It turns out that Mexican teams did care about the 2026 Leagues Cup after all, and the price of having four of our clubs dominate the semifinals will be paid, as usual, by the domestic league.
With Toluca and Rayados set to face off in the Grand Final after dispatching their rivals, and a wounded América that lost on penalty kicks and will now face León for the third-place consolation prize this Sunday, September 6, the league officials had no choice but to reshuffle Matchday 7 of Liga MX.
Mark your calendars, let your families know, and scrap your original plans, because the puzzle of rescheduling that was put together at the office desks has turned out as follows:
- Pumas vs. León: Thursday, September 10 | 11:00 p.m. ET | Olímpico Universitario. (Let’s see how La Fiera’s legs hold up after the transnational tour).
- León vs. Atlético de San Luis: Monday, September 14 | 9:00 p.m. ET | Nou Camp.
- Puebla vs. Toluca: Tuesday, September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Estadio Cuauhtémoc. (So the Diablo can lead the Grito de Independencia in Angelópolis.)
- Xolos vs. América: Wednesday, October 28 | 11:00 p.m. ET | Banorte Stadium. (Yes, you read that right: the Águilas are pushing their match back to late October).
- Querétaro vs. Rayados: Saturday, November 14 | 6:00 p.m. ET | La Corregidora Stadium. (Practically on the eve of the playoffs, to ramp up the pressure for the final stretch.)
In its official announcement, Liga MX took the time to “thank the rival clubs for their willingness and support” in accepting these last-minute schedule changes. Realistically, the clubs had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept that Leagues Cup dollars take precedence over the regular season schedule.
In terms of regularly scheduled play, there will still be five matches this weekend in Liga MX:
- Juarez vs. Puebla: Friday, September 4 | 11:00 p.m. ET
- San Luis vs. Chivas: Saturday, September 5 | 7:00 p.m. ET
- Tigres vs. Necaxa: Saturday, September 5 | 9:00 p.m. ET
- Atlas vs. Atlante: Saturday, September 5 | 11:00 p.m. ET
- Cruz Azul vs. Santos: Sunday, September 6 | 7:00 p.m. ET
