The 2023–24 Liga de Expansión MX season is the fourth professional season of the second-tier football division in Mexico. The season is divided into two championships—the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura—each in an identical format. The Apertura tournament began on 21 July 2023. The Clausura tournament will begin in January 2024 as a 33-team league with the addition of 18 Liga MX under-23 teams.
Changes from the previous season The Liga de Expansión MX is a Mexican football league founded in 2020 as part of the Mexican Football Federation's "Stabilization Project", which has the primary objective of rescuing the financially troubled teams from the Ascenso MX and prevent the disappearance of a second-tier league in Mexico, for which there will be no promotion and relegation during the following six years. The project also attempts for Liga MX and former Ascenso MX teams to consolidate stable projects with solid basis, sports-wise and administrative-wise, financially wise and in infrastructure.
The 2022–23 Serie A champions Tampico Madero and runners-up Tuzos UAZ were not certified for promotion to the Liga de Expansión MX.
The Liga MX under-20 league was reformed as a under-23 league. The Liga MX under-23 league will play their Apertura 2023 season and join Liga de Expansión MX as of the Clausura 2024 season.
The owner's assembly decided to adjust liguilla qualification, which was modified as of the Apertura 2021 season. The number of teams directly qualifying to the quarter-finals was increased from four to six, while reducing the number of teams entering the reclassification round from eight to four, aligning it with the NBA play-in tournament. The 9th place team hosts the 10th place team in an elimination game. The 7th hosts the 8th place team in the double-chance game, with the winner advancing as the 7-seed. The loser of this game then hosts the winner of the elimination game between the 9th and 10th place teams to determine the 8-seed.
Atlante obtained certification for promotion to Liga MX. Venados and Zacatecas applied and were not certified for promotion. UdeG lost their status as a certified team due to financial issues. The league will not reactivate promotion until four teams are certified. On June 29, 2023 Durango was returned to Liga Premier de México, after one year as guest club in the Liga de Expansión MX, due to financial problems. The Liga de Expansión requested that the Liga Premier propose another affiliated team to play as a guest team in the second–tier.
Stadiums and locations
Apertura 2023TeamCityStadiumCapacityAtlanteMexico CityCiudad de los Deportes33,000Atlético La PazLa Paz, Baja California SurGuaycura5,209Atlético MoreliaMorelia, MichoacánMorelos35,000CancúnCancún, Quintana RooAndrés Quintana Roo18,844CelayaCelaya, GuanajuatoMiguel Alemán Valdés23,182OaxacaOaxaca City, OaxacaTecnológico de Oaxaca14,598SinaloaCuliacán, SinaloaDorados20,108SonoraHermosillo, SonoraHéroe de Nacozari18,747TapatíoZapopan, JaliscoAkron49,850TepatitlánTepatitlán de Morelos, JaliscoGregorio "Tepa" Gómez8,085TlaxcalaTlaxcala City, TlaxcalaTlahuicole9,462UATCiudad Victoria, TamaulipasMarte R. Gómez10,520U. de G.Guadalajara, JaliscoJalisco55,020VenadosMérida, YucatánCarlos Iturralde15,087ZacatecasZacatecas City, ZacatecasCarlos Vega Villalba20,068
