Liga MX Clausura 2026 Preview

Last Updated on January 7, 2026 4:05 pm by Erwin Noguera

This Friday, January 9, Mexican football gets underway with the start of the Liga MX Clausura tournament, which will be the 115th edition of the top-flight championship and the 60th short-format tournament.

A total of 18 teams will compete until May 24 for the title, currently held by Toluca, which lifted the trophy in mid-December and is now aiming for a three-peat.

At Gambyl Exchange, you can explore all the predictions for the Liga MX Clausura 2026, the final bets for this Matchday, and the odds for each match.

Liga MX Clausura Betting Odds

Liga MX Clausura New Format

Due to the World Cup taking place this year, the tournament underwent a slight adjustment to the schedule to finish earlier. The Play-In phase has been eliminated, meaning only the top eight teams will advance directly to the quarterfinals.

Aside from that, the competition keeps the same format: 18 teams playing a 17-match round-robin season, with the top eight in the standings at the end advancing to the playoffs.

The playoff matchups are predetermined: the team finishing first will face the eighth, second against seventh, third against sixth, and fourth against fifth. These ties will be played over two legs. In both the quarterfinals and semifinals, if the aggregate score is tied, the team with the higher position in the regular-season standings will advance.

The final will also be played over two legs. However, if the aggregate score is tied, two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.

As has been the case in recent years, there is no relegation in Mexican football. However, finishing near the bottom of the relegation coefficient table still carries consequences, as the team in last place must pay a fine of 80 million Mexican pesos, the second-to-last team 47 million, and the third-to-last team 33 million. The coefficient table is calculated by dividing the total points earned by the number of matches played over the last three years.

Clausura MX Top Contenders

One of the main title contenders is Toluca, the reigning champion, who are chasing a historic three-peat and looking to replicate what América achieved just a few tournaments ago. Their biggest reinforcement hasn’t been a new signing, but rather keeping the core of the squad intact.

Midfielders Sebastián Córdova and Pavel Pérez arrived from Tigres and Necaxa, respectively, and are so far the club’s only additions. They join a strong squad led by Paulinho, the top scorer of the Apertura 2025, who, in recent months, has been linked with a return to the Portuguese national team. Alongside Alexis Vega and Helinho, the ‘Diablos Rojos’ are aiming for another title. Among the departures is veteran midfielder Héctor Herrera.

One team looking to dethrone them is América, who were coming off a three-peat of their own until Toluca ended that run by defeating them in the final a year ago. An already strong roster has been boosted by the experience of Rodrigo Dourado, a midfielder who was one of the standout players at Atlético San Luis.

The only departure so far is Dutch forward Javairo Dilrosun, who had not featured much in recent months and was loaned out to Los Angeles FC.

Allan Saint-Maximin is now more settled and is expected to be one of the stars of the tournament, while hopes are high that Henry Martín will return from injury and regain his best form to fight for a spot on the Mexican national team ahead of the World Cup.

Another top contender is Pachuca, who boast one of the league’s most dangerous attacks. Alongside Enner Valencia, Jhonder Cádiz, and Oussama Idrissi, they welcome back Salomón Rondón, the team’s top scorer, who returns after six months with Oviedo in Spain, where he struggled and scored just two goals.

Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho has already gone through his adaptation phase and is expected to play a key role, while Alan Mozo is another new addition after falling out of favor at Chivas.

Liga MX Clausura Outside Picks

Cruz Azul has been competitive in several tournaments but has been unable to make the final leap to a championship. After weeks of negotiations, they finally completed the signing of Agustín Palavecino, who will reunite with José Paradela as they look to recreate the strong partnership they once formed at Necaxa.

Alongside Palavecino comes Miguel Borja. The Colombian striker previously played with the Argentine at River Plate, a club he left after scoring 62 goals in 159 appearances. On the downside, Ignacio Rivero departed for Xolos. The Uruguayan was one of the pillars of the midfield, but reportedly did not have a good relationship with the head coach.

Club León, meanwhile, has been one of the most active teams in the transfer market. They brought in Colombia U-20 national team goalkeeper Jordan García, Chilean defender Sebastián Vegas, Uruguayan winger Nicolás Vallejo, and Colombian striker Diber Cambindo, among others. The negative aspect of their window was the departure of James Rodríguez and Nicolás Fonseca.

Finally, there is Necaxa. Despite suffering several major departures, including Palavecino, Cambindo, and Johan Rojas, they have secured one of the most significant signings of the transfer window: Julián Carranza. The 25-year-old Argentine striker was purchased from Feyenoord for $4 million, although he spent the past few months at Leicester City, where he saw limited playing time. Carranza arrived in Europe in mid-2024 and has already made his mark by scoring in the Champions League, netting a goal that helped eliminate AC Milan.

Liga MX Clausura Podium