Football in Mexico
Encyclopedia
Mexico’s most popular sport is association football. It is commonly believed that Football was introduced in Mexico by Cornish
miners at the end of the 19th century. By 1902 a five-team league still emerged with a strong English influence. Football became a professional sport in 1943. Since the “Era Professional” started, Mexico’s top clubs have been Guadalajara with 11 championships, América
and Toluca with 10. In Mexican Football many players have been raised to the level of legend, but two of them have received international recognition above others. Antonio Carbajal
was the first player to appear in five World Cups, and Hugo Sánchez
was named best CONCACAF
player of the 20th century by IFFHS. Mexican’s biggest stadiums are Estadio Azteca
, Estadio Olímpico Universitario
and Estadio Jalisco
.
Football has been played professionally in Mexico since the early 1900s. The first Mexican club, C.F. Pachuca, is still well in existence. Since 1996, the country has played two split seasons instead of a traditional long season. There are two separate playoff and league divisions. This system is common throughout Latin America
. After many years of calling the regular seasons as "Verano" (Summer) and "Invierno" (Winter); the Primera División de México
(Mexican First League Division) have changed the names of the competition, and has opted for a traditional name of "Apertura" (opening) and "Clausura" (closing) events. The Apertura division begins in the middle of Mexico's summer and ends before the official start of winter. The Clausura division begins during the New Year
, and concludes in the spring season.
Mexican football has four divisions, beginning with the Primera División de México
, Liga de Ascenso
, Segunda División de México, and Tercera División de México
. The teams are promoted and relegated
by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación
. Relegation is a common practice in Mexican football. This means one club from the top league division moving down, and one side from the bottom league division moving up.
The relegation system does not punish clubs for having a bad season. Mexican clubs are assessed on their previous five campaigns. Points are accumulated for five seasons and divided by the number of matches played. The club with the lowest percentage after the Clausura season is relegated to the lower division.
Mexico’s most successful clubs have been Guadalajara with 11 championships, América
with 10, Toluca
10, and Cruz Azul 8.
Mexico has hosted two FIFA World Cup
s, in 1970
and 1986
. Many of the stadiums in use around the league have a World Cup history. Sites such as Estadio Jalisco
in Guadalajara, Estadio Tecnologico
in Monterrey and Estadio Azteca
in Mexico City
are renowned for their national and international history. The legendary Estadio Azteca, for example, is the only stadium in the world to have hosted two World Cup finals and is one of the largest stadiums in the world.
finished twice as runner-ups at the Copa América
, became world champions at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship
in Peru, the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and have reached the quarter finals twice at the World Cup. Recently, some players from Mexico have gone on to play in Europe, including Jared Borgetti
, Rafael Márquez
, Gerardo Torrado
, Cuauhtemoc Blanco
, Nery Castillo
, Carlos Salcido
, Ricardo Osorio
, Pável Pardo
, Andrés Guardado
, Guillermo Franco
, Carlos Vela
, Giovani dos Santos
, Omar Bravo
, Aaron Galindo
, Hector Moreno
, Francisco Javier Rodríguez
, Francisco Fonseca
, Javier Hernández (commonly referred to as "Chicharito"), Pablo Barrera
, and Efraín Juárez
.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
miners at the end of the 19th century. By 1902 a five-team league still emerged with a strong English influence. Football became a professional sport in 1943. Since the “Era Professional” started, Mexico’s top clubs have been Guadalajara with 11 championships, América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
and Toluca with 10. In Mexican Football many players have been raised to the level of legend, but two of them have received international recognition above others. Antonio Carbajal
Antonio Carbajal
Antonio Félix "Tota" Carbajal Rodríguez is a Mexican former football goalkeeper. He was also called "El Cinco Copas", in reference to his record of five World Cups played.-Pro career:...
was the first player to appear in five World Cups, and Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez , popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. Sanchez is considered the first highly talented Mexican player. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and...
was named best CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
player of the 20th century by IFFHS. Mexican’s biggest stadiums are Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
, Estadio Olímpico Universitario
Estadio Olímpico Universitario
Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a stadium located in Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City. It was built in 1952 and at that time was the largest stadium in Mexico. This stadium has a capacity of 63,186 . During the 50s and the 60s this stadium was used mostly for college American football matches...
and Estadio Jalisco
Estadio Jalisco
The Estadio Jalisco is a football stadium located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third largest Mexican football stadium behind Estadio Azteca and Estadio Olimpico Universitario...
.
Football has been played professionally in Mexico since the early 1900s. The first Mexican club, C.F. Pachuca, is still well in existence. Since 1996, the country has played two split seasons instead of a traditional long season. There are two separate playoff and league divisions. This system is common throughout Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. After many years of calling the regular seasons as "Verano" (Summer) and "Invierno" (Winter); the Primera División de México
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
(Mexican First League Division) have changed the names of the competition, and has opted for a traditional name of "Apertura" (opening) and "Clausura" (closing) events. The Apertura division begins in the middle of Mexico's summer and ends before the official start of winter. The Clausura division begins during the New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, and concludes in the spring season.
Mexican football has four divisions, beginning with the Primera División de México
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
, Liga de Ascenso
Liga de Ascenso
The Liga de Ascenso is the second professional level of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition is promoted to the Primera División de México ....
, Segunda División de México, and Tercera División de México
Tercera División de México
Tercera División is Mexico's fourth tier in the Mexican League System. The Tercera División is divided into 15 groups. For the 2009/2010 season, the format of the tournament has been reorganized to a home and away format, which all teams will play in their respected group...
