The Mexican domestic league has had three incarnations across its 81 years of existence.
First there was the Liga Major that ran throughout the Nineteen-Forties. Then came the Primera Division de Mexico that sometimes struggled, sometimes flourished for 63 seasons.
This incarnation enjoyed a huge upsurge in popularity following the 1970 World Cup as football transformed into technicolour and a passionate nation began to properly embrace the sport for the first time.
Biggest Clubs in Mexican Football
-
Club América
-
C.D. Guadalajara
-
Deportivo Toluca
-
Cruz Azul
-
Club León
Then in 2012, significant modernisation took place and the Liga MX was born, accompanied of course by all manner of lucrative commercial partners. Included in the rebranding was a new organisation behind the scenes, running the show.
And what a show it is. It may surprise to learn that Liga MX is the fourth most popular domestic league in the world, in terms of attendance at least.
Crucially too, it trails only to the English Premier League for viewing figures north of the border in the US of A.
Its appeal incidentally is not solely due to the plethora of fascinating rivalries and the quality on display. The format of the Liga MX is unusual and captivating, essentially consisting of two separate seasons that run from July to December and January to May.
The first is called the Apertura, the second, Clausura. Each have a play-off system – featuring the ten highest finishers - at its conclusion to determine a champion.
So which teams have consistently been the behemoths of this vibrant and far-reaching competition? Who are the side to back in the football betting, both historically and right up to the present day?
These five take some beating.
5) Club León
Club León squeaks into our top five, pushed all the way by Tigres UANL who have enjoyed greater success in the modern era.
What ultimately tips the scales in favour of Los Panzas Verdes (The Green Bellies) is their illustrious history and perhaps too a better name-recognition abroad, the latter largely deriving from achievements in continental competitions.
As recently as 2023, this historic club based in Guanajuato, won the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
If that suggests León are currently in rude health, it’s true, they are, but that wasn’t always the case.
Early success in the Forties and Fifties gave way to decades of mediocrity and trophyless campaigns, a prolonged slump that hit rock bottom with relegation in the Eighties. It was an ignominy they endured again twenty years later.
Now though, they’re back, this esteemed institution that joined the Mexican league in its second ever season, going on to claim eight titles, last doing so in 2020.
4) Cruz Azul
Club de Futbol Cruz Azul, to give them their full name have roots that far precede organised football, playing amateur games in Mexico City as far back as 1927.
Two years prior they were a baseball side, representing a local cement company, that was until Garces Lopez – a Mexican full international and a legendary figure in the sport – intervened, lobbying for them to switch to soccer.
They remained affiliated with the cement works until the Great Depression and to offer a flavour of football back in those days, Garces Lopez was also a full-time dentist.
But enough of the quirks history delights in, Cryz Azul subsequently went on to establish themselves as a major player in South American football, winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup/League a remarkable six times.
They also dominated the Mexican landscape across the Seventies, hoovering up titles with a resplendent side that became known far and wide as the ‘Blue Machine’.
3) Deportivo Toluca
The club’s roots can be traced back all the way to 1917 and a farm in Toluca City, the two brothers who ran it organising kickabouts on patches of dry earth.
It surprises therefore to learn that the Toluca Red Devils – as they then were – were latecomers to the professional league, instead playing their football in the Mexican State Championship until 1951.
Having finally joined the party, the Diablos Rojos steadily grew in prominence and what especially impresses about their back-story is their sustained ability to remain at the fore of the national game. A barren Nineteen-Eighties aside, they have won a title in every subsequent decade.
Never relegated, there are a number of endearing qualities this club possesses, not least that their Estadio Nemesio Diez stadium is otherwise known as ‘La Bombonera’ due to resembling a chocolate box, a la Boca Juniors.
2) C.D. Guadalajara
More commonly known as ‘Chivas’, Club Deportivo Guadalajara are one of the ten founding clubs of the Mexican top-flight and such is their stature and excellence they have never endured the drop.
Truly, the Red and Whites are one of the giants of the national game, considered by Forbes as the wealthiest Mexican club and regularly topping any survey designed to uncover the most popular side in the country.
Indeed, it is estimated that one in three supporters follow Chivas, a percentage that puts Real Madrid in Spain and Manchester United in England firmly in the shade.
Priding themselves on historically favouring homegrown talent over foreign fare it naturally follows that Guadalajara have unearthed a number of gems, from the prolific Salvador Reyes back in the day to Ramon Ramirez in more modern times.
These splendid talents have led the club to considerable success, including 12 Primera Division/Liga MX titles.
1) Club América
Bestriding Mexican football from the get-go the ‘Eagles’ have imperiously broken every record going, their long-standing superiority undeniable.
The Mexico City inhabitants have won 15 domestic league titles, three more than their rivals Guadalajara. They have claimed an unsurpassed seven CONCACAF Champions Cups/Leagues as well as two Copa Intermericanas.
Unsurprisingly, they top the all-time table for points won and victories attained and with another Apertura in 2023 and a Clausura in 2024 they’re not planning on lowering their gold standard anytime soon.
Founded in 1916 by college students, the club mushroomed in prominence in the Sixties, its Estadio Azteca home showcasing an endless array of brilliant talents.
In the mid-Nineties, Hugo Sanchez ignited the place, a forward who could subvert the live betting markets in an instant with an acrobatic kick.
Other greats include Eduardo Gonzales-Palmer and Enrique Broja, a striker renowned for scoring from any unusual situation, from any part of his body.
With others in this series it can sometimes be difficult to place one club top of the pile. For Mexico it is América without any hesitation.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*
