The debate over promotion and relegation in Mexico has reached a point of no return. Liga MX, the country’s top men’s division, is currently operating without the mechanism, and the league’s decision-makers do not plan on bringing it back.Mexico first suspended pro/rel in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as an extreme cost-saving measure. Since then, proponents for its elimination, including Mexico Football Federation (FMF) officials and the Liga MX’s wealthy owners, have quietly grown, while the voices of those who want to bring it back have intensified. The fight for pro/rel in Mexico is a toxic debate that has included lawsuits and appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In May 2025, 10 Liga Expansión clubs (Mexico’s second division) filed a claim against the FMF and Liga MX with CAS, demanding the return of pro/rel. CAS rejected that appeal but recommended that Liga MX and FMF consider its reinstatement for Liga MX’s 2026-27 season. The 10-team lawsuit was then reduced to six teams, as lawyers for those clubs accused the FMF and Liga MX of retaliation. As court documents and legal fees continued to accumulate, Liga MX moved ahead with a plan to restructure Mexican football and close the door on pro/rel, first introduced in Mexico in the early 1950s. On Thursday, Liga MX president Francisco Iturbe and FMF president Ivar Sisniega unveiled a “new sporting model” as part of a long-term transformation of Liga MX and Mexican football as a whole. It includes a separation of powers that will leave league decisions in the hands of a committee of 18 Liga MX owners. Mikel Arriola views Liga Expansión primarily as a development league for young players. (Agustin Cuevas / Getty Images)In theory, that should limit the FMF’s influence on domestic football. According to Iturbe, the transformation will focus on improving the Liga MX product through increased investment to strengthen Mexican clubs’ infrastructure. Better management of the league’s assets was also mentioned as a priority. The nearly seven-minute video highlighted a plan that some Liga Expansión officials and most pundits and fans in Mexico deemed disingenuous.Giovanni Solazzi, president of Liga Expansión side Cancún FC, discussed his frustrations on ESPN Mexico on Thursday night. U.S.-based Blue Crow Sports Group owns Cancún FC.“A system has been created to kill off the Liga Expansión clubs,” he said. “There are owners in Liga Expansión who have a lot of money and are investing in their clubs. We had meetings with the FMF every month, but a few days ago they notified us that promotion and relegation were no longer up for negotiation.”One major problem is that some Liga Expansión owners view their teams as first division-worthy clubs, while Liga MX has another plan for the league. Some Expansión owners are willing to spend on players and upgrade their facilities. Their goal is to earn promotion to Liga MX by winning the Expansión league title.