Toluca's Historic Victory Reshapes 2026 Liga MX Clausura: Everything You Need to Know About the New Format and Crucial Dates
The 2025 Liga MX Apertura campaign made history, but there's no pause for celebration as the Clausura 2026 tournament begins on January 9, 2026.
Toluca secured consecutive championships in an exciting Apertura 2025 finale, beating Tigres to claim their 12th league crown. This achievement made them the second most successful team in Liga MX history and just the fifth club this century to earn back-to-back titles.
However, the current titleholders won't have much opportunity to celebrate their achievement, as the Clausura 2026 tournament starts less than four weeks following the Apertura 2025 championship match.
Liga MX clubs that failed to reach the Apertura 2025 Play-In stage have been strategizing for the Clausura 2026 campaign since before the November international window began. In the upcoming weeks, squads will maintain their preparations as they attempt to overthrow Toluca as champions.
Like nearly every season, several clubs—particularly those that advanced deep into the Apertura playoffs—will probably use the opening weeks of the new tournament as an extended preparation period, getting back into competitive shape following a short break while also continuing to search the transfer market for new signings.
When February arrives, the Clausura 2026 campaign will gain full momentum, with every squad reaching peak performance in their effort to secure one of eight playoff positions in May.
Here are the important dates you need to know to prepare for the Liga MX Clausura 2026 season launch.
Liga MX Clausura 2026 Key Dates
The Liga MX Clausura 2026 campaign will commence on Friday, January 9, and the regular season will cover the opening four months of the year, finishing on Sunday, April 26.
The peak of the Clausura 2026 will begin just days afterward, with "La Liguilla"—the Liga MX playoffs—launching with the quarterfinal round spanning May 3–10. The semifinal stage begins the subsequent week, from May 13–17.
The two-match Clausura 2026 championship will determine a new Liga MX titleholder before the summer hiatus. The opening leg will take place on May 21 and the crucial second leg is set for May 24.
How Will The 2026 World Cup Impact Liga MX
Due to the 2026 World Cup that Mexico will co-host, the Liga MX Clausura 2026 campaign will differ from previous tournaments, particularly when the competition reaches its finale.
The approaching World Cup led to Liga MX eliminating Play-In matches—the stage that previously decided the final two quarterfinalists—for the Clausura 2026 season. Instead, the top eight clubs in the regular season will directly advance to that phase, as occurred until 2020.
However, the most substantial effect the World Cup will have on the Clausura 2026 campaign relates to the Mexico national squad.
To assist El Tri's preparation, league executives approved a measure that will see every Liga MX player chosen in Javier Aguirre's 26-man World Cup squad leave their club on April 30. El Tri players will take one week off according to FIFA regulations and then join the national team during the first complete week of May to start training under Aguirre, slightly more than a month before Mexico's World Cup opener.
Consequently, the Liga MX Clausura 2026 playoffs will lack El Tri players, a circumstance that could significantly affect teams' opportunities to claim the title. For instance, it's probable that defending champions Toluca won't be able to utilize three crucial players—Alexis Vega, Marcel Ruiz and Jesús Gallardo—in their pursuit of a third consecutive championship.
To attempt to offset this, as a one-time exception, Liga MX will permit teams to use up to nine international players during the playoffs, two additional than they would normally be allowed under standard conditions.