Mexican soccer has been plunged into turmoil after a claim was filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport that threatens to divide the country’s game.
Eleven sides from Mexico’s second-tier Liga MX Expansion filed the claim against the 18 representatives of the top-flight Liga MX, as well as the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) governing body, demanding promotion and relegation between the two divisions be resumed with the 2025-26 campaign.
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Traditionally, only one team has been relegated and one team promoted between the tiers, but that was suspended at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic for a six-season period in order to insulate the clubs from the financial impacts of lost revenue during the enforced lockdown.
Now though, the 18 Liga MX sides have requested that the move be made permanent, turning the competition into a closed league similar to the US’ Major League Soccer, and barring promotion from any lower league sides.
The Liga Expansion claim says that the FMF has ignored the league’s requests to begin the process of reintegrating promotion and relegation (P&R) ahead of the upcoming season, as in its view the agreement began in 2020, and P&R should be reintroduced ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Liga Expansion’s claim also highlights the fact that many Liga MX officials have pushed to support the prospect of a closed league.
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By GlobalDataThe hearing is set to be concluded by CAS before the end of 2025.
Commenting on the filing Eduardo Carlezzo, founding partner of law firm Carlezzo Advogados (which has been selected to represent the Liga Expansion sides), commented: “This can credibly be considered the most significant ever football dispute in the country given its far-reaching repercussions – addressing major and controversial issues that have plagued Mexican football for years.
Speaking to Sportcal after the case's announcement, Carlezzo continued: "A closed league would destroy all the minor leagues in Mexico, including Liga Expansión. Why would anyone want to invest in clubs that are not allowed to grow?"
Another prominent aspect of the case is the prevalence of multi-club groups in Mexican soccer.
In Liga MX, despite FIFA rulings against intra-league multi-club groups (and FMF statutes that echo those rulings), four ownership groups control eight teams, rising to 11 when considering the Liga Expansion sides.
It is understood that four of those Liga MX sides are seeking buyers, and if Liga MX were to move to a permanently closed league, the subsequent revenue security it would grant those teams would push their sale values up higher, creating a conflict of interest.
This reared its head earlier in 2025 when Liga MX side Leon was banned from the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup due to the fact Pachuca, with which it shares an owner, also qualified, with CAS ruling against the team then.
On this, Carlezzo added: "Everything is connected: promotion and relegation, the closed league system, and multi-club ownership. Ultimately, it all impacts promotion and relegation.
"If we imagine that four groups own two clubs each in Liga MX, but the FMF Statutes prohibit this, then at some point, one of those clubs may no longer be able to remain in the Liga MX and would therefore be relegated. The recent CAS ruling on the removal of León from the Club World Cup sets a significant precedent."
The move will also impact any future external investment into Liga MX, particularly from Apollo Global Management, which tabled an offer late in 2024.
Carlezzo continued that any external investment must be made to benefit all of Mexican soccer, and not only the 18 teams of the top flight.
The Liga MX annual general assembly will take place on May 26, with the potential discussion of these topics possibly pre-empting further animosity.
