Liga MX announced on September 28 that effective playing time in the Apertura 2026 has climbed to an average of 58 minutes and 41 seconds per match, a 24.8 percent increase over the 47:00 baseline from the league’s initial diagnostic. In its official statement, the league said all 18 clubs have raised the number of minutes actually played for the benefit of fans.
What the league announced
In Comunicado de Prensa 71/2026, issued from Toluca on September 28, Liga MX reported that the accumulated Apertura 2026 average of 58:41 per match is 3.8 percent higher than the Clausura 2026 mark of 56:31 and 4.5 percent above the Apertura 2025 figure of 56:08. Compared with the initial 47:00 diagnostic, the current average represents a difference of 11 minutes and 41 seconds.
The league also highlighted Jornada 9, in which matches averaged 59:34 of effective playing time. The two highest marks of the round came in Atletico San Luis vs Necaxa, with 62:54, and Rayados vs Cruz Azul, with 62:33.
Context: a years-long project
The improvement is the latest result of a league project to increase effective playing time that dates back to the Apertura 2021, according to RÉCORD’s reporting on the initiative. To speed up restarts, the league introduced measures including a maximum of 25 seconds for goalkeepers to take goal kicks and 15 seconds for throw-ins, with referees instructed to warn on the first offense and caution on the second.
When the project began, Liga MX had set a target of increasing effective playing time by at least 15 percent, noting that the Mexican league lagged behind the world’s top competitions: at the time, Serie A averaged 57 minutes, the Bundesliga, Premier League and Ligue 1 averaged 56, and MLS was also around 56. At 58:41, the Apertura 2026 average now sits above all of those benchmarks cited in that earlier reporting.
Reading the fine print
The 25 percent figure is real, but it is measured against the 47:00 diagnostic from the early days of the project, not against recent tournaments. The league’s own chart shows Apertura 2024 averaged 58:50 per match, slightly above the current 58:41, making this the second-best mark of the project rather than a new high. The dramatic gains came in the early years; recent tournaments have bounced between roughly 56 and 59 minutes. The encouraging sign inside the current number is Jornada 9: its 59:34 average sits clearly above the tournament mark, suggesting the trend is holding rather than slipping.
What comes next
The figures cover the rounds played so far in the Apertura 2026. The number to watch is whether the average holds above 58 minutes as the stakes rise in the final stretch of the regular season.
