Liga MX Clausura 2026 Standings (Mid-January 2026) “After three rounds, Atlas sits 5th with 6 points (2 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss), while Club América is struggling in 15th place with just 2 points (0 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). This follows Apertura 2025, which Toluca won. Historically-powerful América (16 league titles, most recently Apertura 2024) began Clausura poorly (goalless draws with Tijuana and a 2–0 home loss to Atlético San Luis).
Atlas, meanwhile, has risen sharply – ending a 70-year title drought by winning Apertura 2021 and claiming Clausura 2022 – and their strong form is reflected in the current table.
Recent Form and Key Matches
- Atlas: Atlas opened Clausura 2026 with a 1–0 home win over Puebla (Djurdjevic 8′ penalty) and a 1–0 road win at Necaxa. Their only loss was 0–2 away at Cruz Azul. Over their last five league games (late 2025), Atlas went D–L–L–W–L (draw with Querétaro, losses to Pachuca, Chivas and San Luis, win over León). These results suggest Atlas are competitive but somewhat inconsistent.
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- Club América: América’s recent form has been mixed. They drew 0–0 at home vs Tijuana and then lost 0–2 to San Luis, earning only 1 point from two games. By mid-Jan 2026 they had 2 points from three rounds. (In the 2025 Apertura, América reached the quarterfinals but failed to defend their 2024 title). Key players like Leo Suárez and Luis Fuentes have tried to spark the team, but América’s attack has yet to click (0 goals in 3 matches).
- Significant Atlas–América matches: In direct league meetings, América generally has the edge, but Atlas has had notable wins. For example, Atlas thumped América 3–0 on 15 Aug 2021 and again on 15 Feb 2020. Conversely, América hammered Atlas 5–1 in Guadalajara on 17 Sep 2024. These lopsided results show the potential of both sides. (The overall head-to-head heavily favors América – see below.)
Head-to-Head: Atlas vs Club América
Historically, Club América dominates the matchup. Data from recent decades show América winning far more often. In the 2000s–2020s era, Atlas’s 3–0 shocks (Aug 2021, Feb 2020) are rare exceptions, while América has recorded big wins (e.g. 5–1 in Sep 2024). A head-to-head summary (all competitions) gives América roughly 74 wins to Atlas’s 14 since 2004, with draws making up the rest.
(For context, América leads Atlas all-time in victories by a wide margin.) This reflects América’s historical strength: their league titles (16) dwarf Atlas’s modest total (2, both in 2021–22). The Argentine forward Uroš Đurđević, Atlas’s scorer in the Puebla and Necaxa wins, is one of their recent heroes. América’s notable stars include Guillermo Ochoa, Henry Martín and Diego Valdés, who have often turned these games, though none was involved in the latest Atlas fixtures.
Is Atlas a Good Team?
Atlas was long considered an underdog – their first Mexican league title came in 1951, the second not until Apertura 2021. However, in the last few seasons they have become one of Liga MX’s stronger sides. In 2021–22 Atlas won back-to-back titles (Apertura 2021 and Clausura 2022), becoming only the third club in the short-season era with consecutive championships. This remarkable turnaround shows that yes, Atlas is now a good team, especially by Mexican standards.
They earned a Liguilla (playoff) berth in Apertura 2025 and sit near the top of the Clausura 2026 table. Key players like Camilo Vargas (GK), Issac Brizuela (winger) and Julián Quiñones (winger/forward) have been instrumental. Atlas’s stylish play under coach Pablo Guede and their championship pedigree (the “Rojinegros” nickname) have lifted their status. In short, after decades of mediocrity Atlas now compete at or near the league’s elite level.
Cruz Azul vs Club América – Clásico Joven
A major subplot of Mexico City soccer is the Clásico Joven – the rivalry between América and Cruz Azul. Has Cruz Azul ever beaten Club América? Absolutely. Although América leads the overall series (about 74 wins to Cruz Azul’s 62), Cruz Azul has plenty of victories. Most famously, Cruz Azul defeated América 4–1 in the 1971–72 league final to win the championship.
More recently, these teams met in the Clausura 2024 final, which América won narrowly on aggregate. However, Cruz Azul often gets the upper hand in other matches: for example, immediately after that final Cruz Azul opened the next season by beating América 4–1 in January 2024. In summary, Cruz Azul has beaten América many times (including critical finals and playoff games), even though América has a slight historical edge.
Club América’s Biggest Rivals
Club América’s fiercest rivalries are among the most famous in Mexican football:
- Guadalajara (Chivas) – El Súper Clásico (Clásico Nacional). This is América’s biggest rivalry, pitting the capital’s giant against Mexico’s traditional “people’s team”. The first meeting was in 1943 (Chivas won 1–0), and since then América has led the head-to-head (99 wins to Chivas’ 81 as of Sept 2025). The clash is a cultural event (rich vs. popular imagery) and is always a top-billed fixture. Legendary players like Salvador “Chava” Reyes and Hugo Sánchez (for América) and Carlos Enrique “El Gran Chaparral” Reinoso (for América) and others have starred in these matches.
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- Cruz Azul – El Clásico Joven (Young Classic). A Mexico City derby with a storied history, as above. It is considered a fierce but more recent rivalry. The 1972 final and 2024 final are two defining chapters. Notable moments include América’s titles (e.g. Apertura 2018 win) and Cruz Azul’s shocks (e.g. 4–1 win in 1972).
- UNAM Pumas – Clásico Capitalino. Another D.F. derby between América and UNAM’s Pumas. Matches often feature the two clubs’ passionate student- and corporate-heritage fan bases. Memorable clashes include several two-legged finals in the 1980s. For example, América beat Pumas 5–4 on aggregate in the 1983–84 final.
In recent seasons the Chivas rivalry has dominated headlines (the 2022 Apertura semifinal saw Chivas knock out América on penalties), and the América–Cruz Azul derby regularly headlines city derbies (Cruz vs América finals in 2013, 2018, 2024). Stars such as Oribe Peralta (who played for both sides) and Antonio Carlos Santos (América playmaker in the 1990s) helped define these clashes.
Sources: Official Liga MX standings and match reports; soccer databases and news (Vivoelfutbol, ESPN) for head-to-head and titles; and rivalry analyses. These provide recent stats (Jan 2026) and historical context for Atlas, América, and their rivalries.
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