Ascenso MX

Ascenso MX
Founded	1994; 30 years ago, as Primera División A de México
Folded	2020; 4 years ago
Country	Mexico
Confederation	CONCACAF
Number of teams	12
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Liga MX
Relegation to	Liga Premier
Domestic cup(s)	Copa MX; Supercopa MX
Last champions	Oaxaca (2nd title)
Most championships	Sinaloa; León; Irapuato; Necaxa; (4 titles each)
Website	ascensomx.net
	Current: 2019–20 Ascenso MX season

The Ascenso MX was the second level division of the Mexican football league system.^[1] The champions of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top level). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (third level). It was sponsored by BBVA through its Mexican subsidiary BBVA, and was officially known as Ascenso BBVA MX.

Formerly called Primera División A de México (1994-2009), the league rebranded in 2009 its name and competition format to Liga de Ascenso (2009-2012). It was rebranded as Ascenso MX in 2012, the major changes (clubs do not need a FMF certification to be promoted and that the competition no longer used group stages).

Ascenso MX was replaced by Liga de Expansión MX on April 17, 2020.

History

In 1994, to create a premier league, the FMF upgraded the Segunda División de México to Primera División A de México to bring closer the level of play in the two divisions. The project was under the direction of José Antonio García Rodríguez, then president of the then top level Primera División. He envisioned the new division to be joined by the best teams of the Segunda División and include teams from the United States (Los Angeles Salsa and San Jose Black Hawks expressed a desire to join). FIFA declined the integration but established a new league with the best Segunda División sides. The inaugural 1994-95 season began with 15 teams: Acapulco, Atlético Celaya, Atlético San Francisco, Atlético Yucatán, Caimanes de Tabasco, Coras de Tepic, Gallos de Aguascalientes, Halcones de Querétaro, Inter Tijuana, Irapuato, Reboceros de La Piedad, Marte, Pachuca, San Luis, and Zacatepec. Cobras de Ciudad Juárez declined to participate due to financial problems.

In 2006, the number of teams increased from 20 to 24, and geographically separated into two groups for preliminary competition (A and B).

In 2009, the major changes were: the name change from Primera División A to Liga de Ascenso. The league was reduced to 17 teams and the groups were eliminated. The Apertura 2010 tournament had 18 teams participating. In 2012 the league was rebranded as Ascenso MX.^[2] Alebrijes de Oaxaca was the 16th team of Ascenso MX in 2013. Alebrijes was partly formed by consolidating Segunda División side Tecamachalco which had won promotion to Ascenso MX in 2012, but did not fulfill infrastructural requirements set by the Mexican Football Federation. In August 2013, Zacatepec was promoted to Ascenso MX in place of relegated Pumas Morelos. ^[3]

During the 2011–2016 seasons there was no relegation to the Segunda División de México. On June 6, 2016, returned the relegation for the 2016–17 season. Loros UdeC and Murciélagos were relegated in the next two seasons. In 2018–19 season, C.D.S. Tampico Madero finished last in the relegation table, but remained in Ascenso MX after paying a bail.^[4]

Abolition

On April 13, Liga MX and Ascenso MX President Enrique Bonilla announced the termination of the remainder of the Clausura 2020 season. Two reasons were the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and the league's lack of financial resources. Its U-17 and U-20 youth systems and the Liga MX Femenil are also at risk.^[5]

Clubs

The 2019–20 season had 14 clubs competing.^[6] However, the Clausura 2020 tournament had only 12 teams competing after the dissolution of Potros UAEM and Loros UdeC.

