Update (October 9, 2026): Leones Negros president Alberto Castellanos publicly denied this report on October 8, writing on his X account that the club will not buy its way into Liga MX. “Pues no, no pagaremos ni un peso por estar en la Liga MX,” Castellanos wrote. “En nuestra Universidad de Guadalajara estamos convencidos de que son el mérito deportivo, la competencia, el ascenso y el descenso, la única vía para obtener lo que realmente necesita nuestro futbol mexicano.” He added that Leones Negros will keep fighting through its case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), where the club awaits a hearing date in its push to restore promotion and relegation. The denial directly contradicts the franchise-entry report detailed below, which neither Liga MX nor the FMF has confirmed. (Mediotiempo, TUDN)
A report on RÉCORD’s Infiltrados program claimed Leones Negros are set to become the 19th team in Liga MX. The Universidad de Guadalajara club would return to Mexico’s top flight as a new franchise, ending an absence stretching back to 2015. Neither Liga MX nor the FMF has confirmed the move.
What happened
RÉCORD put the story into Thursday’s news cycle, promoting its Infiltrados broadcast with a graphic reading “LEONES NEGROS SERÁ EL EQUIPO 19 EN LIGA MX” (“Leones Negros will be Liga MX’s 19th team,” translated from Spanish). On record.com.mx, the segment was billed under the headline “LIGA MX tiene NUEVO EQUIPO: llega la FRANQUICIA 19 al FUTBOL MEXICANO.”
The wording matters. RÉCORD frames the arrival as a franchise, the 19th, rather than as a sporting promotion. There is no playoff or merit-based pathway in the report, only the franchise slot.
As of Thursday afternoon, the story remains a report. Liga MX and the FMF had not confirmed anything, and no official announcement had appeared on either body’s channels.
Context
Leones Negros last played in the top flight in the 2014-15 season before relegation. Since the promotion system was suspended, the university club has been among the most vocal campaigners for a route back to Primera Division.
It is also one of only two clubs currently holding certification for a potential move up: RÉCORD’s Luis Castillo reported that only Atlante and Leones Negros met every certification requirement.
A franchise entry would sidestep the entire promotion debate that has consumed Mexican soccer for years, slotting the Guadalajara club straight into the top division as team 19.
What comes next
The timeline in the report would have put Leones Negros in Liga MX for the Apertura 2030 tournament. Since this story was published, club president Alberto Castellanos has publicly denied that Leones Negros will buy a franchise place (see update above), and neither Liga MX nor the FMF has confirmed anything.
Our take
A bigger Liga MX is the right call. Mexico’s fanbases are enormous on both sides of the border, and an 18-team top flight has long been small for a soccer nation of this size. Adding historic clubs with real followings only strengthens the product.
