After Toluca were crowned repeat champions of Liga MX on Sunday night, the league wasted no time unveiling the full regular-season schedule for the 2026 Clausura. The timing felt intentional. With Mexico set to host the opening match of the World Cup just weeks after the season ends — in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara — this Clausura carries a sense of transition, urgency, and significance beyond the table itself as Mexican football moves further into the global spotlight.
Structural changes underscore that feeling. The controversial “play-in” round has been eliminated, with only the top eight teams advancing directly to the Liguilla. The goal is a tighter, more intense calendar, one that concludes in May ahead of the World Cup kickoff on June 11th at the remodeled Estadio Azteca. Every point will matter, and there will be far less room to coast.
Toluca Opens the Season Against Monterrey Rayados
The schedule wastes no time delivering narrative weight. Matchday 1 (January 10) sees the bi-campeones Toluca travel north to face Monterrey Rayados at Estadio BBVA. It is a loaded opener: Toluca has eliminated Monterrey in two consecutive playoff series, and head coach Antonio “Turco” Mohamed previously won a league title with Rayados. The season begins with unfinished business already on the table.
Elsewhere on opening weekend, Club América travels to Tijuana, where they enjoy a sizable following, to face a Xolos side led by teenage superstar Gilberto Mora. It is the type of matchup that often defines the early tone of a Clausura — talent-rich, unpredictable, and emotionally charged.
Momentum continues quickly. Matchday 2 features defending finalists Tigres hosting Pumas, while Matchday 3 delivers the rematch of the most recent final final: Tigres versus Toluca at Estadio Universitario on January 17. That same weekend, Pachuca hosts Club América, a fixture that has quietly become one of the league’s most tactically compelling.
January closes with Cruz Azul traveling to Juárez on Matchday 4, a match that has tripped up title contenders before.
CONCACAF Champions Cup Begins in February
February adds another layer of difficulty as Liga MX clubs enter the CONCACAF Champions Cup, forcing teams like Tigres, América, and defending continental champions Cruz Azul to rely heavily on squad depth due to the extra matches.
One early highlight arrives on February 7, when Cruz Azul visits Toluca, while Monterrey — a side that struggled away from home last season — travels to face Club América on the same day. Rotation and fatigue will already be influencing results by this point in the calendar.
The Clásico Nacional headlines Matchday 6, with América vs. Chivas set for Saturday, February 14, at Estadio Akron. That same weekend, Tigres hosts Cruz Azul in a late Sunday showdown that could already shape the top four.
The Estadio Olímpico Universitario then becomes a focal point. On February 21, Cruz Azul hosts Chivas, followed by Pumas vs. Monterrey the next day. Matchday 8 closes out February with one of the strongest slates of the season:
Tijuana vs. Pumas
Atlas at Juárez
Toluca hosting Chivas
Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul
América vs. Tigres
It is a stretch that will separate contenders from pretenders.
March and April Calendar Features Clásico Regio
March opens with Atlas hosting Tijuana before the league delivers one of its most anticipated weekends. Matchday 10 features a double clásico card: Atlas vs. Chivas and the always volatile Clásico Regio between Tigres and Monterrey.
The intensity barely lets up. Matchday 11 brings Pumas vs. Cruz Azul, while Matchday 12 includes Pachuca vs. Toluca, Pumas vs. América, and Monterrey hosting Chivas. Every fixture carries top-eight implications.
As April approaches, the margins tighten further. Chivas hosts Pumas on Matchday 13, Tigres travels to Tijuana — a venue where they were humbled in last season’s Liguilla 3-0 (before completing the comeback at home) — and the final stretch begins to take shape. Tigres hosts Chivas on Matchday 14, América faces Cruz Azul, and Atlas welcomes Monterrey.
Matchday 15 sets up a defining moment: Club América vs. Toluca, a potential title-preview with symbolic weight. Matchday 16 could also be decisive, as Pachuca vs. Tijuana may determine who sneaks into the final playoff spots.
The regular season closes with rivalry and consequence everywhere: Monterrey travels to face Santos, Atlético San Luis visits Juárez with playoff hopes possibly on the line, América hosts Atlas, Toluca welcomes León, and Pachuca faces Pumas.
The Playoff Series Is in May
The 2026 Clausura Liguilla will take over the month of May. With no play-in round, the postseason will feature four two-leg quarterfinals, followed by semifinals and a final. The CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals will overlap in late April and early May, further testing elite squads with ambitions on multiple fronts.
The Winter Transfer Window Will Matter
The winter transfer window closes on February 9, just after Matchday 5. Early-season rotation will be common as clubs balance fitness, chemistry, and continental commitments. Club América, under André Jardine, has become known for this approach.
Movement has already begun. Chivas signed 22-year-old attacking midfielder Brian Gutiérrez from MLS side Chicago Fire — a player with deep family ties to the club. Sergio Ramos concluded his stint in Mexico, leaving Monterrey after a productive spell at age 39.
What makes this Clausura 2026 compelling isn’t just the matchups — it’s the context. A shortened format, World Cup anticipation, tactical evolution, and genuine parity at the top have created a season where every weekend feels consequential. Liga MX has rarely entered a campaign with this much narrative weight, and as the calendar turns toward summer, the league has a chance to remind everyone just how high its ceiling truly is.
Main Photo Credit: Imago Images Copyright: xUlisesxNaranjox