Location of teams in the 2019–20 Ascenso MX

Club	City	Stadium	Capacity
Atlante	Cancún, Quintana Roo	Andrés Quintana Roo	17,289
Cafetaleros	Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas	Víctor Manuel Reyna	29,001
Celaya	Celaya, Guanajuato	Miguel Alemán Valdés	23,182
UAT	Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas	Marte R. Gómez	10,520
UdeG	Guadalajara, Jalisco	Jalisco	55,020
Oaxaca	Oaxaca City, Oaxaca	Tecnológico de Oaxaca	14,598
Sinaloa	Culiacán, Sinaloa	Banorte	20,108
Sonora	Hermosillo, Sonora	Héroe de Nacozari	18,747
Tampico Madero	Tampico / Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas	Tamaulipas	19,667
Venados	Mérida, Yucatán	Carlos Iturralde	15,087
Zacatecas	Zacatecas City, Zacatecas	Carlos Vega Villalba	20,068
Zacatepec	Zacatepec, Morelos	Agustín "Coruco" Díaz	24,313

Champions

Club	Champions	Runners-up	Winning years
Sinaloa	4	6	Apertura 2003, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2015, Apertura 2016
León¹	4	3	Clausura 2003, Clausura 2004, Clausura 2008, Clausura 2012
Irapuato²	4	2	Invierno 1999, Verano 2000, Apertura 2002, Clausura 2011
Necaxa¹	4	2	Apertura 2009, Bicentenario 2010, Apertura 2014, Clausura 2016
Querétaro¹	3	0	Clausura 2005, Clausura 2006, Apertura 2008
La Piedad²	2	3	Verano 2001, Apertura 2012
Pachuca¹	2	1	1995-96, Invierno 1997
San Luis⁴	2	1	Verano 2002, Apertura 2004
Atlético San Luis¹	2	1	Apertura 2018, Clausura 2019
Tigres UANL¹	2	0	Invierno 1996, Verano 1997
Mérida/Atlético Yucatán	2	0	Invierno 1998, Clausura 2009
Puebla¹	2	0	Apertura 2005, Apertura 2006
Oaxaca	2	0	Apertura 2017, Apertura 2019
Tijuana¹	1	2	Apertura 2010
UAT	1	2	Apertura 2011
Juárez¹	1	2	Apertura 2015
Tigrillos UANL'⁴	1	1	Verano 1998
Veracruz⁴	1	1	Invierno 2001
Indios CDJ⁴	1	1	Apertura 2007
UdeG	1	1	Apertura 2013
Toros Neza⁴	1	1	Clausura 2013
Lobos BUAP⁴	1	1	Clausura 2017
Celaya⁴	1	0	1994-95
Unión de Curtidores⁴	1	0	Verano 1999
Gallos de Aguascalientes⁴	1	0	Invierno 2000
Tecos²	1	0	Clausura 2013
Tapachula⁴	1	0	Clausura 2018
Cruz Azul Hidalgo⁴	0	3	–
Zacatepec²	0	3	–
Atlante	0	2	–
Coras²	0	1	–
Salamanca³	0	1	–
Atlético Hidalgo⁴	0	1	–
Atlético Mexiquense⁴	0	1	–
Chivas Tijuana⁴	0	1	–
Cobras⁴	0	1	–
Gallos de Hermosillo⁴	0	1	–
RS Zacatecas⁴	0	1	–
Tapatío	0	1	–

Notes

Clubs currently in the Liga MX.
Clubs currently in the Liga Premier.
Clubs currently in the Liga TDP.
Defunct clubs.

Campeón de Ascenso

Club	Champions	Runners-up	Winning years
Sinaloa	2	2	2003-04, 2016-17
Irapuato	2	1	1999-00¹, 2002-03
Querétaro	2	1	2005-06, 2008-09
Necaxa	2	1	2009-10¹, 2015-16
La Piedad	2	0	2000-01, 2012-13
San Luis	2	0	2001-02, 2004-05
León	1	3	2011-12
Puebla	1	1	2006-07
Tigres UANL	1	0	1996-97¹
Pachuca	1	0	1997-98
Unión de Curtidores	1	0	1998-99
Indios CDJ	1	0	2007-08
Tijuana	1	1	2010-11
UdeG	1	0	2013-14
Lobos BUAP	1	0	2016-17
Tapachula	1	0	2017-18
Atlético San Luis	1	0	2018-19¹
Mérida/Atlético Yucatán	0	2	–
Tigrillos UANL	0	1	–
Gallos de Aguascalientes	0	1	–
Veracruz	0	1	–
UAT	0	1	–
Toros Neza	0	1	–
Tecos	0	1	–
Juárez	0	1	–
Oaxaca	0	1	–

Notes

Clubs gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.

