Liga MX Femenil already competes with the best
Though the league is just five years old, Liga MX Femenil has already shown through competition and TV ratings that it's in the big leagues.
Photo credit: Tigres UANL
Though just founded in 2017, Liga MX Femenil has already seen major growth. There is still a long way to go for this young league, but by no means is it low-level. Liga MX teams can compete with clubs all around the world after recently holding their own against a few NWSL teams and European teams.
The Liga MX Femenil is only six years old, but viewing figures and attendances are already far greater than in the NWSL 📈@ameeruszkai explains how @tigresfemenil have done more than any other club to drive Mexican women’s football forward 🐯
— GOAL News (@GoalNews) January 21, 2023
But despite the results, even the positive growth is not enough for people who deny the league as competitive. Those same people do not consider Liga MX Femenil to be a valuable league, but that has been disproven with how many foreign players have made their way to the league and with how many international friendlies have happened between teams from other leagues around the world. At this rate, Liga MX Femenil just might become a top league in the world before its tenth birthday.
Tigres and América have already beaten elite teams
The first team in the league to have an international friendly was Tigres Femenil, who last season played the NWSL’s Houston Dash at home and then in Texas. Club América joined in on the fun when they announced they would be welcoming Bayer Leverkusen to Estadio Azteca and then traveled to the USA for an international tournament, the Women’s Cup. In three consecutive games, Club América defeated Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, and Tottenham Hotspur, all big names on the international scene.
Tigres was not done with international friendlies, eventually playing against Bayern Munich in a friendly they called the Copa Amazonas. This game showcased just how powerful the Amazonas are as they defeated Bayern 1-0 with a goal that has made its rounds, deservedly so, around the internet due to the assist by Jacqueline ‘Maga’ Ovalle.
Un gol para la historia… 💛✨ pic.twitter.com/P0MmYbCedK
— Tigres Femenil 🐯 (@TigresFemenil) January 23, 2023
With the kind of talent the league has, there’s no surprise why it has attracted big names from across the pond. Not only did Spanish international and former Barcelona player Jenni Hermoso make her way to Mexico, former teammates Andrea Pereira and Andrea Falcon also made their way over. Hermoso plays for Pachuca while both Pereira and Falcon both play for Club América. Both Pereira and Falcon helped their team make it to the finals during the Apertura 2022.
Hermoso’s decision to play in Mexico was a big deal for the league considering her talent and accomplishments, and she received a warm welcome from Pachuca and the league. Talent like this usually flows in the opposite direction on the men’s side, but Liga MX Femenil has made itself attractive enough for the best talent in the world. If the league isn’t considered a competitive league, then why are big names making their way to Mexico?
Liga MX Femenil is pulling elite TV numbers
Always looking for a high-quality product, the fans are responding well to the league’s growth. Attendance numbers have been increasing and have even surpassed those at the NWSL. The Apertura 2022 semifinals and finals brought in large crowds both in person and on television. The semifinals brought in more than 66,000 fans in attendance for each leg for a total of 134,997 fans during all four games. Then during the final between Club América and Tigres, 52,654 fans (a league record) attended the first leg while 41,615 fans attended the second leg for a total of 94,269 fans in attendance.
The final between @TigresFemenil and @AmericaFemenil was the most watched in the history of the #LigaBBVAMXFemenil with an accumulated attendance record (94.269 total) and an audience of 2.8 million pic.twitter.com/wn3iBdk5PT
— The Women's Cup (@thewomenscup) November 19, 2022
Additionally, 2.48 million people watched on Mexican television while 1.26 million people watched through the teams’ official social media pages. For the second leg 2.88 million people watched through Mexican television while 57,090 watched through the teams’ official social media pages. These impressive numbers don’t even include US, Latin American, or ViX+ numbers. For a league still in its infancy, it’s pulling some veteran TV numbers that would even have MLS execs envious.
It is hard to ignore the incredible growth that has happened in the league over just five years, and anyone who dismisses the league because of its age isn’t watching the games. People need to wake up and pay attention. Liga MX Femenil is growing, and soon it can compete with any league in the world.
