Atlas became the 75th champions of the professional Mexican league after beating Leon on penalties in the 2021 Liga MX Final. The Mexican championship has a long history, since the first days when the competition was amateur in 1900.
Currently, there are two champions of the Liga MX each calendar year, with one being champion of the Apertura tournament, held in autumn, and the other being the winner of the Clausura competition, held in the spring.
The competition is divided in two main stages: the regular season, where 18 teams face each other, and then the playoffs, also known as the liguilla, where the first four teams in the table qualify directly and the next eight teams have to play a qualifying round.
Liga MX Champions: List of past winners
The Liga MX tournament has suffered some changes through the years. The first professional first division tournament took place in 1943-44. In 1970, the league was reformed and the playoffs were introduced for the first time to determine the national champion.
Of the 56 teams to have competed in the league, América has won the title 13 times, followed by Guadalajara (12), Toluca (10), Cruz Azul (9), Leon (8), UANL and UNAM (7). The current league champions are Cruz Azul, winners of the Guardianes 2021 tournament.
Year | League System Champions |
1943-44 | Asturias |
1944-45 | Real Club España |
1945-46 | Veracruz |
1946-47 | Atlante |
1947-48 | Leon |
1948-49 | Leon |
1949-50 | Veracruz |
1950-51 | Atlas |
1951-52 | Leon |
1952-53 | Tampico Madero |
1953-54 | Marte |
1954-55 | Zacatepec |
1955-56 | Leon |
1956-57 | Guadalajara |
1957-58 | Zacatepec |
1958-59 | Guadalajara |
1960-61 | Guadalajara |
1961-62 | Guadalajara |
1962-63 | Oro |
1963-64 | Guadalajara |
1965-66 | America |
1966-67 | Toluca |
1967-68 | Toluca |
1968-69 | Cruz Azul |
1969-70 | Guadalajara |
Mexico 70 | Cruz Azul |
Liguilla System Champions | |
1970-71 | America |
1971-72 | Cruz Azul |
1973-74 | Cruz Azul |
1974-75 | Toluca |
1975-76 | America |
1976-77 | UNAM |
1977-78 | UANL |
1978-79 | Cruz Azul |
1979-80 | Cruz Azul |
1980-81 | UNAM |
1981-82 | UANL |
1982-83 | Puebla |
1983-84 | America |
1984-85 | America |
PRODE 1985 | America |
Mexico 1986 | Monterrey |
1986-87 | Guadalajara |
1987-88 | America |
1988-89 | America |
1989-90 | Puebla |
1990-91 | UNAM |
1991-92 | Club Leon |
1992-93 | Atlante FC |
1993-94 | Tecos UAG |
1994-95 | Necaxa |
1995-96 | Necaxa |
Short Tournament Champions | |
Winter 1996 | Santos Laguna |
Summer 1997 | Guadalajara |
Winter 1997 | Cruz Azul |
Summer 1998 | Toluca |
Winter 1998 | Necaxa |
Summer 1999 | Toluca |
Winter 1999 | Pachuca |
Summer 2000 | Toluca |
Winter 2000 | Monarcas Morelia |
Summer 2001 | Santos Laguna |
Winter 2001 | Pachuca |
Summer 2002 | America |
Apertura 2002 | Toluca |
Clausura 2003 | Monterrey |
Apertura 2003 | Pachuca |
Clausura 2004 | UNAM |
Apertura 2004 | UNAM |
Clausura 2005 | America |
Apertura 2005 | Toluca |
Clausura 2006 | Pachuca |
Apertura 2006 | Guadalajara |
Clausura 2007 | Pachuca |
Apertura 2007 | Atlante |
Clausura 2008 | Santos Laguna |
Apertura 2008 | Toluca |
Clausura 2009 | UNAM |
Apertura 2009 | Monterrey |
Bicentenario 2010 | Toluca |
Apertura 2010 | Monterrey |
Clausura 2011 | UNAM |
Apertura 2011 | UANL |
Clausura 2012 | Santos Laguna |
Apertura 2012 | Tijuana |
Clausura 2013 | America |
Apertura 2013 | Leon |
Clausura 2014 | Leon |
Apertura 2014 | America |
Clausura 2015 |
Santos Laguna |
Apertura 2015 | UANL |
Clausura 2016 | Pachuca |
Apertura 2016 | UANL |
Clausura 2017 | Guadalajara |
Apertura 2017 | UANL |
Clausura 2018 | Santos Laguna |
Apertura 2018 | America |
Clausura 2019 | UANL |
Apertura 2019 | Monterrey |
Clausura 2020 | Cancelled during Covid-19 pandemic |
Guardianes 2020 | Leon |
Guardianes 2021 | Cruz Azul |
Atlas joined this list after winning the 2021 Liga MX Apertura tournament with a victory on penalties against Leon in the final.