Senate bill would force Mexican pro soccer to bring back promotion and relegation

The fight over the elimination of promotion and relegation in Mexican soccer has moved deeper into the Senate, where lawmakers this week published a bill that would require Liga MX to restore a path for second-division clubs to reach the top flight.

The proposal, introduced by Senator Clemente Castañeda, a member of the opposition Citizens’ Movement party from Jalisco, would amend Article 50 of the General Law of Physical Culture and Sport. It reportedly has support from 10 senators from several parties.

The bill would require promotion and relegation when two or more professional divisions operate within the same national competitive structure.

While its language could extend to other sports, the immediate target is Liga MX and the closed system separating the top division from the Liga de Expansión MX.  Before 2020, that second-tier professional league was named Ascenso MX — “ascenso” meaning promotion.

“When they closed off the possibility of promotion, they didn’t just change a sporting rule,” Castañeda said. “They also restricted a path for players, staff and sports projects to grow in a country that needs to open up opportunities.”

The bill presented Wednesday must clear Senate committees and pass both houses of Congress before it can become law.

Liga MX owners suspended promotion and relegation in 2020 as part of a Mexican Football Federation (FMF) restructuring during the COVID-19 shutdown. Officials said a six-season promotion pause was needed to stabilize financially troubled lower-division clubs.

The system was expected to return after the 2025-26 season — with one second-division club getting promoted and one Liga MX club relegated each year.

Instead, Mexico’s soccer authorities removed it from league regulations, prompting protests by clubs, players and fans.

Still, the FMF insists that second-division teams are “eligible” for promotion if they meet certification standards, such as financial solvency and a formal organizational structure. One of the requirements is stadium capacity of 30,000 — a threshold that even some Liga MX clubs do not meet, critics say.

Five Liga de Expansión teams — Cancún FC, Atlético La Paz, Atlético Morelia, Leones Negros de la Universidad de Guadalajara and Mineros de Zacatecas — appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the policy change.

A 2025 ruling by the Lausanne, Switzerland-based body found that the FMF’s six-season suspension ran only through the 2025-26 season, clearing the way for promotion and relegation to return.

But the FMF and Liga MX instead removed the system from the regulations for the current 2026-27 season.

At Liga de Expansión opening matches last month, players from several teams spent the first minute standing still or passing without attacking to protest the policy. The disciplinary commission warned clubs that additional disruptions could result in fines.

The dispute has broadened beyond the Senate. Mexico’s National Antitrust Commission this month opened an investigation into possible monopolistic practices in pro soccer. The FMF could face fines of up to 10% of annual revenue if authorities find violations of competition law.

This week’s Senate proposal could also raise questions under FIFA statutes, which require member federations to manage their affairs independently and without undue third-party influence. FIFA’s council may temporarily suspend an association that seriously violates its obligations.

Mexico’s closed Liga MX structure contrasts with the major European leagues. The English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 all promote clubs from and relegate clubs to their second divisions based on results.

But Liga MX is not alone. Major League Soccer in the U.S. and Canada and the A-League Men in Australia also operate without promotion and relegation.