Mexican Senate proposes reform to restore promotion and relegation in soccer

Mexico’s Senate is stepping onto the pitch. A bipartisan group of senators announced a reform proposal on September 21, 2026, that would legally require sporting merit as the basis for participation in national sports associations, a move aimed squarely at forcing Liga MX to bring back promotion and relegation.

The legislation, spearheaded by Senator Clemente Castañeda of the Movimiento Ciudadano party, will be formally introduced on September 22. It targets amendments to the Ley General de Cultura Física y Deporte, Mexico’s general law governing physical culture and sport.

How Mexican soccer became a closed shop

Liga MX suspended promotion and relegation in April 2020, citing the financial pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the arrangement was framed as a temporary five-year pause. Clubs in the lower divisions were told to hang tight: the system would return in 2025.

It didn’t.

Instead of restoring the mechanism that lets top-performing lower-division clubs earn their way into the top flight, Liga MX went the other direction. In July 2026, the league formally eliminated promotion and relegation rules for the 2026-27 season, turning what had been a temporary pandemic measure into a permanent structural change.

Second-division clubs didn’t take it quietly. Expansión clubs appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2025, seeking to have promotion and relegation restored. CAS rejected the appeal, leaving the lower-division teams with few legal avenues, at least until now.

What the reform actually does

The proposed legislation is carefully worded to avoid the appearance of politicians directly running soccer. Instead of mandating specific league structures, it would require that national sports associations incorporate sporting merit as a fundamental principle. The law wouldn’t tell Liga MX exactly how to structure its competitions, but it would make a closed system legally incompatible with the governing framework for sport in Mexico.

The initiative has drawn support from across the political spectrum. Morena’s Ignacio Mier, a senator from the ruling party, has backed the proposal alongside Castañeda’s opposition party.

Representatives from second-division clubs have also voiced support, arguing that the current closed system creates barriers not just for clubs but for players, coaching staff, and community-level football initiatives.

Liga MX’s conspicuous silence

Perhaps the most telling detail from the September 21 Senate forum is who wasn’t there. FMF commissioner Mikel Arriola and Liga MX president Francisco Iturbide both declined to attend.

Liga MX’s position has been consistent, if unpopular with traditionalists. The league has argued that a closed system provides financial stability, protects investment in club infrastructure, and aligns with the franchise models used in other North American professional sports.

What happens next

The reform’s formal introduction on September 22 is just the beginning of what could be a lengthy legislative process. Even with bipartisan support, passing amendments to national sports law involves committee reviews, floor debates, and potential legal challenges from Liga MX and the Mexican Football Federation.

There’s also the question of enforcement. FIFA, football’s global governing body, has historically opposed government interference in national football associations. Mexican legislators appear aware of this risk, which is likely why the proposal focuses on broad principles of sporting merit rather than dictating specific league formats.

For Expansión clubs, the reform represents potentially the last viable mechanism for challenging the status quo after CAS closed the international arbitration route in 2025.

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