Personnel and kits Team Chairman Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor(s) frontAtlante Jorge Santillana Daniel Alcántar Humberto Hernández Joma BetcrisAtlético La Paz Samuel Hernández Raúl Rico Kristian Álvarez In–house Baja FerriesAtlético Morelia José Luis Higuera Norberto Scoponi Raúl Torres Keuka Akron, Axen Capital, Cemex Tolteca, Michoacán, Morelia Brilla, Biocup, Sello Rojo, Electrolit, CalidraCancún Jeff Luhnow Luis Arce Benjamín Galindo Jr. Nike CancúnCelaya Carlos Benavides Escardó Cristian Paulucci Leobardo López Keuka Bachoco, Petro Figue's, TV4Oaxaca Juan Carlos Jones Carlos Gutiérrez Octavio Paz Svedda PlayCell, Romasa, Baby Sky, Electrolit, G+, Oaxaca RosaSinaloa José Antonio Núñez Rafael García Oswaldo León Charly Coppel, Caliente, SuKarneSonora Juan Pablo Rojo Roberto Hernández José Saavedra Keuka CalienteTapatío Amaury Vergara Arturo Ortega Juan Aguayo Puma Tepatitlán Víctor Flores Cosío Enrique López Zarza Carlos Villanueva López Sporelli PacíficaTlaxcala Rafael Torre Mendoza Paco Ramírez Gerardo Ruíz Keuka Tlaxcala, Pronto, ProvidenciaUAT David Ashdruval Martínez Raúl Gutiérrez Iván Pineda Sliver Sport U. de G. Alfonso Sosa Arturo Ledesma Sporelli ElectrolitVenados Rodolfo Rosas Cantillo Rafael Fernández Alfonso Luna Spiro Yucatán, Nus-káhZacatecas Eduardo López Muñoz Nacho Castro José Plascencia Spiro Fresnillo plc, Mifel, Vazlo, Mobil
Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Position in table Ref.Pre-Apertura changes Zacatecas Omar Alexis Moreno Mutual agreement 20 April 2023 Nacho Castro 7 May 2023Pre-season Cancún Iñigo Idiakez Reassigned to youth teams 3 May 2023 Luis Arce 1 June 2023 Oaxaca Jorge Manrique Mutual agreement 26 May 2023 Carlos Gutiérrez 15 June 2023 Tapatío Gerardo Espinoza Signed with Mexico under-23 4 June 2023 Arturo Ortega 15 June 2023 Venados Bruno Marioni Sacked 6 June 2023 Rafael Fernández 9 June 2023 Tepatitlán Daniel Guzmán Sacked 15 June 2023 Enrique López Zarza 20 June 2023Apertura changesCelaya Paco Ramírez Sacked 24 August 2023 Walter Fleita (Interim) 24 August 2023 14th Tlaxcala Jorge Villalpando Sacked 26 August 2023 Jorge Villalpando 28 August 2023 15th Celaya Walter Fleita (Interim) End of tenure as caretaker 29 August 2023 Cristian Paulucci 29 August 2023 14th UAT Edgar Solano Sacked 7 October 2023 Raúl Gutiérrez 7 October 2023 13thTlaxcala Jorge Villalpando Mutual agreement 10 October 2023 Javier Contreras (Interim) 10 October 2023 15thAtlético Morelia Carlos Adrián Morales Sacked 20 October 2023 José Roberto Muñoz (Interim) 20 October 2023 8thPre-Clausura changesAtlético La Paz Jaime DuránSacked29 November 2023 Raúl Rico10 December 2023Pre-seasonAtlético Morelia José Roberto Muñoz (Interim)End of tenure as caretaker 5 December 2023 Israel Hernández 5 December 2023Atlante Mario GarcíaMutual agreement 12 December 2023 Daniel Alcántar 20 December 2023Tlaxcala Javier Contreras (Interim)End of tenure as caretaker23 December 2023 Paco Ramírez23 December 2023Clausura changesAtlético Morelia Israel HernándezSacked21 February 2024 Norberto Scoponi22 February 202414th
Torneo Apertura The defending champions are Tapatío. The regular tournament began on 21 July and will end on 31 October. The round 2 match between Celaya and Tepatitlán was postponed due to poor pitch condition and played on 19 August during round 5.
Regular season
Standings
Positions by round
Results Each team plays once all other teams in 15 rounds regardless of it being a home or away match.