. The teams are promoted and relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación
Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación
The Mexican Federation of Football is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It administers the Mexican national team, the Mexican league and all affiliated amateur sectors, and is in charge of promoting, organizing, directing, spreading, and supervising competitive football in Mexico...
. Relegation is a common practice in Mexican football. This means one club from the top league division moving down, and one side from the bottom league division moving up.
The relegation system does not punish clubs for having a bad season. Mexican clubs are assessed on their previous five campaigns. Points are accumulated for five seasons and divided by the number of matches played. The club with the lowest percentage after the Clausura season is relegated to the lower division.
Mexico’s most successful clubs have been Guadalajara with 11 championships, América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
with 10, Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
10, and Cruz Azul 8.
Mexico has hosted two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, in 1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
and 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
. Many of the stadiums in use around the league have a World Cup history. Sites such as Estadio Jalisco
Estadio Jalisco
The Estadio Jalisco is a football stadium located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third largest Mexican football stadium behind Estadio Azteca and Estadio Olimpico Universitario...
in Guadalajara, Estadio Tecnologico
Estadio Tecnológico
The Estadio Tecnológico is a stadium located in city of Monterrey, Mexico.It is the property of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. The Monterrey Football Club play their home games there, but only rent the space and are not affiliated with the Institute.The stadium was...
in Monterrey and Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
are renowned for their national and international history. The legendary Estadio Azteca, for example, is the only stadium in the world to have hosted two World Cup finals and is one of the largest stadiums in the world.
National team
The Mexican national football teamMexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
finished twice as runner-ups at the Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
, became world champions at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship
2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship
The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participate in this tournament...
in Peru, the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and have reached the quarter finals twice at the World Cup. Recently, some players from Mexico have gone on to play in Europe, including Jared Borgetti
Jared Borgetti
Jared Francisco Borgetti Echavarría is a retired Mexican footballer. Borgetti is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexican national team, with 46 goals. A prolific goal scorer at both club and national level, Borgetti was renowned for his heading ability...
, Rafael Márquez
Rafael Márquez
Rafael Márquez Álvarez is a Mexican footballer who plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer and the Mexico national team. He plays as a centre back or defensive midfielder....
, Gerardo Torrado
Gerardo Torrado
Gerardo Torrado Diez de Bonilla is an international Mexican football player, currently playing as a midfielder for Cruz Azul and is captain of the team. He is known as "El Borrego" for his bushy-like hair...
, Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo is a Mexican professional footballer currently signed for Irapuato in the Mexican Liga de Ascenso.Known for his aggressive yet charismatic personality on the field, playing most of his career as a deep-lying forward and his last years as an attacking midfielder...
, Nery Castillo
Nery Castillo
Nery Alberto Castillo Confalonieri , is a Mexican international footballer who currently plays for Aris.He began his career at Uruguayan club Danubio, moving to Greece at the age of 16 to play for Olympiacos....
, Carlos Salcido
Carlos Salcido
Carlos Arnoldo Salcido Flores is a Mexican international football defender who currently plays for Mexican Primera División club UANL on loan from Fulham...
, Ricardo Osorio
Ricardo Osorio
Ricardo Osorio Mendoza is a Mexican international football defender, who currently plays with Monterrey of the Primera División de México...
, Pável Pardo
Pavel Pardo
Pável Pardo Segura , is a Mexican international footballer, who currently plays for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.- Biography :...
, Andrés Guardado
Andrés Guardado
José Andrés Guardado Hernández is a Mexican footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain and the Mexican national football team, as a left winger.-Atlas:...
, Guillermo Franco
Guillermo Franco
Guillermo Luis Franco Farquarson is an Argentine-born Mexican football striker who plays for Vélez Sársfield. He also played for the Mexico national team, until his international retirement in September 2010.-Early life:...
, Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican association football player, currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal. He also plays for the Mexico national football team. He started his career at Mexican club C.D...
, Giovani dos Santos
Giovani Dos Santos
Giovani dos Santos Ramírez is a Mexican footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He can also play as a winger or second striker. Since joining Tottenham, he has had loan spells at Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Racing de Santander...
, Omar Bravo
Omar Bravo
Omar Bravo Tordecillas is a Mexican footballer who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.-Club Deportivo Guadalajara:...
, Aaron Galindo
Aarón Galindo
Aarón Galindo Rubio is a Mexican football center back. He is currently playing for Santos Laguna.-Biography:...
, Hector Moreno
Héctor Moreno
Héctor José Moreno Moreno is a retired Colombian racewalker. He went to four Olympian games and five world athletics . he is one of the best athletes in the past fifty years because only two Colombians also have a Panamerican title and he is one of them...
, Francisco Javier Rodríguez
Francisco Javier Rodríguez
Francisco Javier Rodríguez Pinedo known as Maza is a Mexican football defender. He currently plays for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.-Guadalajara:...
, Francisco Fonseca
Francisco Fonseca
José Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca Guzmán is a Mexican football striker. He currently plays for Atlante F.C..-Career:...
, Javier Hernández (commonly referred to as "Chicharito"), Pablo Barrera
Pablo Barrera
Pablo Edson Barrera Acosta is a Mexican footballer who plays as a winger or outside forward for La Liga side Real Zaragoza, on loan from West Ham United...
, and Efraín Juárez
Efrain Juárez
Efraín Juárez Valdez is a Mexican footballer who currently plays as a right back for La Liga club Real Zaragoza on loan from Celtic, and the Mexico national team.-Club Universidad Nacional:...
.