7eKmBkTuv4
The vote revealed that eight clubs, among them Monterrey, Tigres, Chivas, and Pumas, backed the continuation of promotion and relegation. Unsurprisingly, these sides share a common thread: they are some of Mexico’s most successful teams, rarely threatened by relegation and more often found challenging at the top of the table for the title.
On the other hand, teams such as Puebla and Querétaro, who have found themselves often at the foot of the table in recent years, and several of Mexico’s more recent additions, Tijuana, Atlético de San Luis, FC Juárez, and Monarcas Morelia (now Mazatlán), voted to abolish it.
What do you think of the decision to bring back promotions and relegations? Let us know!