2008–09 Primera División A season


The format for the 2008–09 season changed from 2 groups of 12 to 3 groups of 9 teams. This gave the opportunity and the number increased from 24 to 27, many teams served as reserve teams from teams in D1.

Changes for the 2008–09 season

Added teams

Torneo Apertura

The Primera División A Apertura 2008 is a Mexican football tournament, one of two short tournaments held each year. It began on July 18, 2008 and ran until December 7, 2008. The reigning champions, León, were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Irapuato on a 2–1 two-leg aggregate, and thus could not successfully defend their Clausura 2008 title. Querétaro won the tournament, defeating Irapuato on a 2–0 two-leg aggregate, and will earn a spot into the promotional playoff held after the end of the Clausura 2009 season, where the winners of the two tournaments meet in an effort to gain promotion to the Primera División.
After winning the 2008 promotional playoff against León, the Indios were promoted to the Primera División. Veracruz were relegated to the Primera División A due to finishing at the bottom of the Primera División relegation table. Pachuca Juniors won the right to be promoted to the Primera División A after winning the Segunda División promotional playoff but lacked the certificate of promotion given to teams by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. Instead, Irapuato were promoted to the Primera División A, and two new reserve teams were created for the Indios of Ciudad Juárez and Atlante.

Tournament format

A total of 27 teams are divided into three groups of nine teams each. Each team plays the other eight teams in its group twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 16 games. At the end of the regular season the top two teams in each group, as well as the next two highest placed teams, qualify to the Liguilla. The teams are seeded based on their position in the general table and are arranged before each round so that the highest seeded team remaining always plays the lowest seed remaining. The teams play a home and home series and whichever team has the better aggregate score advances. If the two teams are tied after both legs in the quarterfinals and semifinals the higher seed advances automatically. In the finals, if the two teams are tied after both legs two 15 minute halves of extra time are added. If the teams are still tied after extra time the champion is determined through a penalty shootout.

Promotion

One team is promoted to the Primera División each year. After the Clausura 2009 tournament, the champions of the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments will play a home and home series to determine which team will be promoted. If the same team wins both tournaments it will be promoted automatically. In order for a team to be promoted it has to obtain a certification from the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. If the winner of the promotional final is not certified for promotion a home and home series is played between the highest placed certified team and the club being relegated to the Primera División A to determine which will be in the Primera División.
;Currently certified teams
One team is relegated to the Segunda División each year. The team that has the worst points to games played ratio over the previous three years is relegated to the Segunda División.

Group league tables

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

General league table

Liguilla

Quarter-finals

First leg
Second leg

Semi-finals

First leg
Second leg

Final

First leg
Second leg

Results

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Top scorers

ScorerGoalsTeam
Mauro Gerk14Querétaro
Raúl Enríquez14Tijuana
Bosco Frontan10Tampico Madero
José Gutiérrez9Chihuahua
Javier Orozco8Cruz Azul Hidalgo
Nicolás Olivera8Veracruz
Dany González8Monterrey A
Diego Olsina7Mérida
Juan Úbeda7Lobos BUAP
Marco Reyna6Durango
José Ojeda6Tampico Madero
Luis Orozco6Mérida
Sebastián González6León
Sergio Pérez5Irapuato
Carlos Vela5Correcaminos

Relegation table

Pos.TeamPts
1Tijuana32162.0000
2León166841.9762
3Irapuato30161.8750
4Veracruz28161.7500
5Cruz Azul Hidalgo144841.7143
6Dorados de Sinaloa144841.7143
7Querétaro140841.6667
8Correcaminos131841.5595
9Pumas Morelos126841.5000
10Coatzacoalcos126841.5000
11Lobos BUAP116841.3810
12Salamanca114841.3571
13Mérida67501.3400
14Chihuahua21161.3125
15Tigres B110841.3095
16Durango109841.2976
17Real Colima106841.2619
18Tampico Madero103841.2262
19Tapatío102841.2143
20Atlético Mexiquense98841.1667
21Monterrey A96841.1429
22Socio Águila93841.1071
23Académicos91841.0833
24Tecos A90841.0714
25Santos Laguna A81840.9643
26Tapachula36500.7200
27Chetumal11160.6875

Torneo Clausura

The Primera División A Clausura 2009 is a Mexican football tournament, the second of two short tournaments held during the 2008–2009 Mexican football season. It began on January 10, 2009 and will run until May 23 or May 24, 2009. The winner of the tournament will earn a place in the promotional playoff against Querétaro, the winners of the Apertura 2008 tournament, to determine which team will be promoted to the Primera División.

Tournament format

A total of 27 teams are divided into three groups of nine teams each. Each team plays the other eight teams in its group twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 16 games. At the end of the regular season the top two teams in each group, as well as the next two highest placed teams, qualify to the Liguilla. The teams are seeded based on their position in the general table and are arranged before each round so that the highest seeded team remaining always plays the lowest seed remaining. The teams play a home and away series and whichever team has the better aggregate score advances. If the two teams are tied after both legs in the quarterfinals and semifinals the higher seed advances automatically. In the finals, if the two teams are tied after both legs two 15 minute halves of extra time are added. If the teams are still tied after extra time the champion is determined through a penalty shootout.

Promotion

One team is promoted to the Primera División each year. After the Clausura 2009 tournament, the champions of the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments will play a home and home series to determine which team will be promoted. If the same team wins both tournaments it will be promoted automatically. In order for a team to be promoted it has to obtain a certification from the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. If the winner of the promotional final is not certified for promotion a home and away series is played between the highest placed certified team and the club being relegated to the Primera División A to determine which will be in the Primera División.
;Currently certified teams
One team is relegated to the Segunda División each year. The team that has the worst points to games played ratio over the previous three years is relegated to the Segunda División.

Group league tables

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

General league table

Liguilla

Quarter-finals

First leg
Second leg

Semi-finals

First leg
Second leg

Final

First leg
Second leg

Promotional final

First Leg

----

Second leg

Results

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Top scorers

ScorerGoalsTeam
Mauro Gerk11Querétaro
Raúl Enríquez9Tijuana
Felipe Flores9Salamanca
Francisco Bravo8Veracruz
Luis Nieves8León
Jesús Morales8Chetumal
Luis Orozco8Mérida
Óscar Rojas8Pumas Morelos
Fernando González8Cruz Azul Hidalgo
Ismael Valadez7Chetumal
José Gutiérrez6Irapuato
Juan Hernández6Lobos BUAP
Nicolás Olivera6Veracruz
Osvaldo Moreno6Real Colima

Relegation table

Pos.TeamPts
1Tijuana65322.0313
2León1891001.8900
3Veracruz58321.8125
4Dorados de Sinaloa1751001.7500
5Cruz Azul Hidalgo1711001.7100
6Querétaro1601001.6000
7Irapuato50321.5625
8Correcaminos1511001.5100
9Pumas Morelos1501001.5000
10Mérida97661.4697
11Orizaba1461001.4600
12Lobos BUAP1411001.4100
13Salamanca1401001.4000
14Durango1341001.3400
15Chihuahua41321.2813
16Tigres B1281001.2800
17Real Colima1211001.2100
18Socio Águila1201001.2000
19Tampico Madero1181001.1800
20Monterrey1161001.1600
21Atlético Mexiquense1141001.1400
22Tapatío1141001.1400
23Académicos1021001.0200
24Chetumal32321.0000
25Tecos991000.9900
26Santos Laguna A991000.9900
27Tapachula52660.7879