Atlante is closer than ever to returning to the first division after spending more than a decade stuck in the second tier because of the no-promotion, no-relegation system. The news shaking Mexican soccer is straightforward, the club is just waiting for Liga MX to approve its plan to buy Mazatlán and take its spot in the top tier starting in 2026. According to local reports, the agreement between the two sides is already in place and will be voted on during the league’s general assembly on December 9. If it passes, it ends a long and frustrating wait for a team that won the second division three times in recent years but never moved anywhere.
The deal that changes both clubs’ paths
Mazatlán didn’t seem willing to accept the offer at first, but the club’s financial situation shifted when the expected investment fund failed to materialize. Without that cash coming in, Atlante’s proposal became the quickest way to reorganize a team that finished 16th out of 18 in the Apertura 2025-26. It’s not about ambition, it’s about survival.
Selling the spot became the only realistic choice in this scenario, while Atlante sees a real chance to reclaim its place in the first division after years of bumping against a ceiling it couldn’t break on the field. Relegated in 2014, the club watched promotion freeze in 2020 and, even after winning the Liga Expansión MX titles in 2021, 2022 and 2024, it still couldn’t move up. Buying the spot is the only route available under the league’s rules.
History pushes Atlante back toward the top
When a club with Atlante’s weight gets close to returning, it naturally stirs things up. The team took part in the first edition of the Mexican Championship in 1943 and has three national titles, along with two continental trophies. Even after spending so many years outside the top tier, it remained a strong, recognizable name across the country. That history explains why its possible comeback hits such a nerve. The debate over the method isn’t going away and it’s hard to please everyone, but the process follows exactly what Liga MX allows today.
The December 9 assembly should be decisive. The deal is moving forward, Mazatlán sees financial relief and Atlante sees a chance to end a wait that felt endless. If the approval comes, the club will step out of the shadow of its own past and return to the level where its jersey always carried weight. It would be a deserved comeback within the limits of today’s landscape, even if the path isn’t ideal, but it’s the only one left.