The field is now set for the Liga MX playoffs schedule!

After a new play-in round determined the final two clubs – San Luis and León – the familiar eight-team, two-legged playoff bracket returns as the Apertura 2023 is set to crown a champion.

The Mexican first tier expanded the playoffs, or “Liguilla” as it’s sometimes known, and this tournament is the first to use the new format. The top six sides after the 17-game round robin automatically qualified. Places seven through ten, however, contested the play-in round. Atlético San Luis and Club León bested Santos Laguna and Mazatlán to earn the final two spots. It worked out that San Luis and León ended up with the same seeds they would have occupied under the old format.

Liga MX 2023 Playoff Clubs

The clubs who qualified for this fall’s playoffs, in order of seeding, are as follows:

  1. Club América
  2. Monterrey
  3. Tigres UANL
  4. Pumas UNAM
  5. Chivas
  6. Puebla
  7. San Luis
  8. León

Each round’s matchups are contested over a two-leg, aggregate series, with the higher seed hosting the second game.

Mexico’s domestic league season is split into two tournaments per calendar year. But the opening, or Apertura, portion starts in late summer. In effect, this makes the overall schedule similar to most European leagues. The closing, aka Clausura, season will kick off in January 2024.

The Apertura 2023 and Clausura 2024 tournament winners will face off in the Campeón de Campeones super cup game next Summer. The winner of that then goes on to the Campeones Cup, a match against the previous MLS Cup winner.

Last season, Pachuca won the Apertura, with Tigres capturing the Clausura. There will be no repeat for Los Tuzos, however, as they just missed out on making the 2023 play-in round, losing a tiebreaker for tenth place via goal difference.

Tigres won the 2023 Campeón de Campeones, and defeated LAFC of MLS in the ensuing Campeones Cup this past summer.

Liga MX Schedule Bracket

Fans who want to keep track of the 2023 Liga MX playoffs can download their own FREE printable bracket here or click the image above.

You can fill in the results from each leg, all the way through to the final.

América/León, Pumas/Chivas, Monterrey/San Luis, and Tigres/Puebla were the four quarterfinal matchups. América, San Luis, Tigres, and Pumas advanced to the semifinals.

Who will take home the trophy? Will it be the giants América or Chivas? Can past champions Monterrey, Tigres, Pumas, Puebla, or León add another piece of silverware to the trophy case? Or will San Luis take home their first title (in their modern form)?

Indeed, everything is up for grabs as the season comes to what should be an exciting conclusion. Make sure you don’t miss a match with the Liga MX TV schedule, which will be updated throughout the competition as soon as the TV and streaming details are revealed.