Liga MX is looking for a new champion. Two weeks after the end of the regular tournament, the Apertura 2025 quarterfinals begin with an atypical program: for the first time three matches will be played on Wednesday and Saturday, while the remaining duel will take place on Thursday and Sunday. The measure, the League explains in a statement, is due to a request from the City Security Secretariat of Mexico City to prevent the matches in which Cruz Azul and América will play at home next weekend from being played on the same day.
Toluca (1) – Juarez (8)
Toluca, leader and current monarch of Mexican football, awaits a rival to begin its championship journey in title defense. The team led by Antonio Mohamed enters the quarterfinals as the big favorite to win the two-time scudetto: with the help of the best attack in the championship led by Paulinho and Alexis Vega, the devils made sure to close at home at Nemesio Diez, an almost insurmountable customs where they fell only once in the entire semester. On the other side, a relaxed Bravos de Ciudad Juárez with nothing to lose will play the first championship in their history after beating Pachuca in the play-in.
Times and where to see
First leg: Wednesday 26 November at 7pm (Central Mexico time) at the Benito Juárez Olympic Stadium (Ciudad Juárez). Broadcast on Channel 7 (TV Azteca).
Return: Saturday 29 November at 7.05pm at the Nemesio Diez Stadium (Toluca). The meeting can be followed live on Canale 7 (TV Azteca).
Tiger (2) – Tijuana (7)
Tigres, second in the general classification with 36 points, faces Xolos de Tijuana, seventh in the regular phase with 24 points. Those of San Nicolás return to the quarter-finals in search of recovering the importance they have had in the last decade in national football. Guido Pizarro, the 35-year-old Argentine midfielder and club icon who hung up his boots in March 2025 and suddenly took the reins of the team, has put together an efficient team in both areas. Tigres has the best defense of the tournament with only 16 goals conceded; as well as leading a star-studded dressing room whose latest addition, that of Argentine world champion Ángel Correa from Atlético de Madrid, is proving to be the most impactful signing in the tournament.
Times and where to see
First leg: Wednesday 26 November at 11pm (Central Mexico time) at Caliente Stadium (Tijuana). The broadcast can be followed on Caliente TV.
Return: Saturday 29 November at 9.10pm at the University Stadium (Monterrey). Broadcast: Channel 7 (TV Azteca).
Cruz Azul (3) – Guadalajara (6)
Regardless of the situation in the standings (Cruz Azul finished third with 35 points, compared to 29 for Guadalajara which earned them sixth place), the duel pitting two of the clubs with the most fans in the country presents two opposing realities: Cruz Azul faces the quarter-finals after a fateful final day. In 90 minutes, the team led by Nicolás Larcamón lost both the chance to finish as the overall leader and its starting goalkeeper, Kevin Mier, for the rest of the tournament due to an injury that resulted in a fracture. Opposite, Chivas enters the quarterfinals as the strongest team of the eight that qualified for the group stage. After an irregular start, Argentine Gabriel Milito’s team found their best form in the final part of the tournament, with seven wins in the last eight matches of the regular phase.
Times and where to see
Ida: Thursday 27 November at 8.07pm at the Akron Stadium (Guadalajara). Streaming: Amazon Prime.
Tour: Sunday 30 November at 7pm at the Olympic University Stadium (Mexico City). The match can be tuned in via Canale 5 (Televisa), TUDN and ViX.
America (4) – Monterrey (5)
América returns to the league a semester after missing the opportunity to sign a historic four-time championship against Toluca. On paper it is the most balanced duel of the quarter-finals: while the Eagles finished in fourth place in the regular phase with 34 points, Monterrey placed fifth with 31 points. The series represents an unprecedented challenge for André Jardine. The Brazilian coach will test his team’s ability to overcome their first defeat in the league after winning three titles in a row and after an irregular semester of injuries and absences. On the other hand, Domènec Torrent’s Rayados enter the quarterfinals with a large squad led by Sergio Ramos and Sergio Canales, and a growing demand for response in decisive moments. The series also reprints last winter’s final, in which Coapa players won the championship three times in Monterrey.
Times and where to see
Ida: Wednesday 26 November at 9.05pm at the BBVA Stadium (Monterrey). The match can be tuned in via Canale 5 (Televisa), TUDN and ViX.
Tour: Saturday 29 November at 5pm at the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium (Mexico City). Broadcast: Canale 5 (Televisa), TUDN and ViX.