Sponsorship

BBVA México was the league's sponsor, and used the brand name Ascenso BBVA MX. The official match ball is manufactured by Voit.

Promotion and relegation

Club	Promotions to Primera División/Liga MX	Relegations to Segunda División/Liga Premier
Pachuca	2 (1995-96, 1997-98)	-
La Piedad	2 (2000-01, 2012-13³)	-
San Luis	2 (2001-02, 2004-05)	-
Sinaloa	2 (2003-04, 2014-15)	-
Querétaro	2 (2005-06, 2008-09)	-
Necaxa	2 (2009-10, 2015-16)	-
Irapuato	2 (1999-00, 2002-03)	1 (2005–06)
Celaya	1 (1994-95)	-
Tigres UANL	1 (1996-97)	-
Unión de Curtidores	1 (1998-99¹)	-
Veracruz	1 (2001-02²)	-
Puebla	1 (2006-07)	-
Indios CDJ	1 (2007-08)	-
León	1 (2011-12)	-
UdeG	1 (2013-14)	-
Lobos BUAP	1 (2016-17)	-
Atlético San Luis	1 (2018-19)	-
Tapachula	1 (2017-18⁵)	-
Tijuana	1 (2010-11)	1 (2007–08)
Tabasco	-	1 (1994–95)
Coras	-	1 (1995-1996)
Inter de Tijuana	-	1 (1996–97)
Marte	-	1 (1997–98)
Atlético San Francisco	-	1 (1998–99)
Gavilanes de Nuevo Laredo	-	1 (2002–03)
Trotamundos de Tijuana	-	1 (2003–04)
Altamira	-	1 (2004–05)
Dorados de Tijuana	-	1 (2005–06)
Monarcas Morelia "A"	-	1 (2006–07)
Pumas Morelos	-	1 (2012–13)
Zacatepec	-	1 (2013–14)⁴
Loros UdeC	-	1 (2016–17)
Murciélagos	-	1 (2017–18)
Halcones de Querétaro	-	2 (1999–00, 2000–01)
Jaguares de Tapachula	-	2 (2003–04, 2008–09)

Notes

Puebla bought Unión de Curtidores and took over its spot.
Veracruz gained automatic promotion due to expansion in the Primera División.
Veracruz bought La Piedad and took over its spot.
Zacatepec bought Cruz Azul Hidalgo and took over its spot in Ascenso MX.
Tapachula were not certified to be promoted to Liga MX.

