Irapuato returns to the silver division after 10 years

The Expansion League has officially announced its schedule for the 2025 Apertura tournament, highlighting the inclusion of Irapuato in the 15-player roster, while Celaya is absent.

After 10 years, Irapuato is once again participating in the second division of Mexican soccer, noting that the Liga de Expansión is second in the league hierarchy behind Liga MX. Its last appearance was in the 2015 Clausura tournament.

At that time, it was the Liga de Ascenso (Ascent League) and teams like Atlético de San Luis and Necaxa, who are currently in Liga MX, participated.

The news became official this week, first with an announcement on social media by Lorena Alfaro García, mayor of Irapuato. In a video, she announced that Íñigo Riestra, secretary general of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), and Juan Manuel Albo, team president, had reached an agreement for participation in the Expansion League.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of authorities from the Irapuato government, the state government, the civil association, and the Healthy People company, professional soccer in the municipality has reached the second division at the national level," the Irapuato City Council published in a statement.

"The return of La Trinca is more than just sports news: it's a vindication of the history, the pride, and the passion for strawberry farming that unites us. It means wearing the colors with all our heart and returning to the Sergio León Chávez Stadium."

Irapuato has hosted organized soccer since 1911, although most of that time it has been outside the first division. Its most notable achievement is a Copa MX runner-up finish in 1956.

The last time they played in the first division was 21 years ago, in the 2004 Clausura tournament. Since then, they have played in the Liga de Ascenso and lower divisions. In fact, they were crowned champions of the Liga Premier FMF in 2021 and 2025, which is below the current Liga de Expansión.

On the other hand, its Sergio León Chávez stadium is highly regarded for having hosted three matches of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico between the national teams of Hungary, Canada, and the Soviet Union.

This Thursday, July 10, the Expansion League endorsed what the mayor had announced and confirmed Irapuato's participation starting in the 2025 Apertura tournament. It will even be responsible for opening the tournament.

“Irapuato was the founder of the Primera A, where it played from 1994 to 2000, from 2002 to 2003, in 2005-2006, from 2008 to 2013 and in 2014-2015 (…) It is the team with the most titles in this division since 1994, it has four, tied with León, Necaxa and Dorados,” described the Expansion League in a statement.

La Trinca Fresera will open the 2025 Apertura by hosting Venados de Mérida at the Sergio León Chávez Stadium on Friday, August 1. After 15 rounds, the regular season will conclude on November 9.

The state of Guanajuato is celebrating the return of Irapuato at the same time it is grieving the loss of Celaya, who lost their spot in the Expansion League for the 2025-26 season, just like the Cimarrones de Sonora.

Celaya had participated in all 10 tournaments since the Expansion League was created in 2020 and even achieved two runner-up positions (Apertura 2022 and Apertura 2024).

The FMF issued a statement specifying "Club Celaya's justified non-participation for the following season, expressly guaranteeing it the right to request again during the 2025-26 season the replacement of its membership certificate in favor of Club Piratas de Veracruz or to re-request its participation for the 2026-27 season."

The 15 teams that will participate in the Expansion League in the 2025 Apertura tournament are: Irapuato, Venados de Mérida, Correcaminos, Atlético Morelia, Atlante, Tepatitlán, Tampico Madero, University of Guadalajara (UDG), Dorados de Sinaloa, Cancún FC, Coyotes de Tlaxcala, Mineros de Zacatecas, Tapatío, Atlético La Paz and Alebrijes de Oaxaca.

A few weeks ago, several of these teams clashed with the FMF to request the reopening of the promotion and relegation process. The case escalated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the Senate of the Republic, but so far, there is still no possibility of promotion to Liga MX.