Copa MX
Copa MX was an association football competition in Mexico and the domestic cup tournament for clubs at the highest and second levels of Mexican football league system. Formerly named Copa México and Copa Presidente, it was the first tournament that included clubs from different regions of Mexico and was considered a prestigious competition, especially during its earlier years of existence. The tournament was held during four periods.
The inaugural edition as a professional competition was the 1942–43 Copa México, with Moctezuma finishing as the first champions in history. The final edition was the 2019–20 Copa MX, with Monterrey finishing as the last champions.
The purpose of the competition was to determine a national cup champion, thus distinguishing it from the national league championship. The format was different from the local leagues as well, as it employed direct elimination and culminated in a final match. In May 2012, Liga MX president Decio de María announced the return and rebranding of the tournament as Copa MX.
América is the most successful club with 6 titles, followed by León and Puebla with 5 titles each, Guadalajara, Atlas, Cruz Azul and Necaxa with 4 titles each. In all, twenty-two clubs have won the competition at least once.
History
Amateur era
Copa México (1932–1942)
After the foundation of the current and official Federación Mexicana de Fútbol in 1927, a new national competition was created as the Mexican cup tournament, it was named Copa México, the trophy was donate by the Presidency of Mexico and also received official support of President Lázaro Cárdenas. The inaugural edition as an amateur competition was the 1932–33 Copa México, with Necaxa finishing as the first champions in history. This marked the beginning of an 11-year period that is referred to in retrospect as the Cup's Amateur era. Asturias dominated the tournament, winning five titles during this period. The final edition was the 1941–42 Copa México, with Atlante finishing as the last champions of the amateur era.Copa México (1942–1963, 1970–1997)
The professional era of the Copa México began in 1942. At first, it was played among clubs from the Liga Mayor. Beginning in 1950 the clubs of the Segunda División de México were also included into the competition with the exception of the 1956–57, 1963–64, 1994–95 and 1995–96 editions. The tournament was not held in several years, the Copa México champions also competed for the Campeón de Campeones until 1995.Copa Presidente (1963–1970)
From 1963 to 1970, the competition was renamed as Copa Presidente, in honor of the fact that the trophy was donate by the Presidency of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos and Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.An unofficial and extraordinary cup tournament was held in 1963, known as Copa Presidencial Adolfo López Mateos. The tournament was played alongside the three official FMF competitions during that period.
Copa MX (2012–2020)
In 2012, the competition returned with a rebranding as Copa MX, two short tournaments were played per year until 2019, similar to Liga MX, except the 2019–20 Copa MX, which was played during the annual season. From 2014 to 2019, the two Copa MX champions of the year qualified for the Supercopa MX.However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 final was postponed until November. After the 2019–20 edition, the competition was abolished due to busy calendar issues with the FMF giving preference to matches of the Mexico national football team in preparation to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Competition format
From 2012 to 2016, in the Apertura tournament, the four Liga MX clubs qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League were not participating in the Copa MX; the remaining 14 clubs participated alongside 14 clubs from Ascenso MX. The 14 Ascenso MX clubs were the 13 top point-earners from the previous season, plus the newly relegated club. The 28 participating clubs were divided into seven groups of four clubs each. The seven group winners and the best runner-up with the highest point total qualified for the quarterfinals.Each club played 6 matches in the group stage. Groups and home field advantage were determined by a blind draw. For the group draw, Liga MX clubs were placed in Pot A, while Ascenso MX clubs were placed in Pot B. In the home field advantage draw, no club can have more than two home games in the group stage. A blind draw determined home field advantage in the final knockout phase.
In the Clausura tournament, the 11 Liga MX clubs that did not qualify for international competitions participated alongside the 13 Ascenso MX clubs with the highest point total from the previous short tournament. The 24 participating clubs were divided into six groups of four clubs each. The six group winners and the two best runners-up with the highest point total qualified for the quarter-finals. Both tournaments will have the same draw format and number of group matches, and the final knockout phase for both tournaments will be single-elimination.
From Apertura 2016 to Clausura 2019, the tournaments had 24 or 27 participating clubs, depending on the Liga MX clubs that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League and also on the qualification criteria based on the clubs' positions in each division in the previous season. The participating clubs were divided into eight or nine groups with three clubs each. With 24 clubs, the eight group winners and the eight runners-up qualified for the round of 16. With 27 clubs, the nine group winners and the best seven runners-up qualified for the round of 16.
Clubs will play four matches in the group stage. Groups and home field advantage will be determined the draw by public at their annual draft. For the group draw, Liga MX clubs' top 4 point-earners and Ascenso MX clubs' top 4 point-earners will be placed in Pot A, while Liga MX clubs' mid 4 point-earners and Ascenso MX clubs' mid 4 point-earners will be placed in Pot B and Liga MX clubs' last 4 point-earners and Ascenso MX clubs' last 4 point-earners will be placed in Pot C. In the home field advantage draw, teams can have two home games in the group stage. A blind draw will determine home field advantage in the final knockout phase.
The 2019–20 Copa MX consisted of one tournament played during the year, according to FIFA's world footballing calendar. It has 27 participating clubs.
Results
The first domestic cup tournament organized by the current FMF since its founding was the 1932–33 Copa México, in the cup's amateur era.Performances
;Notes- Defunct clubs.