Apertura 2026 Becomes Second Best-Attended Tournament in Liga MX History

Stadiums across Mexico keep filling up, and the numbers make it clear: the Apertura 2026 has positioned itself as the second best short tournament in Liga MX history in terms of fan attendance. And it hasn't even wrapped up yet.

According to the report published by Liga MX itself, just eight matchdays into the tournament, 1,920,373 fans passed through stadium turnstiles. Only one short tournament in the entire history of Mexican soccer tops that mark: the Clausura 2016, which remains the all-time leader with 1,999,553 fans. Nearly ten years later, that record still stands, but the Apertura 2026 has come closer to it than almost any other tournament.

How much did attendance grow? Quite a bit, especially compared to recent tournaments. Per the league's statement, the increase over the Clausura 2024 was 21.7 percent, which works out to 342,588 more fans in the stands. The gap widens even further when the comparison point is the Apertura 2024, where growth reaches 36.4 percent. And against both 2025 tournaments, the increase is just as clear: 26.1 percent over the Clausura 2025 and 25.5 percent over the Apertura 2025.

Liga MX summed it up this way in its statement:

"The cumulative attendance for the Apertura 2026 represents a 21.7 percent increase over the Clausura 2024, equivalent to 342,588 more fans. Compared to the Apertura 2024, growth stands at 36.4 percent, while against the Clausura 2025 and Apertura 2025, the increases are 26.1 percent and 25.5 percent, respectively"Liga MX

To put it in numbers that are easy to grasp at a glance: each match of the tournament has drawn an average of 26,672 spectators. That average doesn't yet factor in matchday 7, which remains open due to pending matches, so the figure could shift somewhat as the schedule progresses.

And if there's one date that gave the total a major boost, it was matchday 9. That's when the Clasico Nacional between America and Guadalajara took place, a single match that contributed 244,652 fans to the tournament total on its own. It hardly needs explaining why: when Aguilas and Chivas play, stadiums, and the numbers, always respond differently.

Liga MX was clear in the message accompanying these figures:

"With these results, the Apertura 2026 remains one of the best-attended tournaments in recent years, reflecting fans' interest in experiencing the atmosphere in stadiums in person"Liga MX

With the tournament still underway, the question that remains is whether the Apertura 2026 can achieve something more than second place in the history books. For now, the Clausura 2016 mark still stands firm at the top, but the gap no longer looks as far off as it did a few years ago.