Ascenso MX
 | |
| Country | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Liga MX |
| Relegation to | Segunda División |
| Domestic cup(s) |
Copa MX Supercopa MX |
| Current champions |
Necaxa (Clausura 2016) |
| Most championships |
León Irapuato (4 titles) |
| TV partners |
Televisa[1] Fox Sports ESPN Dos TVC Deportes TV Azteca |
| Website | Official site |
 2015–16 season | |
The Ascenso MX (Promotion MX) is the second professional level of the Mexican football league system.[2] The champion of the competition is promoted to Liga MX (top-flight division). The bottom team gets relegated to Segunda División de México (the third tier). It is currently sponsored by BBVA through its Mexican subsidiary BBVA Bancomer, and thus officially known as Ascenso BBVA Bancomer.
Formerly known as Primera División A (First Division A) the league changed its name and competition format in 2009 to Liga de Ascenso. It was rebranded as Ascenso MX in 2012. The main changes are that clubs now do not need a FMF certification to get promoted and that the competition doesn't use group stages.
History
In 1994, in order to create a premier league, the Mexican Football Federation decided to upgrade the Second Division to "Primera División A" (First Division A) to bring closer together the level of play in the two tiers, Primera and Primera A. The project was under the direction of José Antonio García Rodríguez, president of the top-tier Primera Division at the time. He envisioned the new division to be joined by the best teams of the Segunda and include teams from the United States (Los Angeles Salsa and San Jose Black Hawks expressed desire to join). Upon review, FIFA did not authorize such integration. As a result the new league was created instead with the best Second Division teams. The 1994-1995 season began with 15 teams: Acapulco, Gallos de Aguascalientes, Atlético Celaya, Atlético San Francisco, Atlético Yucatán, Coras, Inter Tijuana, Irapuato, La Piedad, Marte, Pachuca, Halcones de Querétaro, San Luis, Caimanes de Tabasco and Zacatepec. Cobras de Ciudad Juárez, which would have been the sixteenth team, declined to participate due to financial problems.
During the 2006 tournament it was decided to increase the number of teams from 20 to 24 and it was also decided to form two groups, A and B divided by geographical areas.
In 2009 major changes occurred the most prominent being the name change from Primera Division A to Liga de Ascenso. The league was reduced to 17 teams and eliminated the groups. Starting with the Apertura 2010 season 18 teams participated. In 2012 the league was rebranded as Ascenso MX. The Alebrijes de Oaxaca was the 16th team of Ascenso MX starting 2013-2014 season. The Alebrijes was composed of the former Segunda Division team Tecamachalco which had won ascendency into Ascenso MX in 2012, but did not fulfill infrastructural requirements set by Mexican Football Federation. Club Zacatepec was also promoted to the Ascenso MX taking the spot of Pumas Morelos in August 2013. [3]
In the 2014–15 Season, Ascenso MX will not be relegating a team to the Segunda División de México, but it will return in the 2016–17 season and expanded to 18 teams.
Sponsorship
The league's current sponsor is BBVA Bancomer, thus making the league's official name Ascenso BBVA Bancomer. The official match ball is manufactured by Voit.
Clubs
The following 16 clubs will compete in Ascenso MX during the 2015–16 season.[4]
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlante | Cancún, Quintana Roo | Andrés Quintana Roo | 17,289 |
| Atlético San Luis | San Luis Potosí City, San Luis Potosí | Alfonso Lastras | 25,111 |
| BUAP | Puebla City, Puebla | Universitario BUAP | 20,167 |
| Celaya | Celaya, Guanajuato | Miguel Alemán | 23,369 |
| Coras | Tepic, Nayarit | Arena Cora | 12,271 |
| Juárez | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua | Olímpico Benito Juárez | 19,765 |
| Murciélagos | Los Mochis, Sinaloa | Centenario | 9,725 |
| Necaxa | Aguascalientes City, Aguascalientes | Victoria | 23,933 |
| Oaxaca | Oaxaca City, Oaxaca | Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca | 15,000 |
| Sonora | Hermosillo, Sonora | Héroe de Nacozari | 18,747 |
| Tapachula | Tapachula, Chiapas | Olímpico de Tapachula | 13,300 |
| U. de G. | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Jalisco | 54,500 |
| UAT | Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas | Marte R. Gómez | 10,476 |
| Venados | Mérida, Yucatán | Carlos Iturralde | 15,087 |
| Zacatecas | Zacatecas City, Zacatecas | Francisco Villa | 13,820 |
| Zacatepec | Zacatepec, Morelos | Agustín "Coruco" Díaz | 22,996 |
Future clubs
| Club | Location | Stadium | Stadium capacity | Joining league |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U. de C. | Colima City, Colima | Olímpico Universitario de Colima | 14,000 | 2016 |
Titles By Club
† Teams in the First Division
†† Teams in the Second Division
††† Teams in the Third Division
Champions
Promotion and relegation
|
Relegation and Promotion by Club
|
† Teams in the Liga MX
†† Teams in the Second Division
††† Teams in Amateur Level
†††† Defunct
Notes:
- 1976–77: Tampico bought San Luis's spot in first division
- 1977–78: Deportivo Neza is bought Club de Fútbol Laguna and took its spot.
- 1981–82: Tampico bought Atletas Campesinos and took over its spot
- 1983–84: Ángeles de Puebla bought Oaxtepec and took over its spot
- 1988–89: Veracruz bought Neza and took over its spot
- 1992–93: U.T. Neza changes its name to Toros Neza
- 1998-99: Puebla bought U.D Curtidores and took over its spot
- 1999-00: Irapuato gained automatic promotion as they won both tournaments.
- 2001–02: Veracruz gained automatic promotion due to expansion in first division
- 2012-13: Veracruz bought La Piedad's spot in first division
- 2013-14: Zacatepec bought Cruz Azul Hidalgo's spot in Ascenso MX.
Top scorers
References
- ↑ includes SKY México and TDN
- ↑ "Nace la Liga de Ascenso". www.femexfut.org.mx. 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ↑ http://televisadeportes.esmas.com/futbol/futbolmexico/535339/nacen-guerreros-oaxaca/
- ↑ Die 18 Mannschaften in der Liga de Ascenso 2010/11 (Spanish; retrieved on May 27, 2010)
External links
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||