Hooligan Power Rankings: Who Are the Real Title Contenders in Liga MX?

My dear Hooligans,

We can officially say that we are past the halfway point of the Apertura 2026 Liga MX season. And just as we approach the first FIFA international break after the World Cup, Liga MX had the brilliant idea of… not taking a break.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Even though clubs such as Chivas, América, Cruz Azul, Pumas and several others will be missing players on international duty, Matchday 10 will go ahead as normal. The league will finally take a weekend off next week, when Mexico face the United States in Glendale, Arizona, on October 3.

So while Toluca, Monterrey, Xolos and others will have to deal with the lovely little inconvenience of losing their Mexican internationals, as well as players representing other countries, the show goes on.

And with Matchday 10 of 17 about to be played, we’re starting to get a pretty good idea of who the real title contenders are, who is fighting for those precious eight playoff spots, and which clubs are already beginning to accept that the final stretch of the season is less about competing and more about fulfilling their contractual obligations.

Oh, and if you’ve somehow managed to avoid the chaos this week: Mexico’s Senate is also pushing legislation aimed at bringing promotion and relegation back to Liga MX.

It’s one of the hottest football topics in Mexico right now. The idea is to restore sporting competition between Liga MX and Liga de Expansión, Mexico’s second tier, giving clubs outside the top flight a legitimate path to promotion.

Since promotion and relegation were abolished, the worst teams in the league no longer face the same sporting consequences they once did. And while there used to be financial penalties tied to the relegation coefficient, even those have disappeared.

So yes, apparently you can be terrible for multiple tournaments and still sleep peacefully at night.

But we’re not here to talk about mediocre teams.

We’re here to talk about the clubs that, heading into Matchday 10, are starting to show signs that they could actually win the Apertura 2026 title.

So, Hooligans, here we go.

The Hooligan Liga MX Power Rankings

1. Toluca

Table position: 1st | Power Ranking: 1st

Antonio Mohamed’s team sits at the top of the table with 19 points. But, rather surprisingly, they just lost 3-2 to one of the worst teams in the tournament: Santos Laguna.

And they did it at the Nemesio Diez.
So… relax, Toluca fans. Nothing to see here.

The defeat obviously hurts, especially because a victory would have allowed the Diablos to create even more distance between themselves and América, Chivas and Cruz Azul in the title race. Still, Mohamed’s side has been one of the most consistent teams in Mexican football. One bad weekend doesn’t erase everything they’ve done over the first nine matchdays.

For now, the Diablos remain at No. 1 in the Hooligan Power Rankings and, yes, we’re still treating them as one of the main title contenders.

2. Cruz Azul

Table position: 4th | Power Ranking: 2nd

Joel Huiqui’s Cruz Azul is our second title contender. The defending Mexican champions had a complicated start to the season, but they have finally started to look like the team everyone expected them to be.

They’re solid in defense, midfield and attack, and they will have Erik Lira available for the final stretch of the tournament after his proposed move to Monaco fell through. Monaco couldn’t complete the sale of Florian Balogun, which ultimately meant Lira stayed in Mexico.

And honestly, that might be Cruz Azul’s biggest signing of the season.

They are a well-organized team with a coach who has surprised plenty of people and exceeded expectations. They currently have 15 points, but their performances suggest they can finish considerably higher than their current fourth-place position. For now, they sit second in our rankings.

3. América

Table position: 3rd | Power Ranking: 3rd

Guillermo Almada’s América has already learned the hard way that they are, in fact, mortal. After seven matchdays, the Águilas were undefeated and sitting at the top of the table. Then Cruz Azul showed up and beat them 4-3. And this weekend, América found themselves 2-0 down against Chivas before fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw in the Clásico Nacional.

The biggest concern is becoming pretty obvious: América struggles in first halves and has had serious problems keeping clean sheets, particularly during the opening 45 minutes.

There are also questions in goal.

But the club reacted to Sebastián Cáceres’ departure by signing two defenders: Uruguay’s Santiago Bueno and Argentina’s Santiago Ramos Mingo. Bueno arrived from Wolverhampton in the Premier League, while Ramos Mingo came from Bahia in Brazil. Neither has made his debut yet, but both could feature against Necaxa this weekend. And that will be the first real test of whether América’s front office actually fixed the defensive problems; or simply bought two new people to watch them happen.

The signing of Colombian striker Miguel Borja, however, already looks like a very good decision. He has scored three goals in two matches. Carlos Álvarez also made his América debut against Chivas, playing the final 20 minutes of the Clásico Nacional.

