Season 2024-25 Wrap-Up and Financial Penalties for Bottom Teams
The conclusion of the 2024-25 Liga MX season has brought disappointments, with Chivas failing to secure the title once again and three teams facing financial penalties for their poor performance in the percentage table.
Chivas’ Near Miss in Play-In Repechage
Chivas’ recent 1-1 draw against Atlas at the Jalisco Stadium left fans disappointed, as they needed a win in the Clásico Tapatío to secure a Play-In spot. Despite this, Chivas ended up outside the top 10 teams, missing out on the fase finals.
Gerardo Espinoza, Chivas head coach: “At the end of the day, calling it a failure is when you don’t reach your goal. Our goal was to make it to the final phases, and Chivas should be there regularly as an institution.”
Espinoza took over Chivas in Jornada 11, aiming to secure repechage with the team sitting at tenth place. However, he managed only four draws, two losses, and a single victory. Chivas narrowly missed the Play-In by one goal, as they finished with 18 goals for compared to Pumas’ 23.
Chivas’ Recent Struggles and Coach Espinoza
Under Espinoza’s leadership, Chivas also faced elimination in the Copa de Campeones de Concacaf by América with a lopsided 1-4 scoreline in the octavos de final. This marked eight years since Chivas’ last Liga MX title, achieved in the Clausura 2017 against Tigres with Matías Almeyda as head coach.
Financial Penalties for Worst-Performing Teams
At the bottom of the 2024-25 percentage table were Atlas, Puebla, and Mazatlán, in descending order.
The percentage table, which previously determined relegation based on the lowest points accumulated by any of the 18 Liga MX teams over six tournaments, now only assigns financial penalties to the worst-performing teams since the 2020-21 season.
- Atlas: 1.0294 (33 million pesos fine)
- Puebla: 0.9314 (47 million pesos fine)
- Mazatlán: 0.9118 (80 million pesos fine)
According to Article 24 of the Liga MX Competition Regulations 2024-25, these fines must be paid in full within ten days following the season’s conclusion or in two installments: 50% within ten days after the season ends and the remaining 50% before the start of the next tournament (Apertura 2025).
The total of 160 million pesos collected from these fines will go to a Stabilization Fund, supporting Liga de Expansión clubs in infrastructure and financial consolidation for potential promotion opportunities.
Decepcionantes Campañas de Multados
Atlas, Puebla, and Mazatlán were all eliminated from the Clausura 2025 fase finals due to their financial penalties.
Among the notable performances, Mazatlán’s forward Uros Djurdjevic from Montenegro nearly became the first-ever goleador leader in Atlas’ history, scoring 12 goals by season’s end.
Liga MX Teams Fined for Worst Performance Since Introduction of Percentage Table System
| Season | Team | Fine (in millions of pesos) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Bravos de Juárez | 50 |
| Atlas | 70 | |
| Atlético de San Luis | 120 | |
| 2021-22 | Toluca | 33 |
| Tijuana | 47 | |
| Bravos de Juárez | 80 | |
| 2022-23 | Mazatlán | 33 |
| Tijuana | 47 | |
| Querétaro | 80 | |
| 2023-24 | Mazatlán | 33 |
| Bravos de Juárez | 47 | |
| Tijuana | 80 | |
| 2024-25 | Atlas | 33 |
| Puebla | 47 | |
| Mazatlán | 80 |
Key Questions and Answers
- What are the financial penalties for the worst-performing teams in Liga MX? The financial penalties are assigned based on the percentage table, with Atlas receiving 33 million pesos, Puebla 47 million pesos, and Mazatlán 80 million pesos for the 2024-25 season.
- How are these fines distributed? The collected fines of 160 million pesos will be allocated to a Stabilization Fund, which supports Liga de Expansión clubs in areas like infrastructure and financial consolidation for potential promotion.
- What happened to Chivas this season? Despite Gerardo Espinoza’s efforts, Chivas failed to secure a Play-In spot by narrowly missing out on goals difference and finished outside the top 10 teams.
