Club León find themselves 13th in the Liga MX Clausura, four points adrift of the playoff places and a far cry from where they were only 12 months ago.
This time last year, the club enjoyed an eleven-game unbeaten run to start 2025, boosted by the signing of James Rodríguez, and were on course to take part in the inaugural expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup.
As recently as 2023, León were on top of Central and North American football, lifting the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Alas, continental football is but a distant memory for many fans now.
2025 Peak of Club León
All started right in the world for Club León in 2025: nine wins, two draws and no losses. The run included big wins against Chivas and Tigres, whilst holding the then reigning champions Club América and the champions-elect Toluca.
At the same time, this small Mexican club shocked the world by convincing Colombian superstar James Rodríguez to join the club, leading the global attention.
James lifted the team offensively, and he wasn’t the only one. Jhonder Cadíz, a 29-year-old Venezuelan international, was scoring goals for fun, along with Colombian winger Stiven Mendoza, but things came crashing down before the season could even finish.
2025 the sharp decline of Club León
León’s twelfth game of the season would ultimately lead to their sudden, disappointing downfall.
Losing to a bottom-half Santos Laguna, they went on to win only one of their final four games of the regular season before facing defeat in the opening playoff tie against Cruz Azul.
Behind the scenes, the cracks started to appear. León’s invitation to the Club World Cup was revoked after an investigation revealed they were jointly owned by those at Pachuca, something which violated FIFA regulations.
What was supposed to be a special summer was quickly cut short, with the club missing out on a major payday whilst seeing their opportunity to face the likes of Chelsea, Flamengo and Espérance Sportive de Tunis fade away.
To make matters worse, both Cadíz and Mendoza headed for the exit door after the Clausura campaign, with the former joining partner club Pachuca and the latter heading for Brazil.
Continued woes in the 2025 Apertura
Despite a rollercoaster summer, one major boost was that their posterboy, James Rodríguez, stayed at the club and remained open to extending his contract.
That was, until a dismal Apertura campaign strained relations between the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder and the club. Fan support turned on the Colombian, with many wanting him gone to free up salary funds for new recruitments.
After such a promising Clausura, León ended 2025 with only three wins from 17 matches, landing one point above bottom-placed Puebla.
Club León in 2026
Nine matches into the new year, León find themselves on 10 points with three wins, one draw and five defeats.
So far, they have established themselves as mid-table contenders, remaining an arm’s length from the post-season places while having some breathing space for the foot of the table.
Murmurs of a potential managerial exit are floating around. Nacho Ambriz, a Liga MX champion with the club back in 2020, has been unable to turn the tide, especially following their most recent 4-2 defeat to an equally troubled Mazatlán FC.
