Apertura 2025 Playoff matchups defined

With nearly all of Matchday 17 in the books, the Apertura 2025 regular season is winding down—and the Liga MX playoffs are coming into focus. While the Play-In round still holds a few cards close to the chest, two high-stakes quarterfinal matchups are already locked in.

Top seeds await play-in results

Toluca and Tigres, who finished first and second in the standings, will have to wait for the Play-In results to find out who they’ll face in the quarterfinals. But further down the bracket, two marquee clashes are already confirmed—and they’re packed with history and drama.

(3) Cruz Azul vs (6) Chivas: a heavyweight battle

This matchup is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated of the round. Cruz Azul looked dominant for much of the season but slipped from the top spot in the final stretch. Now, they’ll face a red-hot Chivas squad that’s won seven of its last eight matches and is peaking at just the right time.

These two fan-favorite clubs last met in Week 7, where Cruz Azul edged out a 2–1 road win. Their most recent playoff clash came in the Apertura 2006 quarterfinals—a series Chivas won en route to lifting the championship trophy.

(4) América vs (5) Monterrey: a rematch with history

The other confirmed quarterfinal pits two perennial contenders against each other, though both have had inconsistent seasons. Neither América nor Monterrey has looked like a title favorite, but as every Liga MX fan knows, the playoffs are a different beast.

Their regular-season meeting in Week 9 ended in a thrilling 2–2 draw. But the real storyline here is the rematch of last year’s Apertura 2024 final—a series that América fans remember fondly, as it delivered the club an unprecedented three-peat in the short tournament era.

Play-in still in flux

The Play-In participants are already set, but the final matchups could still shift depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game between Pachuca and Santos. A win or draw could shuffle the standings and alter the Play-In pairings, adding one last twist before the knockout rounds begin.

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