17 Jul 2026
How Liga MX Matchdays, Jornadas, Schedules and Liguilla Dates Work
Liga MX runs two separate league tournaments each season: the Apertura in the second half of the year and the Clausura in the first half. Each has its own regular-season jornadas, table, Play-In round and Liguilla playoffs.
What a jornada means in Liga MX
A jornada is a round of regular-season fixtures. Liga MX has 18 clubs, and each club plays 17 regular-season matches in an Apertura or Clausura tournament. Every team faces each opponent once, so there is no home-and-away return match during the same tournament. A jornada does not always fit into one calendar day: its matches can be spread across Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A club may also play a match from another jornada later if a fixture has been moved.
Apertura and Clausura calendars
Liga MX divides its season into two championships. The Apertura usually begins in July and finishes in December. The Clausura usually begins in January and finishes in May. Each tournament starts with a new league table, so points and positions from the Apertura do not carry into the Clausura. The exact start and finish dates change each year because of FIFA international windows, national-team tournaments, stadium availability and other competitions. Liga MX publishes an official calendar before each tournament, with dates for all 17 jornadas and the postseason.
How the regular-season schedule is built
Each club receives 17 opponents and a mix of home and away matches. Home-field assignments can differ between the Apertura and Clausura, and a team that hosted an opponent in one tournament may visit that opponent in the next. The fixture list must account for shared stadiums, local security plans, travel, television windows and international breaks. That is why some rounds have unusual timing, such as a midweek jornada or a club playing on a different day from most of the league.
Postponed and rescheduled fixtures
Liga MX can postpone a fixture because of severe weather, poor pitch conditions, security concerns, a stadium problem, travel disruption or a scheduling conflict. The league announces a new date when it is confirmed. Until that match is played, the standings may show clubs with different numbers of games played. Points per match can give a clearer short-term view of the table, but official qualification places are normally decided by total points once every club has completed its 17 matches. A rescheduled match still belongs to its original jornada for fixture-list purposes, even if it is played weeks later.
Kickoff times and how to check them
Kickoff times are set for each match rather than for an entire jornada. Liga MX games commonly take place in evening slots, but weekend afternoon matches and midweek games are also used. The listed kickoff time is normally local time at the host stadium. Mexico has more than one time zone, and some areas have different daylight-saving rules, so fans outside the venue's region should check the time-zone conversion. Club channels and Liga MX's official match schedule are the safest sources because broadcasters, weather or operational issues can still lead to changes.
When the Play-In and Liguilla take place
After Jornada 17, the top six clubs in the table qualify directly for the Liguilla quarter-finals. Teams placed seventh through 10th enter the Play-In. Seventh plays eighth, with the winner taking the seventh Liguilla seed. Ninth plays 10th, and the winner then faces the loser of seventh versus eighth for the eighth seed. The Liguilla follows with two-legged quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Quarter-final pairings are 1st versus 8th, 2nd versus 7th, 3rd versus 6th and 4th versus 5th; later rounds are arranged by the highest and lowest remaining seeds. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the higher regular-season seed advances if the aggregate score is level. The final uses extra time and penalties if needed. Its exact dates are announced on the tournament calendar and can move around FIFA windows or other major events.
Analysis: pksport · our methodology
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