The highly entertaining Liga MX playoffs are back, but also looking a little different than usual for Mexican soccer fans. Due to the season taking place during a World Cup year, alterations were made for the 2026 Clausura.
To make room for a more compact schedule ahead of the World Cup, the play-in rounds are gone, leaving only the top eight to kick things off in the quarterfinal stage. Roster changes -- another significant wild card in the playoffs -- will also provide an added layer of chaotic intrigue.
The upcoming liguilla will have another variable thrown into the title chase: 10 Mexico national team players from playoff-bound sides have been permitted to exit their clubs for an early World Cup camp. For some heavy hitters, this means missing crucial starters for the entire postseason, but for others who have held onto all their key players, there's now an extra advantage in their championship run.
With all that in mind, who are the favorites and who are the underdogs? Split up into three tiers, let's dive into our team-by-team preview for the Liga MX playoffs.
- Can Mexico carry momentum from March window into the World Cup?
- One thing to know about each of the 48 World Cup teams
- Every team's championship, group odds for the 2026 World Cup
Tier 1: The title contenders
Pumas
Regular season record: 11W-4D-2L (1st place)
Number of league titles: 11
Mexico players absent on international duty: Guillermo Martínez
Road to playoffs
It wasn't a straightforward path to the top for the Mexico City squad. Despite a positive start and finish to the season, questions were raised about manager Efraín Juárez and his team during a late-winter stretch that included a 2W-3D-1L record. They've since shaken off the rust with a commanding, ongoing four-game winning streak.
Biggest strength and weakness
Guided by 10 goal contributions from both Robert Morales and Juninho across 17 matches, there's plenty to like about the attack that led the league with 34 goals. There's also an effectiveness to the side that's third in Liga MX with their on-target shot percentage (34.7%).
However, this isn't exactly the most physical team. If opponents are aggressive, they can get at this Pumas roster that's second-to-last in successful duels (48%) and last in successful aerial duels (44.1%).
Player to watch
Perhaps it's a certain and prominent UEFA Champions League-winner in net. Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas has thrived in Liga MX and provided a long list of highlight-worthy saves that have helped compensate for Pumas' occasional defensive blunders. No other goalkeeper involved in the playoffs has had more saves (72) this season than Navas.
Postseason prediction
A spot in the final, at least. Crosstown rivals and upcoming quarterfinal opponents Club América have more pedigree, but Pumas will have the upper hand against the inconsistent No. 8 seed that recently lost to FC Juárez in March. Beyond that, Martínez could be a big miss with his five goals this season, but he is also a striker with only three starts after regaining his fitness.
Cruz Azul
Regular-season record: 9W-6D-2L (3rd place)
Number of league titles: 9
Mexico players absent on international duty: Erik Lira
Road to playoffs
On paper, it was a bit of a rocky season. Despite a highly positive start to 2026 that featured a quarterfinal run into the Concacaf Champions Cup, Cruz Azul then ousted manager Nicolás Larcamón following a nine-game winless streak that included failure to qualify for the Champions Cup semifinal. Since then, interim coach and former Cruz Azul defender Joel Huiqui took charge, guiding them to a 4-1 win to close out the regular season.
Biggest strength and weakness
Regardless of the firing of Larcamón, there's a lot to like about Cruz Azul. They're second in the league with chances created (225), lead the league in possessions won in the attacking third (82), and are a shot-hungry side in general. What makes them the most dangerous, though, is their threat from set pieces, as they lead the league with the most goals scored (nine) from dead-ball situations.
Their overall energetic style of play also means they lose the ball a lot. It's perhaps not a surprise that they earned several draws in their nine-game winless run, as they lead the league in possessions lost.
Player to watch
It has to be Carlos "Charly" Rodríguez. After narrowly missing the cut for Mexico's pre-World Cup squad, the midfielder -- a top 20 Liga MX player in xA (expected assists), chances created, passes completed, and recoveries -- will have a point to prove. If he has a standout playoff run, he might even be a last-minute national team addition.
Postseason prediction
Los Cementeros win it all and keep Huiqui on as a permanent coach. That might seem like an odd prediction for a team that recently fired its coach, but that move says more about the typical fickleness and impatience seen in the Mexican soccer scene than about how Cruz Azul were playing.
There's still a long list of underlying numbers working in their favor, and unlike other possible title contenders like Chivas de Guadalajara or Toluca that would have taken their place in Tier 1 at full strength, Cruz Azul will only be missing one national team player in the playoffs. They'll have no problems against the No. 6 seed Atlas in the quarterfinals, and will begin their path from there.
