Final Liga MX: schedule, tickets, and where to watch Pumas – Cruz Azul

In the final breath of Liga MX before the World Cup, Pumas and Cruz Azul will compete in the grand final of the Clausura 2026. The university team, which has reconnected with its mystique and identity under the guidance of Efraín Juárez, returns to a title series after six years of absence with the Olímpico Universitario as their great stronghold. The celestes, a nomadic team that straightened their course with the arrival of Joel Huiqui to the bench one matchday before the playoffs, have done everything possible to play the first leg in Mexico City and enter the final with the goal of achieving the tenth star on their shield.

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Final schedule

First leg

The first leg between Cruz Azul and Pumas will be played on Thursday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, in the south of Mexico City. The match will be broadcast on Canal 5 (Televisa), TUDN, and Vix.

After playing as the home team during the regular phase in a desolate Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, the celeste management has worked hard to play the playoffs in Mexico City. While the quarterfinals against Atlas and the semifinal against Chivas were played at Estadio Azteca, now in FIFA’s hands before the World Cup inauguration, Cruz Azul will host the first leg of the final at the stadium that was their home for just over two decades, a field where they have never won a title.

Second leg

The second leg that will decide the champion will be played on Sunday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, also in the capital of the country. The match will be broadcast on Canal 5 (Televisa), TUDN, and Vix.

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Olímpico Universitario witnessed the last time Pumas were crowned in the Mexican league, back in May 2011 after defeating Monarcas Morelia (3-2 aggregate). It was also the venue where Cruz Azul lifted their most recent title, the CONCACAF Champions League in June 2025 against Vancouver Whitecaps (5-0).

Cruz Azul’s path to the final

Cruz Azul qualified for the final phase as third overall (33 points) after a season with ups and downs that ended with the surprising dismissal of Argentine coach Nicolás Larcamón just one week before the start of the playoffs. In his place, interim Joel Huiqui took command of the team, which has remained undefeated since then with four wins and one draw: in the quarterfinals, the cementeros defeated Atlas (4-2 aggregate) without major difficulties to reach the top four. In the semifinals, the celestes overcame a weakened Chivas de Guadalajara (4-3 aggregate) in an electric duel with chances for both sides, decided by a long-distance shot from Agustín Palavecino that, after a deflection by the defense, dramatically found the red-and-white goal. Cruz Azul reaches a final for the first time since 2024, when they lost to América at Estadio Azteca.

Pumas’ path to the final

Pumas, who started the semester with doubts and poor form, found their best football in the final stretch of the tournament. The positive momentum led them to snatch first place from Chivas and finish the regular phase as overall leaders (36 points), an advantage that in Mexican football means securing the closing of all playoff series at home and having the tiebreaker in their favor: in case of an aggregate tie, the higher-ranked team advances. Efraín Juárez’s team, the best offense of the tournament, has made Olímpico Universitario a true fortress, with only one loss in the semester, and taken advantage of being leaders to resolve a couple of draws in the playoffs. Already in the quarterfinals, Juárez’s team eliminated América (6-6 aggregate) in a series full of goals and defensive errors. Finally, Pumas sealed their spot in the title series against Pachuca (1-1 aggregate) in a knockout where the university team played to defend in the away leg at Estadio Hidalgo and finish the series at home, a script that ended as Juárez planned with a free-kick rocket from Jordan Carrillo that returned the team to a final after six years of absence.

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