Which League is better Liga MX or MLS?

Under the presidency of Mikel Arriola, Liga MX has come closer than ever to MLS, one of the fastest growing leagues in the world over the past 25 years. Not only has MLS advanced by leaps and bounds in infrastructure, but also in the quality of its signings.

This summer, international stars such as Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) and Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) will join LAFC, Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) will join Toronto and Hector Herrera (Atletico Madrid) will join Houston. More and more internationally renowned players are joining Major League Soccer.

And while many might question these signings as veteran players who are at the end of their careers, the players coming to MLS are undoubtedly more media-worthy than the players signing to play in Mexico.

More MLS news:

History of the MLS, when was the league founded
 

Has MLS surpassed Liga MX?

The short answer is no, not yet at least. Mexico is still the most competitive league in CONCACAF and MLS recently won the CONCACAF Champions League after more than 20 years, when the Seattle Sounders beat Pumas UNAM last April. It was the first time a U.S. team had won that regional tournament since 2000. The CONCACAF Champions League is the only tournament in the region where the strengths of the two leagues can be measured, as MLS teams have to go to Mexico, where they are in different conditions and have a long history of failure.

The growth and media impact of MLS is greater than that of Liga MX

However, in terms of marketing, planning and investment, MLS is way ahead of Liga MX. That's no secret and it makes perfect sense. The MLS business model, which since its inception has followed the foundations of other established U.S. leagues such as the NBA, MLB and NFL, is hard to match. 

With several new and exclusive stadiums for soccer such as Bank of California Stadium and TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, the North American league has surpassed several leagues in the world in terms of infrastructure for many years, not only in Mexico, but also in Argentina, Brazil and many others. In terms of recruiting, due to the attractiveness of the quality of life in one of the richest countries in the world, it is easy to understand why the United States is the preferred place to play not only for European stars, but for Mexican stars as well.

The alliance of the two leagues and how they are growing together

The partnership between Liga MX and MLS will be reflected for the second consecutive year at the MLS All-Star Game on August 19 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. That same month, America and Chivas will face LAFC and Galaxy, respectively, in a doubleheader at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

This doubleheader will be a "taste" of the Leagues Cup, an existing tournament that will expand its format in 2023 to create a competition never seen before: both will stop their domestic competitions to allow all their teams to compete for the trophy for a month. The Leagues Cup will have all 47 MLS and Liga Mx teams competing in the summer for a berth in the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions League. The second and third place teams will also qualify for the first round of the “Concachampions”.

This tournament is a plan of MLS and Liga MX to sell television rights and in the future become one of the biggest source of revenue for both leagues.

Future plans and the influence of the US in Mexican soccer

There have also been other reports of plans that the Mexican league has up its sleeve. One recently surfaced indicating that a U.S. firm, Apollo Global Managment, is reportedly investing $1.25 billion in Liga MX for a marketing percentage of the TV rights, according to a report by Sportico. Under the deal, TV rights would be sold as a package, as is done in the Premier League, and not individually by team as is currently done in Liga MX. This would obviously change the way business is done in Mexican soccer, something that will have to be approved by Mexican soccer club owners.

More MLS news:

Average salary in the MLS