Cruz Azul and Pumas met in the first leg of the Liga MX Clausura 2026 final on Sunday night at the Estadio de la Ciudad de los Deportes, opening the last stage of a title race that both clubs reached by different routes and under different kinds of pressure.
Erik Lira was with Cruz Azul for the final, and Memote Martínez was with Pumas, after Javier Aguirre said both players had permission to be with their clubs. Aguirre said he saw nothing wrong with the move, arguing that both men had competed with their teams and that it was fair for them to greet teammates and stand with those who had lost.
The matchup brought together the regular-season top team and the club that finished third. Pumas ended the campaign in first place, while Cruz Azul closed in third, setting up a final that arrived after both sides had already survived demanding knockout rounds.
Cruz Azul reached this stage after eliminating Atlas in the quarterfinals and Chivas in the semifinals. Pumas knocked out América in the quarterfinals and Pachuca in the semifinals, but needed table position to move on in both ties after the aggregate scores finished level. That made the route to the final look narrow even before the title series began.
There is also recent history between the clubs that adds weight to the night. Their last five meetings produced three Cruz Azul wins and two draws, a run that gave the semifinal and final matchup a familiar edge before kickoff. Ismael López was the assigned referee for the match.
The final itself was presented as the opening leg of the battle for the Liga MX title, and the first game carried that feel from the start. Cruz Azul came in after beating a team that finished second in the regular season, while Pumas arrived after surviving two tie-break decisions on the standings. The difference between lifting the trophy and chasing it will now be decided over the two legs, but the opening match already showed how little separates them.
Aguirre’s view on Lira and Martínez fit the tone around the final: competitive, but not cold. In his words, both players had earned the right to be close to their clubs, and he saw no problem with them sharing the moment with teammates and even with those on the losing side. That is the kind of detail that only surfaces when a final is no longer just about tactics and results, but about who belongs in the room when the pressure peaks.
