Mexico Liga MX Femenil - Sports Library

Chapter 10. Global > Mexico Liga MX Femenil

♣ Liga MX Femenil

The Liga MX Femenil, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX Femenil for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Mexico. Supervised by the Mexican Football Federation, this professional league has 18 teams, each coinciding with a Liga MX club.

Following the same schedule as the men's league, each season consist of two tournaments: an Apertura tournament, which takes place from July to December, and a Clausura tournament, which takes place from January to May.

The league's first official domestic cup competition took place in May 2017 via the Copa MX Femenil, a now discontinued tournament that was created with the objective of preparing the teams for the inaugural season of the league which began in July 2017. Former Liga MX President, Enrique Bonilla, stated that the league was created in order to nurture the stars of the Mexico women's national football team and to build an infrastructure for women's football in Mexico.

Tigres UANL has won the league a record six times, followed by C.D. Guadalajara, C.F. Monterrey, and Club América with two titles each. In all, only these four clubs have won the Liga MX Femenil title.

The current champions are Tigres UANL who defeated Club América with a 3–0 aggregate score in the Apertura 2023 final in November 2023.

▲ Liga MX Femenil Emblem

▼ Connection Pages

♣ History

Background

Previous to the establishment of Liga MX Femenil, there were attempts by the Mexican Football Federation, Liga MX clubs, and women's football advocates to professionalized women's football in Mexico, but none of these attempts were successful.

Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil

In 2007, there was an attempt to professionalize women's football in Mexico via the Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil. While the league did foster some success, it did not have major sponsorships and lacked media coverage as well as fan support. Therefore, major clubs participating in the league such as Chivas, pulled their support.

NWSL

In November 2012, the United States Soccer Federation announced the establishment of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in a push to professionalized women's soccer in the United States. In an arrangement with the U.S. Soccer Federation to develop Mexican talent in the United States, the Mexican Football Federation pledged to allocate Mexican players to NWSL clubs while also covering the salaries of such players. Mexican players such as Maribel Domínguez and Mónica Ocampo were among the first players to be allocated to the NWSL as part of this arrangement, which was in effect from 2013 until early 2016, when the Mexican Football Federation announced that it would no longer continue allocating players to the NWSL due to the limited playing time these players were receiving, foreshadowing the creation of Liga MX Femenil.

First professional women's team

The late Marbella Ibarra was an enthusiastic women's football advocate who persuaded Club Tijuana to create a professional women's team in 2014. Former Mexico women's national football team player Andrea Rodebaugh took the helm as manager during the program's stint in the Women's Premier Soccer League.

♣ A new Mexican league

First professional women's team

In December 2016, during a general assembly meeting with all Liga MX club owners, former Liga MX President, Enrique Bonilla, announced the formation of the new Liga MX Femenil in an effort to grow and build talent within Mexico. The announcement stated that 16 out of the 18 Liga MX clubs (excluding Puebla and Chiapas due to financial problems) would field U-23 rosters with four U-17 players and up to two overage players.

Before the inaugural season, the teams participated in a warm-up tournament called Copa MX Femenil. The tournament took place between 3 May and 6 May 2017, with only 12 of the 16 teams participating due to four clubs not having a team ready by the time of the tournament's inauguration. Pachuca won this tournament by winning the final 9–1 against Club Tijuana.

First tournament

The first Apertura 2017 matches were played on 28 July 2017. Chivas won the first Liga MX Femenil championship on 24 November 2017 by defeating Pachuca in the final. The two matches drew record-setting crowds of 28,955 and 32,466 spectators, respectively.

Commentator Glenn Moore declared Liga MX Femenil to have concluded a "very successful debut campaign."

▲ Liga MX Femenil UANL

♣ Regulations

During the inaugural season, teams were expected to field U-23 rosters; four slots were reserved for U-17 players, while two were for overage players. All players had to be born in Mexico. Additionally, the sixteen teams were split into two groups. Teams in each group played each other twice per season. The top two teams from each group advanced to the liguilla (playoffs), which consisted of a semifinal of two matches (home and away) followed by a final, also of two matches.

League rules mostly stayed the same for the second season. However, the U-23 limit was raised to U-24. liguilla spots were also expanded to include eight teams instead of four, with the top four teams from each group moving on to the liguilla.

For the third season, the age limit was raised to 25, but each team was allowed to field up to 6 overage players at a time. In addition, the groups were undone, so each team would play each other at least once during the season. Foreign-born Mexican players were also allowed to play, with up to six allowed per team. This decision brought in more players to the league from the NCAA, as well as from the NWSL and Spain's Primera División.

