Primera Premier
| Organising body | Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 1, 2026 |
| Country | Mexico |
| Number of clubs | 18 (2 groups) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Liga de Expansión MX |
| Relegation to | Liga Premier A |
| Website | Official website |
| Current: 2026–27 Primera Premier season | |
Primera Premier is a professional association football league in Mexico, part of the Liga Premier as the major subdivision in the third level of the Mexican football league system. The league has 18 participating clubs, divided into two groups by geographic location (two groups with 9 clubs), the champions are decided by a final knockout phase. The winners of Primera Premier are crowned as the Liga Premier champions.[1]
History
In the summer of 2026, the media began reporting that the Liga Premier and the Mexican Football Federation were planning to create a new branch of the league for clubs with the best conditions to qualify for promotion to the Liga de Expansión MX, because, in previous editions of Serie A de México, it had become common for the division's champions to be unable to win promotion due to a failure to meet the requirements for the second tier; this resulted in the promotion of the respective seasons' runners-up, who lacked the sporting merit typically required for promotion, thereby necessitating a reform to ensure that only teams meeting the necessary criteria could be promoted.[2]
The league was launched on August 1, 2026, with 18 founding teams: Atlético Celaya, Chapulineros de Oaxaca, Cordobés, Deportiva Venados, H2O Purépechas, Inter Playa del Carmen, Irapuato, Jaguares, La Piedad, Lobos ULMX, Los Cabos United, Montañeses, Pioneros de Cancún, Racing de Veracruz, Tapachula, Tigres de Álica, Tritones Vallarta and Zacatepec.[3][1]
Stadiums and locations
2026–27 season
The 2026–27 Primera Premier season has the following 18 participating clubs.[3]
Group 1
Group 2Group 1
| Club | Manager | City | Stadium | Capacity | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordobés |  Alejandro Estrada | Cuautitlán | Los Pinos | 5,000 | — |
| H2O Purépechas | TBA | Morelia | Venustiano Carranza | 17,600 | – |
| Irapuato[4] |  Luis Almada | Irapuato | Sergio León Chávez | 25,000 | Pachuca |
| La Piedad | Gastón Obledo | La Piedad | Juan N. López | 13,356 | — |
| Lobos ULMX |  Wilder Mosquera | Celaya | Miguel Alemán Valdés | 23,182 | — |
| Los Cabos United | Edson Alvarado | Los Cabos | Complejo Don Koll | 3,500 | — |
| Tigres de Álica | Irving Rubirosa | Tepic | Nicolás Álvarez Ortega | 12,495 | — |
| Tritones Vallarta | Ricardo Jiménez | Puerto Vallarta | Club Deportivo Curiel[a][5] | 1,000 | — |
| Zacatepec | Rowan Vargas | Xochitepec | Mariano Matamoros | 16,000 | — |
- ↑ The team will play part of the season at Estadio Juan N. López in La Piedad, Michoacán due to the construction of the new Tritones stadium in Puerto Vallarta
Group 2
| Club | Manager | City | Stadium | Capacity | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlético Celaya[6] | Luis Fernando Soto | Celaya | Miguel Alemán Valdés | 23,182 | — |
| Chapulineros de Oaxaca | Jesús García | San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya | Independiente MRCI | 6,000 | — |
| Deportiva Venados | Alfredo García Salmones | Tamanché | Alonso Diego Molina | 2,500 | — |
| Inter Playa del Carmen | José Luis Trejo | Playa del Carmen | Unidad Deportiva Mario Villanueva Madrid | 7,500 | — |
| Jaguares | Carlos Trejo | Tuxtla Gutiérrez | Víctor Manuel Reyna | 29,001 | — |
| Montañeses | Víctor Medina | Orizaba | Socum | 7,000 | — |
| Pioneros de Cancún | Gerardo Castillo | Cancún | Cancún 86 | 6,390 | — |
| Racing de Veracruz | Israel Hernández | San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec[7] | Gustavo Pacheco Villaseñor | 15,000 | — |
| Tapachula | Diego Mazariegos | Tapachula | Olímpico de Tapachula | 18,017 | — |
Offseason changes
- On 27 June 2026, Irapuato returned to the Liga Premier after a year in the Liga de Expansión, as the club was forced to start a new project following the conflict between the civil association that owns the name and brand rights and the company that owned the club between 2023 and 2026.[4]
- On 23 July 2026, Celaya F.C. was dissolved to grant its franchise in the Liga Premier to the refounding of Atlético Celaya.[8]
- On 1 August 2026, Atlético Celaya, Chapulineros de Oaxaca, Cordobés, Deportiva Venados, Inter Playa del Carmen, Jaguares, La Piedad, Lobos ULMX, Los Cabos United, Montañeses, Pioneros de Cancún, Racing de Veracruz, Tapachula, Tigres de Álica, Tritones Vallarta and Zacatepec were promoted from Liga Premier A as the teams in that branch have the best conditions to qualify for promotion to Liga de Expansión MX.[3]
- On 10 August 2026, H2O Purépechas joined the league taking the place of Halcones F.C., which had been announced as a founding club of the league.[9]
- On 14 August 2026, Racing de Veracruz was relocated from Boca del Río, Veracruz to San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec, Oaxaca because the club was left without a stadium in Veracruz following the closure of the Unidad Deportiva Hugo Sánchez in February 2026.[7]
- On 18 August 2026, Tritones Vallarta was temporarily relocated to La Piedad, Michoacán, due to the construction of its new stadium in Puerto Vallarta.[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Reconocen al campeón Deportiva Venados en la gala de Liga Premier; definen el formato de la siguiente temporada". Diario de Yucatán (in Spanish). 1 August 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- ↑ "Un gran cambio en el futbol mexicano: La FMF podría tener una nueva división para la siguiente temporada". Esto (in Spanish). 8 June 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "BRILLANTE PRIMERA PREMIER". Liga Premier Magazine (in Spanish). 10 August 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Freseros del Irapuato, 'hermano' de Club León y Tuzos; revelan convenio con Pachuca" [Freseros del Irapuato, 'sister' club of León and Tuzos; reveal agreement with Pachuca]. Periódico AM (in Spanish). 27 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Tritones Vallarta jugarán en La Piedad". El Vallartense (in Spanish). 18 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Regresa Atlético Celaya con sus colores tradicionales; competirá en la Liga Premier". Periódico Correo (in Spanish). 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- 1 2 "¡Racing de Veracruz se va de la UD Hugo Sánchez! Esta es su nueva casa". XEU Deportes (in Spanish). 14 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Regresa Atlético Celaya con sus colores tradicionales; competirá en la Liga Premier". Periódico Correo (in Spanish). 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "H2O Purépechas estará en Liga Premier y anuncia visorías". Ecos del Quinceo (in Spanish). 10 August 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.