The 2025 Clausura tournament of Liga MX is ready to start the Liguilla, after the play-in was held in which the last two qualifiers were defined. Given these circumstances, the effectiveness of this competition format has been called into question.
The play-in has not been beneficial for clubs finishing in ninth and tenth positions, as, in addition to failing to qualify, it can affect the teams that advance directly to the Liguilla. Having to wait up to 17 or 18 days to complete the qualifiers, these teams could lose their rhythm of play and be surprised by those who continued competing.
With the current format, the top six teams in the standings advance directly to the quarter-finals, while the teams from seventh to tenth place compete among themselves for the last two tickets to the Liguilla. Despite offering an opportunity to clubs in the lower positions, in the four editions of the play-in held so far, teams that would typically advance to the quarter-finals have qualified, without any surprises.
For example, in previous editions like Apertura 2023 and Clausura 2024, the teams that ranked seventh and eighth managed to advance to the next stage, leaving out those that would traditionally have qualified in those positions. This trend also continued in Clausura 2025, where teams seven and eight played the play-in but managed to advance.
Despite the intention to provide more opportunities to teams in the play-in, reality has shown that it has not contributed much to the competition system of Mexican football. Although Liga MX implemented this format starting from Apertura 2023, the effectiveness and impact of this method have been questioned due to the lack of surprises and the maintenance of the expected standings.
In summary, the play-in has become a topic of debate in Liga MX, as despite its goal of providing more opportunities to clubs in final positions, it has not significantly modified the competition landscape, generally keeping teams that would regularly advance in the tournament.
