CAS Rejects Reinstatement of Promotion and Relegation in Liga MX

According to Mediotiempo, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivered its final ruling this Thursday, dismissing the appeal filed by several Liga de Expansión MX clubs seeking the immediate return of promotion and relegation in Mexican soccer. The tribunal, based in Lausanne, sided with the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), confirming that the system will remain suspended until the end of the 2025/2026 season, as decided back in April 2020.

The legal dispute began on May 19, 2025, when ten clubs submitted the appeal. Along the way, four withdrew their case — Atlante, Cimarrones de Sonora, Alebrijes de Oaxaca, and Jaiba Brava — leaving six teams to pursue it until the final ruling: La Paz, Morelia, Cancún FC, Mineros de Zacatecas, Venados, and Leones Negros de UdeG.

CAS explained that after a hearing held in Mexico City on August 28, it confirmed that the FMF had acted according to the agreements in place and had properly notified the clubs about the decision to extend the suspension. As a result, the appeal was fully rejected.

The ruling upholds the established timeline: promotion and relegation will not return until the 2026/2027 campaign. Meanwhile, the issue has reached Mexico’s political arena, as lawmakers announced they will bring the debate to Congress.

For the expansion clubs, this decision represents a major setback. The CAS ruling effectively shuts down their last legal avenue and forces them to wait until the current suspension runs its course at the close of the 2025/2026 season.