Regular season statistics
Top goalscorers Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. Rank Player Club Goals1 Luis RazoZacatecas102 Julio CruzOaxaca93 Édson RiveraUdeG84 Luciano NequecaurVenados75 Christian BlancoZacatecas6 Daniel LajudAtlante Jesús Francisco LópezSonora Mauro PérezVenados9 Andrés ÁvilaZacatecas5 Raúl CastilloCancún Fernando LesmeCelaya Daniel LópezSinaloa Fernando MonárrezUAT Vladimir MoragregaUAT Jorge SánchezUAT Alfonso TamayCancún Source: Liga de Expansión MX
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Round Mauro PérezVenadosTlaxcala3–1 (H)21 July 20231 Luis RazoZacatecasAtlético Morelia4–0 (H)23 July 20231 Rubén HernándezSinaloaZacatecas4–0 (H)15 August 20235 Jorge SánchezUATOaxaca7–0 (H)29 August 20237 Fernando LesmeCelayaSinaloa4–1 (A)25 October 202314 (H) – Home; (A) – Away
First goal of the season: Mauro Pérez for Venados against Tlaxcala (21 July 2023) Last goal of the season: José Flores for Atlético Morelia against Tepatitlán (2 November 2023)
Discipline
Team Most yellow cards: 48 Oaxaca Most red cards: 6 Zacatecas Fewest yellow cards: 21 Zacatecas Fewest red cards: 0 Tepatitlán
Source Liga de Expansión MX
Attendance
Per team
Highest and lowest Highest attended Lowest attendedWeek Home Score Away Attendance Home Score Away Attendance 1 Zacatecas 4–0 Atlético Morelia 4,612 Tapatío 0–0 Cancún 4192 Oaxaca 1–1 Tapatío 5,929 Tlaxcala 1–2 Atlante 2,3463 Atlético Morelia 1–0 Celaya 7,370 Celaya 1–1 Tepatitlán 1,2434 Zacatecas 1–1 Oaxaca 6,115 Tapatío 1–1 Celaya 4625 Sinaloa 4–0 Zacatecas 3,103 Tlaxcala 1–2 Sonora 9906 Morelia 4–0 Sinaloa 8,012 Tapatío 2–0 Tlaxcala 2917 Venados 2–1 Tapatío 4,204 Tepatitlán 3–0 Cancún 9508 Atlético Morelia 2–0 Atlético La Paz 8,707 Tapatío 1–0 Zacatecas 2889 Atlético Morelia 0–0 Tapatío 8,514 Tlaxcala 2–1 Oaxaca 90110 Oaxaca 2–2 Atlético La Paz 2,698 Tapatío 2–2 Tepatitlán 74111 Atlante 1–1 Tapatío 3,950 Sonora 3–2 Atlético Morelia 1,82112 Atlético Morelia 0–0 Oaxaca 5,130 Tapatío 1–2 Sonora 28413 Atlético Morelia 0–1 Atlante 9,698 Tapatío 2–4 UdeG 77214 Zacatecas 2–2 Sonora 6,053 Sonora 1–0 Atlético La Paz 1,70815 Cancún 2–1 Zacatecas 3,247 Tapatío 0–1 Sinaloa 891
Source: Liga de Expansión MX
Final phase
Play-in bracket
Play-in matches
No. 8 seed match
Bracket
Quarter-finals The first legs were played between 15–16 November, and the second legs were played between 18–19 November.
First leg
Second leg
4–4 on aggregate. Atlante advanced due to being the higher seeded team.
UdeG won 3–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate. Cancún advanced due to being the higher seeded team.
Zacatecas won 7–2 on aggregate.
Semi-finals The first legs were played between 22–23 November, and the second legs were played between 25–26 November.
First leg
Second leg
Atlante won 4–1 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. Cancún advanced due to being the higher seeded team.
Final The first leg was played on 30 November, and the second leg was played on 3 December.
First leg
Second leg
Cancún won 3–0 on aggregate.
Torneo Clausura The Clausura tournament began in January 2024.
Regular season
Standings
Results Each team plays once all other teams in 15 rounds regardless of it being a home or away match.
Regular season statistics
Top goalscorers Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. Rank Player Club Goals1 José RodríguezCancún 92 Michell RodríguezCelaya83 Daniel LópezSinaloa7 Édson RiveraUdeG5 Michelle BenítezAtlético La Paz5 Julio CruzOaxaca Adolfo Domínguez Celaya Fernando Illescas Atlético Morelia Duilio TejedaSonora Benjamín SánchezTapatío
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Round José Rodríguez Cancún Sonora 4–2 (A) 10 March 20249 (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Attendance
Per team
Final phase
Play-in bracket
Play-in matches
No. 8 seed match
Bracket
Quarter-finals Summary The first legs were played between 24–25 April, and the second legs were played between 27–28 April.
Matches
Atlético La Paz won 6–3 on aggregate.
UdeG won 3–0 on aggregate.
Atlante won 3–1 on aggregate.
Tapatíon won 4–3 on aggregate.
Semi-finals Summary The first legs will be played on 5 May, and the second legs will be played between 8 May.
Matches
UdeG won 4–2 on aggregate.
Atlante won 8–1 on aggregate.
Finals Summary The first leg was played on 8 May, and the second leg was played between 12 May.
Matches
Atlante won 4–1 on aggregate.
Campeón de Campeones 2024
The Campeón de Campeones Final is a two-legged playoff between the winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments and the Liga de Expansión MX Super cup. The final would not be played if the same team wins both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The higher ranked team on the aggregate table for the 2023–24 season will play the second leg at home.
First leg