For the fourth season, the overage limit was removed, nonetheless the teams are still being required to allocate 1,000 minutes of play time per tournament to U-20 players to satisfy the league's minors rule. The Campeón de Campeonas championship was also introduced to the league for the first time, with Tigres winning the first edition automatically after winning the league title of both tournaments of the 2021–22 season.

For the fifth season, the league began to allow teams to have two non-Mexican players on their rosters. On 25 June 2021, Tigres became the first club to make use of this option by signing Brazilian player Stefany Ferrer. The league also inaugurated its youth division; Club América won the initial tournament.

Beginning with the sixth season, the league began implementing VAR in the Liguilla phase of the tournament. Non-Mexican players spots also increased from two to four per team.

During the eighth season, the league introduced an additional spot for non-Mexican players, thus allowing each team to have up to five non-Mexican players in their squad. Additionally, the league made changes to the minors rule to not longer take into account U-20 players play time with the youth national teams (U-20 and U-17) unless the players receive a specific number of minutes during the current active tournament (90 minutes for U-17 players and 180 for U-20 players).

♣ Notable results

The league set history during the Clausura 2018 tournament as the second match of the final between Monterrey and Tigres at Estadio BBVA was at the time the highest-attended club match in women's football history, with a total of 51,211 fans attending the game. This record has been broken multiple times since then, but Mexico still holds the record for the highest attendance on a women's football match, which took place during the 1971 Women's World Cup final at Estadio Azteca.

On 5 October 2019, a Liga MX Femenil team obtained for the first time a victory against an NWSL team when Tigres defeated Houston Dash 2–1 at the Estadio Universitario. Previously, the Houston Dash had faced Monterrey in 2018 in a preseason match that ended with a 3–1 victory in favor of the Dash; This match represented the first time that a Liga MX Femenil team faced an NWSL side.

On 5 July 2022, a Liga MX Femenil team and a European team faced each other for the first time when Club América played against Frauen-Bundesliga team Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Estadio Azteca. The match ended in a 1–0 victory for América.

In November 2022, the league's previous highest attendance record set during the Clausura 2018 final between Monterrey and Tigres (51,211 attendees) was broken as the first match of the Apertura 2022 final between Tigres and Club América at Estadio Azteca drew a crowd of approximately 52,654 fans. This final also broke TV viewership records as it was viewed by more than 5.3 million people, therefore becoming the most-viewed Liga MX Femenil final in history. As a whole, the Apertura 2022 tournament was until that point the most viewed tournament in Liga MX Femenil history.

During the Clausura 2023 tournament, Club América accepted to transfer Mexican forward Scarlett Camberos to Angel City FC in the fifth most expensive transfer in women's football of 2023, therefore becoming the largest transfer in league history for an outgoing player, larger than the transfers of Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu to Racing Louisville for a $150,000 fee plus incentives, and Mia Fishel to Chelsea for a reported $250,000 fee, both by Tigres and in 2023 as well. Additionally, the previous attendance record of the league that was set during the Apertura 2022 final was broken once again during the Clausura 2023 tournament final, as approximately 58,156 fans attended the second leg of this final at Estadio Azteca to watch Club América win its second title in history. The Clausura 2023 tournament also became the most viewed tournament in league history as more than 15 million people tuned in to watch throughout the tournament.

During the Apertura 2023 tournament, the transfer of Miah Zuazua from FC Juárez to Club América was the first transaction between two Liga MX Femenil clubs in which a transfer fee was paid.

On 20 March 2024, the league in collaboration with the NWSL announced a new international competition named Summer Cup. This competition features six teams from Liga MX Femenil that compete against teams from the NWSL. The inaugural edition began on 19 July 2024.

The league largest transfer in history for an incoming player came on 12 September 2024, when América reached an agreement with SC Internacional to transfer 20-years old Brazilian international forward Priscila to its ranks in exchange of a $497,403 fee plus incentives, making this transaction the largest one between Latin-American women's football clubs, and one of the largest in women's football.

♣ Club changes

For the inaugural season, only 16 of the 18 Liga MX clubs had a Liga MX Femenil team as Chiapas and Puebla were allowed to not have a team due to financial problems. However, by the second season, all 18 clubs had an active Liga MX Femenil side. By then, Chiapas had been relegated to Ascenso MX, while Lobos BUAP had been promoted to Liga MX. As such, Lobos BUAP and Puebla both introduced their Liga MX Femenil sides during the 2018–2019 season.

By the third season, the league was expanded to 19 teams as Atlético San Luis Femenil was introduced due to Atlético San Luis promotion to Liga MX while no team was relegated. Additionally, the Lobos BUAP franchise was acquired by then-second division club FC Juárez, as such the Lobos BUAP femenil team moved from Puebla to Juárez to form FC Juárez Femenil. After the Apertura 2019, Veracruz folded in Liga MX, as such Veracruz Femenil became a defunct club as well, bringing the league back down to 18 teams. In June 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monarcas Morelia franchised was relocated to Mazatlán, putting an end to Morelia Femenil's three-years old trajectory in the top flight, and creating and integrating Mazatlán F.C. as the newest member of the league.

