The 2023–24 Liga de Expansión MX season is the fourth professional season of the second-tier football division in Mexico. The season is divided into two championships—the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura—each in an identical format. The Apertura tournament began on 21 July 2023. The Clausura tournament will begin in January 2024 as a 33-team league with the addition of 18 Liga MX under-23 teams.
Changes from the previous season
The Liga de Expansión MX is a Mexican football league founded in 2020 as part of the Mexican Football Federation's "Stabilization Project", which has the primary objective of rescuing the financially troubled teams from the Ascenso MX and prevent the disappearance of a second-tier league in Mexico, for which there will be no promotion and relegation during the following six years.[1] The project also attempts for Liga MX and former Ascenso MX teams to consolidate stable projects with solid basis, sports-wise and administrative-wise, financially wise and in infrastructure.
The Liga MX under-20 league was reformed as a under-23 league. The Liga MX under-23 league will play their Apertura 2023 season and join Liga de Expansión MX as of the Clausura 2024 season.[3]
The owner's assembly decided to adjust liguilla qualification, which was modified as of the Apertura 2021 season. The number of teams directly qualifying to the quarter-finals was increased from four to six, while reducing the number of teams entering the reclassification round from eight to four, aligning it with the NBA play-in tournament. The 9th place team hosts the 10th place team in an elimination game. The 7th hosts the 8th place team in the double-chance game, with the winner advancing as the 7-seed. The loser of this game then hosts the winner of the elimination game between the 9th and 10th place teams to determine the 8-seed.
Atlante obtained certification for promotion to Liga MX. Venados and Zacatecas applied and were not certified for promotion.[4]UdeG lost their status as a certified team due to financial issues.[5] The league will not reactivate promotion until four teams are certified.
On June 29, 2023 Durango was returned to Liga Premier de México, after one year as guest club in the Liga de Expansión MX, due to financial problems. The Liga de Expansión requested that the Liga Premier propose another affiliated team to play as a guest team in the second–tier.[6]
^Reinstated in his position after his dismissal was announced
Apertura 2023
The defending champions are Tapatío. The regular tournament began on 21 July and will end on 31 October. The round 2 match between Celaya and Tepatitlán was postponed due to poor pitch condition and played on 19 August during round 5.[36]
Source: Liga de Expansión MX Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of goals scored away; 5) Head-to-head results between tied teams; 6) Highest relegation coefficient; 7) Fair Play points Notes:
^The Teams ranked from 1st to 6th place qualify to the Liguilla quarter-finals.
^The Teams ranked from 7th to 10th place qualify to the play-in round.
Positions by round
Leader and qualification to Liguilla quarter-finals
Source: Liga de Expansión MX Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of goals scored away; 5) Head-to-head results between tied teams; 6) Highest relegation coefficient; 7) Fair Play points Notes:
^The Teams ranked from 1st to 6th place qualify to the Liguilla quarter-finals.
^The Teams ranked from 7th to 10th place qualify to the play-in round.
Results
Each team plays once all other teams in 15 rounds regardless of it being a home or away match.
The Campeón de Campeones Final is a two-legged playoff between the winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments and the Liga de Expansión MX Super cup. The final would not be played if the same team wins both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The higher ranked team on the aggregate table for the 2023–24 season will play the second leg at home.
1–1 on aggregate. Cancún won 3–1 on penalty kicks.
Coefficient table
As of the 2020–21 season, the promotion and relegation between Liga MX and Liga de Expansión MX (formerly known as Ascenso MX) was suspended, however, the coefficient table will be used to establish the payment of fines that will be used for the development of the clubs of the silver circuit.[38] As of the 2023–24 season, the bottom three ranked Liga de Expansión MX teams will not pay a fine. The last ranked team can not qualify for the Clausura 2024 liguilla.
Tiebreakers: 1) Coefficient; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results between tied teams; 5) Number of goals scored away; 6) Fair Play points
Source: Liga de Expansión
The Aggregate table is a sum of the Apertura 2023 and Clausura 2024 tournament standings. The aggregate table is used to determine seeding for the "Campeón de Campeones" Final.
Updated to match(es) played on 12 April 2024. Source: Liga Expansión MX Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results between tied teams; 5) Number of goals scored away; 6) Highest relegation coefficient; 7) Fair Play points