Segunda División Premier · History

The Liga Premier de México is a competition organised by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) since 1950, when it was founded as the Segunda División Profesional. Its first edition, in 1950-51, brought together seven teams: Irapuato, Morelia, Pachuca, Querétaro, Toluca, Zacatepec and Zamora. For more than four decades it was the second tier of Mexican football, and its champion was promoted to the Primera División. Since 1994 it has been the third level of the pyramid, and in 2017 it took the name Liga Premier.

The Segunda División years (1950-1994)

The first champion was Zacatepec, who won the 1950-51 season and repeated the feat in 1962-63, 1969-70, 1977-78 and 1983-84. With five titles, they have won the division more often than any other club. Several clubs that later became fixtures in the top flight passed through the Segunda División: Toluca won it in 1952-53, Monterrey in 1955-56 and 1959-60, Cruz Azul in 1963-64, Tigres UANL in 1973-74, Atlante in 1976-77 and 1990-91, and León in 1989-90. Atlas collected three titles, in 1954-55, 1971-72 and 1978-79. Between 1982 and 1994 the division was split into two branches, Segunda División “A” and Segunda División “B”.

Third tier and new divisions (1994-2017)

The 1993-94 season, won by Tampico Madero, was the last in which the Segunda División served as the second tier. The creation of the Primera División “A” pushed it down to the third level, with a calendar that alternated winter and summer tournaments and later moved to the Apertura and Clausura system. In the 2008 Apertura the FMF split it into two competitions: the Liga Premier de Ascenso, whose clubs could win promotion, and the Liga de Nuevos Talentos, aimed at player development. During that period Universidad del Fútbol won four titles between 2008 and 2010, and Pachuca Juniors won three: the 2004 Clausura, the 2006 Apertura and the 2007 Apertura. From the 2015 Apertura to the 2018 Clausura, reserve sides of Primera División clubs also took part. Loros of the Universidad de Colima won the 2015 Clausura, and Tampico Madero took the 2016 Clausura.

The Liga Premier brand (2017-2025)

In June 2017 the FMF announced the change of name to Liga Premier: the Liga Premier de Ascenso became Serie A, and the Liga de Nuevos Talentos became Serie B. In 2018-19 the league switched to full-season tournaments with a play-off for the title, and that year Loros UdeC claimed their third crown, after the 2015 and 2018 Clausura titles. The format changed several times afterwards. In 2020-21 Serie B was suspended and the two series were merged into a single championship, won by Irapuato. In 2021-22 the short tournaments and the two separate branches returned; in 2023-24 the league went back to a single long tournament, and in 2024-25 to two tournaments per season. In 2020 the Liga de Expansión MX replaced Ascenso MX as the destination for the champion, provided the club meets the FMF's certification requirements.

Honours by club

Behind Zacatepec and their five titles come three clubs with four. Irapuato won theirs in 1953-54, 1984-85, 2020-21 and the 2025 Clausura. Tampico Madero, also known as Jaiba Brava, won in 1993-94, the 2016 Clausura, the 2023 Clausura and 2023-24. The third is Universidad del Fútbol. Atlas, Loros UdeC, Pachuca Juniors and Alacranes de Durango have three each; Durango won the winter 1998, summer 1999 and 2021 Apertura tournaments. The roll of honour also includes clubs that have since folded or been refounded under other names, such as Atletas Campesinos (1979-80), Potros Neza (1988-89) and Toros UTN (1992-93).

Venados, Durango and the 2026 restructuring

The 2025-26 season was played as a single tournament. The final pitted Deportiva Venados, from Yucatán, against Alacranes de Durango. Venados won the first leg 2-1 at the Alonso Diego Molina stadium in Mérida and drew the return leg 0-0, securing their first title in the division. Venados did not meet the requirements for promotion, and the Liga Premier confirmed that Alacranes would go up to the Liga de Expansión MX instead. In 2026 the league approved a restructuring that created the Primera Premier, an 18-club division with promotion and relegation between its tiers and access to the Liga de Expansión MX for its champion.