♣ Sponsorships

Prior to the third season, BBVA México announced that it would sponsor Liga MX Femenil in addition to Liga MX and Ascenso MX. With the sponsorship, which is slated for at least three years, the league's name was changed to Liga BBVA MX Femenil in June 2019. Each club also have their own sponsors.

On 29 March 2023, Liga MX Femenil announced that Nike would become an official sponsor of the league. Unlike other sponsorships the league has, this one is exclusively for Liga MX Femenil. With this sponsorship, the official match ball of the league will be provided by Nike. Nike will also be providing equípment to all league players including players of the league's youth division, product innovation, and investment in development programs. The sponsorship went into full effect beginning with the 2023–24 season and is set to last for three years.

♣ Lower and youth divisions

Lower divisions

In addition to the Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil, Mexico is also home to the Liga Mayor Femenil. Many players in Liga MX Femenil previously played in either of these existing leagues, as well as in various Mexican or US college teams and the WPSL. On 25 September 2024, Liga TDP Femenil was announced to the public with the support of the Mexican Football Federation, Liga TDP, and Liga Premier clubs with the goal of developing players that can be integrated into Liga MX Femenil clubs. Although the league is not professional, it is considered to be by the Mexican Football Federation as the third division of women’s football in Mexico. The league first season officially began on 8 October 2024.

Youth division

Since 2022, Liga MX Femenil has had a youth division to develop telent in which all clubs are required to participate. This division began as a U-17 division, but it gradually incremented the allowed age of the players that could participate in it after each season until it became a U-19 division during 2023-24 season. There are future plans for the league to expand this division by including unique categories for ages 15–20.

♣ Competition format

Each Liga MX Femenil season is divided into two tournaments: an Apertura tournament, which usually takes place from July to December, and a Clausura tournament, which usually takes place from January to May, with each tournament crowning a champion. Each tournament consist of a regular phase, and a Liguilla (Liga MX Femenil version of the playoffs) phase. The league does not have a promotion and relegation system.

Depending on their performance during the season or calendar year, teams may qualify to the either the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, or both.

Regular phase

For the inaugural 2017–18 season, the regular phase competition format consisted of 16 teams divided into two groups of eight from which the top two teams from each group at the end of the regular phase qualified to the semi-finals of the Liguilla. For the 2018–19 season, the regular phase format was changed along with the addition of two more teams to the league. With the new format, 18 teams were divided into two groups of nine, from which the top four teams from each group at the end of the regular phase of the tournament qualified to the quarter-finals of the Liguilla. For the 2019–20 season, the format was changed once more and the current regular phase format was implemented. The current format consists of a single table of 18 teams, in which each side plays against the other 17 teams. After 17 matchdays, The top eight teams advance to the quarter-finals of the liguilla.

Playoffs (Liguilla) phase

The Liguilla (Spanish for "little league") is the playoff phase of the tournament. This phase begins with the quarter-finals, for which the top eight teams at the end of the regular phase qualify. Each knockout stage of the Liguilla is play as a two-game series (home-and-away basis), in which the team that finished higher in the table during the regular phase always plays the second match at home. In case of a draw in the aggregate score of a series after 180 minutes in the quarter-finals or semi-finals stage, the team that finished higher in the table during the regular phase of the tournament advances to the next stage. In case of draw in the aggregate score of the final after 180 minutes, the teams go directly to penalties to decide the champion.

CONCACAF W Champions Cup qualification

On 12 March 2024, CONCACAF announced the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, its annual continental women's football club competition. Liga MX Femenil is allocated three spots into the group stage of the competition. Teams qualify to this tournament based on the following criteria:

Champion of the Apertura tournament
Champion of the Clausura tournament
Best runner-up of the season based on total accumulated points across the regular phase of both Apertura and Clausura tournaments

CONCACAF W Champions Cup qualification

Summer Cup qualification

On 20 March 2024, Liga MX Femenil and the NWSL announced the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. For the inaugural 2024 edition, the six teams that accumulated the most number of points across the Clausura and Apertura tournaments of the previous calendar year qualify to this competition.

♣ Teams

Due to Liga MX regulations, every club that wants to participate in the men’s first division must field a respective women’s side in Liga MX Femenil. Temporary exceptions to this rule were granted in the initial years of the league to financially unstable clubs. Nevertheless, as of 2025 every Liga MX side has a respective women’s side.

The following 18 clubs are competing in Liga MX Femenil during the 2024–25 season: