Liga MX finals have produced countless memorable moments that will stand the test of time, stamping players, managers and sides forever in history as champions of Mexico’s top flight.
This week, Tigres and Toluca will battle it out for Liga MX Apertura 2025 glory. Tigres are looking for their sixth crown since 2015, while Toluca are on a mission to add a 12th star to the badge by becoming back-to-back league champions.
Since 1996, Liga MX has been split into two six-month seasons a year—Clausura and Apertura. The format change resulted in the introduction of playoffs, with each campaign culminating in a two-legged final to crown a champion.
For decades, Liga MX finals have captivated Mexican soccer fans with iconic goals, dramatic outcomes and remarkable performances from some of the division’s legends. On the eve of the Apertura 2025 final, we look back at the recent history of the biggest games in Liga MX.
Here’s how the last 10 Liga MX title-deciders unfolded ahead of crowing a new champion of Mexico’s top flight on Sunday night.
Toluca 2–0 Club America: Clausura 2025
The Clausura 2025 final saw Toluca end Club América’s three-season dominion over Liga MX. In his first season with Toluca, former América boss Antonio Mohamed became the third manager in history to lead four different teams to Liga MX glory.
The final remained scoreless for over 150 minutes until Luan García broke the deadlock with a mighty header from a corner. Alexis Vega assisted the first and then secured the title for Los Diablos Rojos with a cool finish from the penalty spot.
After 15 years defined by more downs than ups and consistent mediocrity, Toluca returned to the summit of Liga MX and reinforced their status as the third winningest side in division annals.
Club America 3–2 Monterrey: Apertura 2024
Club América put the finishing touches on the greatest modern era Liga MX dynasty by winning the Apertura 2024, defeating Monterrey 3–2 in the final to become the first team since the introduction of the two-season format to win three consecutive titles.
Las Águilas scored three unanswered goals after Sergio Canales gave Monterrey an early lead in the final. Kevin Álvarez and U.S. men’s national team forward Alejandro Zendejas gave América the lead going into the second leg.
Then, Richard Sánchez scored an absolute screamer in his final game for the club early in the second leg. Joao Rojas gave Monterrey life with a late goal, but it was too little too late to deny América’s three-peat.
Manager André Jardine confirmed his status as a club legend and América lifted their 16th Liga MX trophy—four more than any other team. A victory that further established Las Águilas as the greatest team in Mexican soccer history.
Club America 2–1 Cruz Azul: Clausura 2024
Bitter rivals América and Cruz Azul have faced off in five Liga MX finals throughout history—the most of any final matchup. In the Clausura 2024 decider, América defeated their city rivals for the fourth straight time in a league final to collect back-to-back crowns.
Goals from Uriel Antuna and Julián Quiñones sent the final all squared to the decisive second leg. In one of the most controversial decisions in recent Liga MX memory, América were awarded a penalty that Henry Martín converted into the winner with mere minutes left to play as América won the Clausura 2024 final 2–1.
It was a thrilling battle between two of the biggest, most popular teams in the country and the second leg remains the final game ever played at the iconic Estadio Azteca before the renovation project began to have the stadium ready for the 2026 World Cup.
Club America 3–0 Tigres: Apertura 2023
América’s dynastic run under Jardine started by pummeling Tigres 3–0 in the Apertura 2023 final. Following a scoreless first leg, América showed the full potential of their attacking arsenal in the return leg at the Azteca.
Quiñones, Sánchez and Jonathan Rodríguez all scored to lead América to their first Liga MX triumph of the decade. Meanwhile, on a night Tigres hoped would witness their second straight title, frustrations got the better of them and they ended the final with only nine men on the pitch.
After four consecutive semifinal eliminations, Las Águilas finally got over the hump in the Brazilian manager’s first season on the touchline. Nobody knew it then, but this was the start of an 18-month period of unprecedented dominance from the Mexico City giants.
Tigres 3–2 Chivas: Clausura 2023
In one of the most dramatic Liga MX finals in recent times, Tigres overcame a two-goal deficit in the second leg and bested Chivas 3–2 in extra time of the Clausura 2023 final, winning their fifth league title in eight years.
After going two goals down in the first half, André-Pierre Gignac, the greatest player in club history, ignited the comeback from the penalty spot. Sebastián Córdova scored to send the final to extra time, where current Tigres manager Guido Pizarro bagged the winner with less than 10 minutes remaining.
It was the continuation of Tigres’ rise as one of the most successful Mexican clubs of the 21st century. The championship also cemented Gignac, Pizarro and goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán as three of the best foreign players ever to play in Liga MX.
Pachuca 8–2 Toluca: Apertura 2022
Pachuca emphatically thrashed Toluca 8–2 in the Apertura 2022 final, adding the seventh star to the badge in one of the most convincing and lopsided victories in recent Liga MX final memory.
After losing the final the previous season, Guillermo Almada’s men were determined to flip the script and dismantled Toluca 5–1 in the away first leg, before completing their masterpiece with a comfortable 3–1 victory in the return leg at the Estadio Hidalgo.
It was the crowning achievement for a remarkable side that was disbanded by more prominent teams shortly after. Although it might not be saying much given the eventual results, this Pachuca side were also the core of the Mexico national team in the 2022 World Cup, with Luis Chávez stealing the show.
Atlas 3–2 Pachuca: Clausura 2022
For seven decades, Atlas were unable to win a single Liga MX title, but when they defeated Pachuca 3–2 in the Clausura 2022 final, Los Rojinegros secured their second league trophy in six months.
Club legends Julian Quiñones and Julio Furch struck in the first leg to give Atlas a two-goal advantage heading into the away second leg. That lead evaporated as Pachuca came roaring back, before Furch scored yet again to restore Atlas’ advantage—one they would not squander for a second time.
Diego Cocca’s Atlas became the third team to win back-to-back Liga MX titles this century. This achievement saw Cocca replace Gerardo Martino as Mexico’s manager after the 2022 World Cup, but his tenure with El Tri was nothing but a brief nightmare, getting sacked after just seven matches.
Atlas 3–3 Club Leon (4–3 pens): Apertura 2021
The iconic Apertura 2021 final witnessed the end of the longest championship drought in Mexico’s top-flight, as Atlas defeated Club León in a penalty shootout to secure their first league crown in a little over 70 years.
Los Rojinegros entered the second leg trailing 3–2 but, in front of an absolutely frenetic Estadio Jalisco, Cocca’s side answered the call and dramatically put an end to the generational wait for a title.
Captain Aldo Rocha scored the equalizer that sent the match to extra time and an eventual penalty shootout. Colombia international goalkeeper Camilo Vargas had a pair of astonishing saves before Furch dispatched the winning penalty with the most important kick of a ball in Atlas’ 105-year history.
Cruz Azul 2–1 Santos Laguna: Guard1anes 2021
Cruz Azul ended a miserable 23-year wait for a Liga MX trophy when they defeated Santos Laguna 2–1 to conquer the Guard1anes 2021—the name Liga MX adopted for the seasons following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Luis Romo’s first-leg strike gave La Máquina an advantage headed into the return leg at the Azteca, but Diego Valdes scored a stunning goal to even the score with 45 minutes left in the final. Then, Jonathan Rodriguez covered himself in glory when he scored a second-half winner to end Cruz Azul’s title drought, becoming an undisputed club legend in the process.
After losing six consecutive Liga MX finals since their last triumph in 1997, Cruz Azul finally vanquished their demons and restored the greatness of one of the division’s historic Goliaths, adding the long-awaited ninth star to the badge.
Club Leon 3–1 Pumas: Guard1anes 2020
León made light work of Pumas in the Guard1anes 2020 final, emphatically winning 3–1 to secure the first Liga MX title in a year after the cancellation of the previous season due to the pandemic.
Pumas competed admirably and salvaged a first-leg draw, but Ignacio Ambriz’s León were far and away the better side and cruised to a 2–0 victory in the home second leg, with goals from Emmanuel Gigliotti and Yairo Moreno leading Los Esmeraldas to their eighth Liga MX title.
León had been knocking on the door of Liga MX glory, setting the single-season record for most points during the regular season a year prior but coming just short of the title. This title run was unquestionably the pinnacle of the last great team León have produced to date.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liga MX Finals: Last 10 Results, Champions.