Top scorers

Year	Name	Team	Goals
1994–95	Marco de Almeida	Marte	15
1995–96	Lorenzo Sáez	Pachuca	30
Invierno 96	Nílson Esidio Mora	Tigres UANL	11
Verano 97	Ángel Lemus Carlos Pavón	Irapuato UAT	12
Invierno 97	Niver Arboleda	Zacatepec	17
Verano 98	Daniel Fasciolli Carlos Morales Valtencir Gomes	UAT Pachuca Tigrillos UANL	12
Invierno 98	Cristián Ariel Morales	Irapuato	19
Verano 99	Ángel Lemus	San Luis	16
Invierno 99	Cristián Ariel Morales	Irapuato	17
Verano 2000	Carlos Muñoz Emmanuel Sacramento	Lobos BUAP	15
Invierno 2000	Christian Patiño	La Piedad	16
Verano 01	Héctor Giménez	Gallos de Aguascalientes	16
Invierno 01	Héctor Álvarez	Tampico Madero	16
Verano 02	Ariel González	Querétaro	15
Apertura 02	Héctor Álvarez	Zacatepec	23
Clausura 03	Héctor Álvarez	Zacatepec	16
Apertura 03	Héctor Álvarez	León	17
Clausura 04	Mauro Gerk Francisco Bravo	Celaya Zacatepec	18
Apertura 04	Ariel González	San Luis	16
Clausura 05	Rubén Darío Gigena	Cruz Azul Hidalgo	17
Apertura 05	Mauricio Romero	Coyotes de Sonora	16
Clausura 06	Diego Olsina	Coatzacoalcos	15
Apertura 06	Álvaro González	Puebla	14
Clausura 07	Álvaro González	Puebla	16
Apertura 07	Mauricio Romero	León	14
Clausura 08	Freddy Bareiro	León	17
Apertura 08	Mauro Gerk Raúl Enríquez	Querétaro Tijuana	14
Clausura 09	Sebastián Maz	Sinaloa	15
Apertura 09	Ariel González	Irapuato	11
Bicentenario 2010	Ariel González Carlos Casartelli	Irapuato León	11
Apertura 10	Eder Pacheco	Durango	13
Clausura 2011	Blas Pérez	León	14
Apertura 11	Nicolás Saucedo	UAT	11
Clausura 2012	Sebastián Maz	León	13
Apertura 12	Víctor Lojero Rodrigo Prieto	Necaxa Toros Neza	11
Clausura 2013	Víctor Lojero	Necaxa	12
Apertura 2013	Gustavo Ramírez	Oaxaca	11
Clausura 2014	Roberto Nurse	UAT	12
Apertura 2014	Diego Jiménez Giancarlo Maldonado	Lobos BUAP Atlante	10
Clausura 2015	Roberto Nurse Leandro Carrijó	Sinaloa Atlético San Luis	10
Apertura 2015	Carlos Garcés	Atlante	10
Clausura 2016	Ismael Valadéz	Tapachula	10
Apertura 2016	Roberto Nurse	Zacatecas	16
Clausura 2017	Diego Jiménez	Lobos BUAP	10
Apertura 2017	Luis Madrigal	Oaxaca	12
Clausura 2018	Guillermo Martínez	Zacatecas	11
Apertura 2018	Nicolás Ibáñez Roberto Nurse	Atlético San Luis Zacatecas	8
Clausura 2019	Nicolás Ibáñez	Atlético San Luis	11
Apertura 2019	Víctor Mañón	Loros UdeC	8

References

^ "Nace la Liga de Ascenso". www.femexfut.org.mx. 2009-06-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
^ "Liga de Ascenso cambia nombre a Ascenso MX". Récord (in Spanish). 4 June 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
^ "Nacen los Guerreros de Oaxaca :: Deportes". televisadeportes.esmas.com.
^ Elenes, Iván (9 May 2019). "La 'Jaiba Brava' se queda en la Liga de Ascenso MX". ESPN Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2023.
^ "Ascenso MX da por terminado el C2020 por falta de recursos ante el coronavirus". mediotiempo.com.
^ Die 18 Mannschaften in der Liga de Ascenso 2010/11 Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish; retrieved on May 27, 2010)

External links

Official website

[1] "Nace la Liga de Ascenso". www.femexfut.org.mx. 2009-06-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-06-22.

[2] "Liga de Ascenso cambia nombre a Ascenso MX". Récord (in Spanish). 4 June 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2023.

[3] "Nacen los Guerreros de Oaxaca :: Deportes". televisadeportes.esmas.com.

[4] Elenes, Iván (9 May 2019). "La 'Jaiba Brava' se queda en la Liga de Ascenso MX". ESPN Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2023.

[5] "Ascenso MX da por terminado el C2020 por falta de recursos ante el coronavirus". mediotiempo.com.

[6] Die 18 Mannschaften in der Liga de Ascenso 2010/11 Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish; retrieved on May 27, 2010)

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v t e Liga de Expansión MX seasons
Primera A	1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 Clausura 2008 2008–09 Clausura 2009
Liga de Ascenso	2009–10 Bicentenario 2010 2010–11 2011–12
Ascenso MX	2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
Liga de Expansión MX	2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Second level association football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)
North America	Mexico United States
Central America	Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Caribbean	Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Grand Bahama New Providence Barbados Bermuda² British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic French Guiana^{1 3} Grenada Guadeloupe¹ Guyana³ Haiti Jamaica Eastern Kingston–St. Andrews South Central Western Martinique¹ Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin¹ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Maarten¹ Suriname³ Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands St. Croix St. Thomas
1: Full CONCACAF member, but not affiliated to FIFA. 2: North American member but affiliated to CFU. 3: South American member but affiliated to CONCACAF and to CFU.