Puebla vs Santos: Hidden Stats That Predict the Winner
Liga MX 2024-2025 Season: The Starting Line – All Teams Tied at Zero!
What Is This Table?
Imagine a scoreboard for an entire soccer league before a single game has been played. That’s exactly what you’re looking at! This is the Liga MX (Mexico’s top professional soccer division) standings table at the very start of the season. All 18 teams are lined up, but every single number is zero because the season hasn’t kicked off yet.
Important Point: This isn’t a mistake—it’s the clean slate every team gets on Day 1. Everyone starts equal!
The 18 Teams (In Current Alphabetical/Rank Order)
Here are all the clubs waiting for the first whistle. Right now, they’re ranked 1 through 18, but that order will change fast once goals start flying in!
- Atlante
- Atlas
- Atlético San Luis
- Club América
- Cruz Azul
- Guadalajara (Chivas)
- Juárez
- León
- Monterrey (Only team with a real badge logo loaded!)
- Necaxa
- Pachuca
- Puebla
- Pumas UNAM
- Querétaro
- Santos Laguna
- Tigres UANL
- Tijuana
- Toluca
Understanding the Columns (ELI5 Style)
Think of each column as a different way to measure how a team is doing. Here’s what they mean in plain English:
| Column | Kid-Friendly Meaning |
|---|---|
| Played (P) | How many games the team has shown up for. |
| Won (W) | Games where they scored more goals than the other team. |
| Drawn (D) | Games where both teams scored the same (a tie). |
| Lost (L) | Games where the other team scored more. |
| Goals For (GF) | Total goals this team has scored. |
| Goals Against (GA) | Total goals opponents have scored against them. |
| Goal Difference (GD) | GF minus GA. Shows if they’re scoring more than they concede. (Positive = Good!) |
| Points (Pts) | The main score! Win = 3 pts, Draw = 1 pt, Loss = 0 pts. |
| Form | Results of the last 6 games (oldest left, newest right). W/D/L letters or colored boxes. |
Why Are All Numbers Zero?
Callout: The "Pre-Season Reset"
- No games played yet →
Played = 0- No wins, draws, or losses →
W/D/L = 0- No goals scored or conceded →
GF/GA = 0- No goal difference →
GD = 0- No points earned →
Pts = 0- No recent form →
Form = six empty slots
Every single team is perfectly tied. The race hasn’t started!
What Happens Next? A Step-by-Step Guide
- Kickoff! The schedule begins; teams play matches (usually weekends/weekdays).
- Goals Happen Balls hit the back of the net—
GFandGAgo up. - Results Are Recorded Each match ends in a Win, Draw, or Loss →
W,D,Lupdate. - Points Awarded 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss →
Ptscolumn fills. - Table Re-sorts Teams re-order instantly by Points (highest top).
- Tie-breaker: If points are equal, Goal Difference (GD) decides. Still tied? Goals For (GF). Still tied? Head-to-head record.
- Form Tracker Fills Last 6 results show up in the
Formcolumn (color-coded: Green=Win, Yellow=Draw, Red=Loss). - Repeat 17 Rounds (Apertura) → Top teams reach Liguilla (Playoffs) .
- Champion Crowned! Playoff winner lifts the trophy.
Summary
- You’re looking at the Liga MX opening standings.
- 18 teams, all stats at zero—it’s the ultimate fair start.
- Columns track games, results, goals, points, and recent form.
- Points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw) drive the ranking.
- Goal Difference is the first tie-breaker.
- Once matches begin, the table updates live and teams shuffle up/down every week.
- The end goal: Finish top of the table → Qualify for Liguilla → Win the Championship!
FAQ
1. Why is Monterrey the only team with a real badge?
The HTML source shows a specific SVG logo URL for Monterrey (monterrey.d45ab03573.svg), while the other 17 teams use a generic placeholder image. On the live BBC Sport page, all badges load correctly—this is just a quirk of the raw data snippet provided.
2. Does the starting rank (1–18) matter?
No. It’s likely alphabetical or based on last season’s final positions, but it has zero impact on the new season. Only points earned during the current tournament count.
3. What is "Liguilla"?
It’s the playoff phase at the end of the regular season (Apertura & Clausura). Typically the top 4–6 teams go straight to quarter-finals; teams ranked 5th–12th play a "repechaje" (play-in) round for the remaining spots. The playoff winner is crowned Champion of Mexico.
4. How many games does each team play in the regular season?
17 (one against every other team). Half at home, half away. The schedule flips next tournament (Clausura) so everyone gets a home & away game vs. every opponent over the full year.
5. Can a team finish with negative Goal Difference but still win the league?
Technically yes, but it’s extremely rare. Winning lots of tight games (1–0, 2–1) while losing a few heavily can theoretically produce a low/negative GD with high points. Usually, though, champions have a strong positive GD.