A total of 18 clubs began the Liga MX 2021 Apertura season with dreams of raising the league trophy in December. But only the top 12 in the standings advance to the postseason, or the liguilla, as it's more popularly known.
What's at stake: There has been plenty of jockeying for position during the 17-game regular season. That's because finishing in the top four places in the standings gives a team an automatic spot in the quarterfinals. The teams that finish No. 5 through No. 12 have to survive a single-elimination play-in game just to reach the quarters. The No. 13 through No. 18 teams are out of contention.
Why standings matter: Regular season standings also come into play during the playoff quarterfinal and semifinal series, which take place over two legs. The team with the most goals scored across both games advances. But if teams are tied on goals scored at the end of that second leg, the club that finished higher in the regular season standings will advance. That rule disappears for the final, where teams will head to extra time and a penalty kick shootout, if necessary.
WATCH: Liga MX matches on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)
Here is the latest schedule and results in the Liga MX Apertura season, followed by the updated standings, which outline the race for playoff places and seeding.
Liga MX 2021: Schedule, Matchday 17
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV Channels | Streaming |
| Wed, Nov. 3 | Pachuca 0, San Luis 0 | Highlights | ||
| Wed, Nov. 3 | Cruz Azul 0, Leon 1 | Highlights | ||
| Thurs, Nov. 4 | Pumas UNAM 0, Santos Laguna 3 | Highlights | ||
| Thurs, Nov. 4 | Atlas 2, Queretaro 0 | Highlights | ||
| Fri, Nov. 5 | Puebla 1, Toluca 0 | Highlights | ||
| Fri, Nov. 5 | Mazatlan 0, Chivas 1 | Highlights | ||
| Sat, Nov. 6 | Leon 3, Necaxa 0 | Highlights | ||
| Sat, Nov. 6 | Club America 0, Monterrey 0 | Highlights | ||
| Sat, Nov. 6 | Tigres UANL 3, FC Juarez 0 | Highlights | ||
| Sat, Nov. 6 | Club Tijuana 3, Pachuca 2 | Highlights | ||
| Sun, Nov. 7 | Pumas UNAM vs. Cruz Azul | 6 p.m. | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
| Sun, Nov. 7 | Santos Laguna vs. San Luis | 8 p.m. | FS2, Fox Deportes | fuboTV |
Liga MX 2021 Apertura standings
The standings are based on points that teams collect points during the 17 games of the regular season: three points for a win, one for a draw and none in case of a loss. If teams are tied on points, the following tiebreakers are used in this specific order:
1. Superior goal difference
2. Most goals scored
3. Most goals scored on the road
4. Head-to-head matchups between the teams that are tied
5. Best placement in "quotient" standings (points per game over previous six seasons)
6. Fair Play standings (based on yellow and red cards received)
7. Random draw
With those tiebreakers in mind, here's what the updated table looks like:
Apertura 2021 table
(PTS=Points, GP=Games Played, W=Wins, D=Draws, L=Losses, GF=Goals for, GA=Goals against, GD=Goal Difference)
- X = Qualified to quarterfinals
- Y = Qualified to play-in (repechaje)
- E = Eliminated
| Ranking | Team | PTS | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Club America (X) | 35 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 10 | +11 |
| 2. | Atlas (X) | 29 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 10 | +11 |
| 3. | Leon (X) | 29 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 14 | +6 |
| 4. | Tigres UANL (X) | 28 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 14 | +12 |
| 5. | Toluca (Y) | 24 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| 6. | Puebla (Y) | 24 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 7. | Santos Laguna (Y) | 23 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 |
| 8. | Cruz Azul (Y) | 23 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 |
| 9. | Monterrey (Y) | 22 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 16 | +3 |
| 10. | Chivas Guadalajara (Y) | 22 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| 11. | Mazatlan | 20 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 24 | -6 |
| 12. | Necaxa | 20 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 22 | -6 |
| 13. | Atletico San Luis | 19 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 23 | -4 |
| 14. | Pachuca (E) | 18 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 21 | -2 |
| 15. | Pumas UNAM | 18 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 20 | -7 |
| 16. | FC Juarez (E) | 16 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 25 | -11 |
| 17. | Queretaro (E) | 15 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 19 | -8 |
| 18. | Club Tijuana (E) | 15 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 27 | -11 |
How to watch Liga MX in the USA
- TV channels: Univision, TUDN, UniMás, Telemundo, Universo, ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes
- Live stream: fuboTV, TUDN.tv, ESPN app, TelemundoDeportes.com, Fox Deportes app
The Liga MX 2021 Apertura season will be carried by four major U.S. broadcast outlets: Univision networks TUDN and UniMas, ESPN Deportes, Telemundo / Universo and Fox Deportes.
All these channels can be streamed on fuboTV (free 7-day trial).
The matches can also be streamed with user authentication on the various alternate platforms offered by the networks: TUDN.tv, TelemundoDeportes.com and the apps for Telemundo Deportes, ESPN, TUDN and Fox Deportes.