Five Powerhouse Teams Battle for Liga MX Apertura 2025 Crown
The Liga MX Apertura 2025 campaign kicks off this weekend, featuring all 18 clubs making their seasonal debuts.
Throughout the summer break, every team in Mexico's premier division actively pursued new signings to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season. With the transfer market still ongoing, Mexican clubs are expected to continue bolstering their rosters as they aim to challenge Toluca's reign as Liga MX champions.
Anticipation runs high for what the Apertura 2025 tournament might bring, as several teams have assembled some of the most impressive lineups across North and South America on paper. With the World Cup just one year away, both domestic and foreign players will be eager to showcase their talents to earn selection for their national teams next summer.
While all clubs have strengthened their squads for the Apertura 2025, certain teams clearly stand out as superior and begin the campaign as primary championship contenders.
Here's Sports Illustrated's assessment of the top five favorites to claim the Apertura 2025 crown in December.
5. Tigres
Tigres have reached the Liga MX quarterfinals in each of the past 21 campaigns. This remarkable run has witnessed the Monterrey-based outfit capture five Liga MX championships over the previous decade. Simply stated, Tigres consistently remain title contenders.
Club legend Guido Pizarro retired from playing one month into the Clausura 2025 season to assume the managerial role. Tigres advanced to the semifinals but appeared notably outclassed by eventual champions Toluca.
Pizarro's sophomore managerial campaign will benefit from acquiring 2022 World Cup winner Ángel Correa from Atlético Madrid. Club legend André-Pierre Gignac is expected to feature more prominently this season after struggling with injuries during the year's first half. Approaching 40 years old, this might represent Gignac's final opportunity, and he'll desire to conclude with his sixth Liga MX championship.
Tigres possess a formidable squad with skilled players across all positions; nevertheless, the team's golden era has essentially ended. Pizarro remains an inexperienced, untested manager who must maximize his players' potential if Tigres hope to compete with elite teams during the playoffs.
4. Toluca
Toluca dominated Liga MX throughout the first half of 2025, capping off the Clausura campaign with their first league championship since 2010.
The championship-winning squad's key components return for the Apertura 2025, with expectations for Toluca to defend their title successfully. Antonio Mohamed executed flawlessly in his inaugural season with Los Diablos Rojos, securing his fourth Liga MX championship across four different clubs.
Nevertheless, Toluca failed to secure major reinforcements for their title defense, essentially fielding the identical team minus some crucial role players like Isaías Violante. Alexis Vega and Paulinho continue ranking among the nation's elite players, though it's reasonable to suggest Toluca might be slightly weaker than last season.
Despite his four league championships, Mohamed has never successfully defended a title with any Liga MX team he's managed. Toluca hopes to break this pattern, but replicating their first-half dominance may prove challenging.
3. Club America
Club América has dominated Liga MX over the previous two years, capturing three consecutive titles and reaching the final in each of the last four seasons.
André Jardine constructed a dynasty, creating one of Mexican football's greatest teams ever assembled. Now, Las Águilas hunger to reclaim their position atop Mexican soccer after losing the final to Toluca last May.
América mirrors Toluca by also failing to secure a marquee signing before the new season. Diego Valdés' departure represents the transfer window's most significant development for Las Águilas. With Álvaro Fidalgo and Brian Rodríguez's futures remaining unclear, América must pursue reinforcements during the remaining transfer period.
Nevertheless, it's inconceivable to envision Las Águilas missing the playoffs. Once qualified, Jardine's team typically elevates their performance and becomes truly intimidating. América will maintain their status as title favorites until proven otherwise.
2. Monterrey
Monterrey boasts an impressive roster, arguably among the continent's finest—possibly the very best. However, domestic success has eluded them throughout the 2020s.
Many attribute this to the absence of an appropriate manager capable of managing a locker room filled with star players. Martín Demichelis was the latest attempt, ultimately joining the extensive list of coaches who couldn't deliver Monterrey's first Liga MX title since 2019.
Enter Domènec Torrent. The former Atlético San Luis coach and Pep Guardiola assistant excelled in his previous role and started his Monterrey tenure with an impressive Club World Cup showing, drawing against Champions League finalists Inter Milan and challenging Borussia Dortmund until the final moments in the round of 16.
The roster's quality is unquestionable. If players embrace Torrent's tactical approach, then Rayados could pose a significant threat to the rest of Liga MX. Torrent guided a much weaker team to the Apertura 2024 semifinals; now, he commands a star-studded squad fully capable of winning everything this season.
1. Cruz Azul
One could argue that no Mexican team has performed better than Cruz Azul since early 2024—yes, including Club América. Establishing the Liga MX single-season points record, suffering only three regular season losses over the past year, and claiming a Concacaf Champions Cup trophy represent outstanding achievements, yet despite this peripheral success, La Máquina has yet to secure a Liga MX title with this exceptional core.
Cruz Azul enters the Apertura 2025 enthusiastic about the Nicolás Larcamón era beginning. The Argentine excelled with Necaxa and has performed admirably in Liga MX since arriving in 2020. Now, he receives his first opportunity to manage a genuine contender.
Sporting Director Ivan Alonso's tenure commenced eighteen months ago with Martín Anselmi's managerial appointment. Anselmi's Cruz Azul was spectacular, so impressive that the manager moved to Europe with Porto. Alonso's selection of Larcamón, who employs a very similar philosophy, appears to continue the established project.
Acquiring José Paradela, one of last season's premier league performers, strengthens an already loaded roster. Still, Cruz Azul isn't finished, with reports indicating that former Real Madrid striker Luka Jović is close to joining the club.
Cruz Azul possesses a deep and talented roster plus a manager who has demonstrated his ability to succeed with considerably weaker teams. Without question, it's a tenth Liga MX title or failure for La Máquina in the Apertura 2025.