So, the big question is still unanswered: How high is América’s ceiling? We genuinely don’t know yet.

4. Chivas

Table position: 2nd | Power Ranking: 4th

Gabriel Milito’s Chivas is, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Liga MX: whether you’re sitting in the stadium, watching on television or simply following the chaos from your phone. It’s a better-established project than América’s, mainly because Milito’s work began several tournaments ago.

The problem? They lost Armando “La Hormiga” González, while Mexico international Brian Gutiérrez still isn’t at 100 percent. But Chivas reinforced intelligently and found Santiago Sandoval and Ricardo Marín at exactly the right time. Roberto Alvarado is also enjoying an excellent run of form, while center-back Diego Campillo recently received a call-up from Mexico manager Rafael Márquez.

Putting Chivas fourth feels harsh. They probably deserve more.

But eventually, Milito’s team will have to prove something. Are they actually built to win Liga MX? Or are they destined to be one of those teams that reaches the semifinals, maybe even the final, only to discover that the championship trophy was never really invited to the party.

The Contested Middle

And here’s the crazy part: they’re only three points behind fourth-place Cruz Azul. In other words, this Apertura 2026 has roughly 12 teams fighting for eight playoff spots. The remaining six teams are already beginning to look like they need a miracle.

5. Monterrey

Table position: 10th | Power Ranking: 5th

Monterrey currently sits 10th with 13 points. Matías Almeyda’s team has stumbled along the way, but they have the squad necessary to recover and become a serious contender.

Right now, they aren’t playing at the level of the top four teams on this list, but they are clearly better than their current position suggests. It’s only a matter of time before Rayados start climbing.

And when the playoffs arrive, Monterrey will be exactly the kind of team nobody wants to see in the quarterfinals. So, when we reach the final stretch of the tournament, get your calculator ready. And start praying.

Because the last thing you want is Rayados waiting for you in the quarterfinals.

6. León

Table position: 6th | Power Ranking: 6th

Javier Gandolfi’s León has looked solid throughout the Apertura 2026. And now they have two very winnable games coming up. They host last-place FC Juárez this weekend before traveling to Puebla on Matchday 11. That’s a golden opportunity to collect six points and remain near the top of the table.

They have Diber Cambindo and Daniel Arcila as dangerous attacking options, while their defense has also been reliable. Heading into Matchday 10, León has conceded just 10 goals.

Not bad at all.

7. Xolos

Table position: 7th | Power Ranking: 7th

Having Gilberto Mora means having a different kind of player. Unfortunately for Xolos, having Gilberto Mora doesn’t automatically mean having a consistent football team.

Sebastián Abreu’s side has been wildly unpredictable. One day, they look like a serious football team. The next day, they get absolutely destroyed — like when Chivas beat them 5-2 a few weeks ago.

Xolos recently drew 2-2 with Pachuca, which was encouraging and showed they can compete. But before that, they lost at home to Querétaro 1-0.

So, yeah. Consistency remains a bit of an issue.

And while Gilberto Mora can produce magic, Xolos are not title contenders at this point.

8. Pachuca

Table position: 11th | Power Ranking: 8th

If there’s a Pumas fan reading this, I’m sorry, my friend. Your team reached last season’s final and lost dramatically to Cruz Azul. But right now? They’re not in my top eight.

Instead, Pachuca takes the final spot in the Hooligan Power Rankings.

The Tuzos are growing into the tournament and currently have a five-match unbeaten run, which says a lot about the work being done by Mexican manager Benjamín Mora. They have already destroyed Pumas 3-0 and earned a draw against Chivas at home. Pachuca has enough momentum to keep climbing and, who knows, maybe sneak into the top eight before the playoffs begin.

And that’s exactly what makes Liga MX so ridiculous. You can be 11th and still have a perfectly reasonable argument for making a title run.

The Last Four (9-12)

• Querétaro
  • Table position: 5th / Power Ranking: 9th
• Pumas
  • Table position: 12th / Power Ranking: 10th
• Atlas
  • Table position: 9th / Power Ranking: 11th
• Puebla
  • Table position: 8th / Power Ranking: 12th

Teams Falling Behind

Atlético de San Luis, Atlante, Necaxa, Tigres, Santos Laguna and FC Juárez.

Some of them still have time. Others are already beginning to hear the playoff train leaving the station. And judging by the table, not everyone is going to make it onto the train.

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