Tier 2: The underdogs
Toluca
Regular-season record: 8W-6D-3L (5th place)
Number of league titles: 12
Mexico players absent on international duty: Jesús Gallardo, Alexis Vega
Road to playoffs
The back-to-back Liga MX champions went from once again looking like the top team on the continent to showing some occasional signs of weariness as they head into the playoffs. Initially off to a 10-game undefeated streak, Toluca then closed out the regular season with a 4W-3D-4L record in all competitions as they also balanced out the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Biggest strength and weakness
At their best, Toluca are the most creative and incisive team in Liga MX, if not all of Concacaf. Names such as Marcel Ruiz, Alexis Vega, Jesús Angulo, Pável Pérez, Jesús Gallardo and others have tons of creativity in their locker in any given game. When it comes to key passes created, Toluca lead Liga MX with 213.
Their biggest weakness? A couple of high-profile names that will instead be involved with Mexico, and not in the playoffs. Vega, the heart and soul of the squad, is going to be a massive absence on the left wing. As for Gallardo, there's no other full back on the roster that can balance both attacking and defensive duties like the international player.
Player to watch
Assuming he returns to full fitness by the time the playoffs start, the easy answer is Paulinho. The striker, who earned minutes for Portugal in the March international window, currently leads Toluca in goal contributions with eight in total through 13 appearances.
Also, be sure to keep an eye on Ruiz in the midfield. A recent return from injury has left him out of the Mexican national team conversation, but that could change through a standout playoff run.
Postseason prediction
Without Gallardo and Vega, and while also still playing in the Champions Cup, Toluca will fail to gain the three-peat and stumble out as Liga MX semifinalists. They'll have enough firepower to get past No. 4 Pachuca in the first playoff round, but it's difficult to predict that their depleted squad will be at full physical capacity in the semifinal.
If manager Antonio Mohamed had his full roster and only the Liga MX playoffs to deal with, they would be a tier above.
Pachuca
Regular-season record: 9W-4D-4L (4th place)
Number of league titles: 7
Mexico players absent on international duty: None
Road to playoffs
Quietly flying under the radar with a style of play that doesn't demand possession, and that created several narrow results, Pachuca have powered through a respectable 5W-2D-2L record since March. The only problem? Those two defeats emerged from their last two games, which featured three red cards.
Biggest strength and weakness
Pachuca aren't afraid to dribble aggressively forward. After typically winning the ball in their defensive third, their possessions tend to be quick and proactive as the league leaders in take-ons (310) and carries following a 1v1 (156).
As seen in their last two games, though, there can be some discipline problems. No team in Liga MX committed more fouls (262) this season than Pachuca. Los Tuzos are also the playoff side with the most red cards earned.
Player to watch
Now a veteran in his 30s, former Mexico international Víctor Guzmán has found his form in recent weeks with six goal contributions in his last eight matches. Were he and his roster to go all the way and lift the Clausura title, the Liga MX championship would be his third with Pachuca since 2016.
Postseason prediction
Aside from the previous prediction that the No. 5 seed Toluca will knock them out in the quarterfinal, let's go with something a bit more bold and different for a proud academy-led organization like Pachuca. Alexéi Dominguez, who turned 21 in January, will play his last minutes with the club before a move to Europe. He's featured in all 17 games this season, started in 12, and collected four goal contributions along the way.
Tigres
Regular-season record: 7W-4D-6L (7th place)
Number of league titles: 8
Mexico players absent on international duty: None
Road to playoffs
Guided by a combined 13 goals and 12 assists from Juan Brunetta and Ángel Correa, Tigres dipped and swayed through some erratic results before a strong finish. With a four-game undefeated streak to close out the regular season, head coach Guido Pizarro and his squad snuck in as the seventh seed.
Biggest strength and weakness
Like their regular season, Tigres have a tendency to step things up in the closing stages of games. 19 of their 28 goals were scored in the second half of matches -- a tally that only Toluca have closely surpassed with 20. Granted, Tigres' defense hasn't always been perfect late in matches, but their rapid attack always gives them a fighting chance.
Speaking of weaknesses, and with all due respect to a Liga MX legend like Nahuel Guzmán, the 40-year-old goalkeeper isn't the same shot-stopper he once was. He's still great in the air and can claim crosses thanks to his frame, but he also has a goals prevented tally of -3.4, the worst mark of all goalkeepers in the playoffs.
Player to watch
It has to be the icon himself, André-Pierre Gignac. Days after an emotional and cinematic goodbye from the local crowd in what's expected to be his last-ever home game in a regular-season match, all eyes are on whether it'll be one final title for the veteran Frenchman who helped redefine Tigres in the modern era.
Will he score a goal? Probably not. Will he even start? That's a maybe, but it'll still be worth following Gignac if this is in fact his last season with Tigres after collecting five Liga MX championships.
