For quite some time, Mexican soccer has been in a state of turmoil. To turn things around, a small group of people has emerged.

They have been making an effort to guarantee that the country’s national team and club teams participate in several major events. That includes status in a pair of South American competitions. The Copa America involves national teams, and the Copa Libertadores is the top club competition.

However, it seems that the Mexican soccer clubs will never play in the Copa Libertadores again. During the festivities surrounding the 2024 Copa America draw, this announcement was made.

Not being able to send teams to the highly esteemed Copa Libertadores has been a huge setback for Mexican soccer. Liga MX clubs were able to earn berths in the highly competitive CONMEBOL competition from 1998 to 2016, with Cruz Azul reaching the finals in 2001, Chivas in 2010, and Tigres in 2015.

Nevertheless, this partnership was terminated in 2016 as a result of financial difficulties and schedule concerns.

What did Concacaf president say?

Mexico has long held out hope of making it back to the tournament, but FIFA seems to have put an end to that. According to TUDN, Victor Montagliani, the president of the Concacaf, revealed that FIFA rejected Mexican teams’ qualifications for the Copa Libertadores.

“About the Libertadores, we have a request from Mexico to contest it. We spoke with FIFA, we returned a paper to the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) that was denied. And it was not authorized because we have the official competition, ours, which is the way to the Club World Cup,” he said.

Tigres went on a run to the Copa Libertadores Final in 2015 in one of the last seasons that had Liga MX teams in the competition.
Tigres went on a run to the Copa Libertadores Final in 2015 in one of the last seasons that had Liga MX teams in the competition.

Liga MX teams lose ability to play in Copa Libertadores

This would occur without taking into account the participation of the Mexican national team in the Copa America in 2024. They do not belong in the tournament. Still, Mexico will be able to play next year since they received a special invitation.

This is a clear sign that the Tricolor can play in South America, but the Liga MX teams cannot. This may be due to many things already known throughout these six years since they stopped attending the Libertadores. One of the most important is that Concacaf does not want the main Mexican teams to play in the Copa Libertadores but rather the Concacaf Champions League.

This has brought endless problems since Mexico has been participating in that tournament. Mexican clubs almost always win the top club competition in CONCACAF, so the requirement is minimal. That is why they have sought to leave Concacaf behind. Yet, the great business in the United States forces them to remain in this area.

This decision comes as Concacaf steps up its club championships, which include Mexican teams heavily. This shows Mexico’s determination to maintain interest in the area.

Now that FIFA prohibit it, Mexican clubs can forget about making a comeback to the South American league. Regional contests will have to take precedence for the time being. Regardless, Mexican teams are eager to return to the famous stage and build on their previous victories.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.