The 75th season of Mexico's top-flight football league, Liga MX, has begun in 2021. The season is split into two tournaments, the Apertura 2021 and the Clausura 2022, with the same eighteen clubs competing against each other.
After overcoming a 24-year drought in the previous Guard1anes competition, Cruz Azul entered the Torneo Apertura as the defending champions. The Apertura 2021, which will take place during the first part of the season in Mexico, will be the first of two tournaments in 2021/22.
The 2021 Torneo Apertura has featured 18 clubs, consisting of 17 Matchdays in a round-robin format before the playoffs. Twelve clubs from the first to the 12th place in the table advance to the Clausura 2021 playoffs, just like they did in the Clausura 2021.
Liga MX Apertura 2021 Playoffs: Start date
The last phase of the Apertura 2021 Liga MX will take place from November 20 to December 12, 2021. In the final part of the Apertura 2021 Liga MX season, a total of twelve clubs will battle to determine the champions.
For the third consecutive season, a reclassification or repechaje qualifying round was used, bringing the total number of playoff slots to 12. Both finalists will compete in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2023.
The top twelve teams from the regular season standings have earned a spot in the major event. The top four teams advanced to the quarterfinals, while teams ranked five through twelve competed in a one-legged preliminary round. The series has home and away matches beginning in the quarterfinals, giving the top-ranked clubs the benefit of hosting the rematch.
