By Jorge Hernandez
The Closing of Clausura 2026 It is already defined and promises to paralyze Mexican soccer. Cougars and Blue Cross They will compete in the championship series in an edition that revives one of the most intense rivalries in the country’s capital. Here we tell you dates, times, venues and the background that marks this long-awaited eliminatory of the Liga MX.
Official calendar of the Closing Final 2026
The series between Blue Cross and Cougars It will be played back and forth in two emblematic venues in Mexico City.
first leg
Blue Cross vs. Cougars
Thursday May 21, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
Sports City Stadium
return match
Pumas vs. Blue Cross
Sunday May 24, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
University Olympic Stadium
Two stadiums, two nights and only one champion. The Closing Grand Final 2026 will define the new monarch of the Liga MX in a series that generates enormous expectations among university and celestial fans.
Pumas and Cruz Azul return to a closing after forty five years
The rivalry between Cougars and Blue Cross will once again have a chapter for the Mexican soccer championship after more than four decades.
Both teams previously met in two finals during the long tournament period, with a completely even balance: one title for each club.
In addition, this will be the first time that university students and cement workers compete in a final within the short tournament format.
This was the 1978/1979 final between Cruz Azul and Pumas
The first closing between Blue Cross and Cougars It happened in the 1978/1979 season, with Bora Milutinovic and Ignacio Trelles as coaches.
The series began at the Olympic University Stadium with a goalless draw. Subsequently, the Machine won the championship after winning 2-0 at the then called Azteca Stadium.
The title goals were the work of Carlos Jara and Horacio López Salgado, a result with which Blue Cross won the sixth championship in its history.
Pumas took revenge in the 1980/1981 final
Two years later, Cougars and Blue Cross They met again in another series for the Liga MX title.
On that occasion, the tie began at the Azteca Stadium, where Cruz Azul took a 1-0 lead thanks to a score by Adrián Camacho.
However, the university team reacted in Ciudad Universitaria. Hugo Sánchez tied the world score at minute 10 and later Ricardo Ferretti and Manuel Manzo extended the lead for the cats.
Rafael Toribio scored for Cruz Azul, but Enrique López Zarza sealed the university championship with the final goal 15 minutes from the closing.
An unprecedented closing in short tournaments
Although there is precedent between both clubs in long tournament finals, the Closing 2026 will mark the first time Cougars and Blue Cross define a championship in the modern period of the Liga MX.
With competitive squads, a capital rivalry and the memory of those final series, the tie aims to become one of the most attractive events in Mexican soccer in recent years.
Continue reading:
– Pumas eliminates Pachuca and will play the Liga MX final against Cruz Azul
– Cruz Azul advanced to the grand final of the Liga MX by eliminating Chivas: 1-2 (world 3-4)
– Pumas eliminates América in a vibrant Clásico; Henry Martín misses a decisive penalty in the closing stretch
– Chivas, without five selected players, did the right thing to eliminate Tigres: 2-0 (world 3-3)