Postseason prediction
They likely won't go any further than the semifinals, especially with having to save some energy for the Concacaf Champions Cup, but they'll at least move past the No. 2 seed Chivas de Guadalajara in the quarterfinal thanks to a Hollywood-like goal from Gignac. Tigres' attacking arsenal could also overwhelm their opponents when you consider how many players they had to give up for the Mexican national team.
Tier 3: The long shots
Chivas de Guadalajara
Regular-season record: 11W-3D-3L (2nd place)
Number of league titles: 12
Mexico players absent on international duty: Raúl Rangel, Luis Romo, Brian Gutiérrez, Roberto Alvarado, Armando González
Road to playoffs
It all began with an immaculate six-game winning streak that then developed into a fairly decent 5W-1D-5L record over their last 10 matches. Propped up by an eye-catching 12 goals for forward Armando González across 17 appearances, Chivas, even when they began to slow in the second half of the season, were always an entertaining watch.
Biggest strength and weakness
Under head coach Gabriel Milito, they're fantastic at controlling the tempo of clashes through their style of play that leads the league in possession (60.1%). This regularly frustrated opponents who also had to deal with an onslaught of shots from the team that finished with the highest xG (34.67) in Liga MX.
So what's the problem then? Well, five key players across the starting lineup are now going to be on Mexican national team duty. Without them, Los Rojiblancos have gone from Tier 1 title-contenders to now having far too many questions to consider them anything more than a long shot.
Player to watch
Need a hero to step up? Why not 19-year-old Hugo Camberos, who has provided two goals across just 97 minutes of play since the beginning of March? Given additional playing time, the Mexico youth international could become the breakout player of the Liguilla.
Postseason prediction
Sorry, Chivas fans, they're being knocked out in the quarterfinals by the No.7 seed Tigres. If Milito had all of his players, it would be fair to position the club as one of the favorites, especially with the run of form that González is in up top.
Five players missing is too many, but perhaps they'll go on to do greater things this summer at the World Cup.
Club América
Regular-season record: 7W-4D-6L (8th place)
Number of league titles: 16
Mexico players absent on international duty: Israel Reyes
Road to playoffs
For an organization like Club América that always demands success, the regular season was undoubtedly worrisome. Winless in 10 of their games, suffering a lackluster defeat in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, and then closing out the regular season with a 1-0 loss to Atlas that nearly knocked them out of the playoff race.
Biggest strength and weakness
Defensively, head coach André Jardine and his squad have been reliable, with 17 goals allowed in just as many games. What has also helped is leading the league in duels won (52.9%) and fifth overall in tackles won (48.2%).
Going forward with the ball is a different conversation for the team that scraped together just 20 goals. There's no lack of possession and pass attempts, but in the final third, they've only managed a total of xG (expected goals) of 20.25, placing them only higher than Pachuca and Atlas from the top eight. Their xA is also 13th overall at 13.40.
Player to watch
One of the reasons for Club América's attacking issues this season: The absence of United States international Alejandro Zendejas, who is now back to full fitness and chipping in with three goal contributions in his last four Liga MX appearances. Far from a guarantee for the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, another Liga MX title could catch the attention of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Postseason prediction
Jardine will be fired after a quarterfinal exit. There isn't much momentum in favor of Las Aguilas, and after a dismal regular season, the writing is on the wall for them to lose to No.1 Pumas. Club America are not exactly a side that's ever associated with the patience of a rebuild, but it's something they'll need to reconsider, with or without Jardine, for the second half of 2026.
Atlas
Regular-season record: 7W-5D-5L (6th place)
Number of league titles: 3
Mexico players absent on international duty: None
Road to playoffs
Bouncing back and forth between varying low-scoring results, Atlas earned their spot in the playoffs with a four-game undefeated run at the end of the regular season. It hasn't been pretty with a -2 goal differential, making them the only playoff team with a negative tally, but their tight results have gotten them into the final eight.
Biggest strength and weakness
Simply put: They've become excellent at keeping games close. Sure, they have a negative goal differential, but also only allowed 18 goals as the Liga MX team that leads the league in interceptions (191) and is third in successful tackles (48.9%).
But back to their goalscoring, their numbers are abysmal for a playoff team and are currently finding the back of the net once every 95.6 minutes. In fact, from their last six games with 540+ minutes, they've scored twice.
Player to watch
Who will score? Look no further than attacking midfielder Alfonso González, who has found the back of the net four times in his last nine matches. He'll also have a bit of extra confidence after scoring the last-gasp 94th-minute game-winner against Club America in their latest 1-0 victory.
Postseason prediction
Enjoy the playoff ride, Atlas, as it probably won't last long. A strong defense can typically carry a Liga MX side far in any Ligulla, but there isn't enough evidence that their frontline will be able to create enough danger against the No. 3 seed Cruz Azul.
