# Mexico's soccer fight to restore promotion and relegation

> Mexican senators are pushing legislation to bring back a system scrapped in 2020, after top-flight owners broke their promise to restore it.
- Title: Mexico's soccer fight to restore promotion and relegation
- Summary: Mexican senators are pushing legislation to bring back a system scrapped in 2020, after top-flight owners broke their promise to restore it. Mexican soccer's…
- Keywords: liga mx, promotion and relegation, mexican soccer, senate legislation, clemente castañeda, second division, francisco iturbide, mikel arriola, sporting merit, player development, sports, Mexico's
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/22/liga-mx-promoption-relegation-senate
- Author: Associated Press
- Published: 2026-09-22T15:22:13+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: liga mx, promotion and relegation, mexican soccer, senate legislation, clemente castañeda, second division, francisco iturbide, mikel arriola, sporting merit, player development, sports
## Mexico's soccer system frozen in 2020
Liga MX owners suspended promotion and relegation in April 2020, blaming financial hardship from the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan was to restore it after five years.
## Promise broken, system quietly scrapped
The reinstatement was supposed to happen in 2025, but Liga MX owners never restored the system. This year, they completely removed it from regulations without explanation.

> The whole pandemic thing was a sham; they always knew they were going to permanently shut down promotion and relegation.
## Second division teams demand answers
Clubs like U de G Leones Negros protested the broken promise. Players responded by standing motionless after kickoff or playing passively, and fans wore protest shirts.

> When they closed off the possibility of promotion, they didn't just change a sporting rule; they also restricted a path for players, staff, and sports projects to grow.
## New investors left stranded
Cancún FC was bought in 2022 by an investment group including former Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, based on the promise that promotion would return. The system's elimination undermined their investment.

> When we bought the team, we saw great potential, potential that often even Mexicans don't see, but the current system fosters mediocrity; it's very sad.
## Impossible standards block promotion
Liga MX imposed a 30,000-seat stadium requirement for second-division teams seeking promotion, a standard not even met by all first-division clubs. This created an insurmountable barrier.
## Senate introduces restoration legislation
Senator Clemente Castañeda of Movimiento Ciudadano proposed a legislative reform to restore promotion and relegation, backed by representatives from multiple parties including the ruling Morena party.
## Even Club América owner backs restoration
The owner of Club América, Mexico's most powerful club, stated support for reinstating the system, provided the right conditions exist. He cited successful second divisions in Spain, England, and Portugal.

> I am in favor of promotion and relegation. Everyone makes comparisons, pointing out that it exists in Spain, England, or Portugal.
## Antitrust commission launches investigation
Mexico's National Antitrust Commission opened an investigation into potential monopolistic practices in the league, centering on the absence of promotion and relegation.
## Key takeaway

Mexican soccer's top division eliminated promotion and relegation in 2020 citing Covid-19 hardship, promised to restore it in 2025, then quietly scrapped it permanently, sparking Senate intervention and antitrust investigation.