<p>Mexico’s Liga MX wants to copy the MLS model!</p><p><br></p><p>The 18 club owners have voted to separate the league from the federation, move towards a franchise model, and permanently abolish promotion and relegation in practice.</p><p><br></p><p>But hang on, wasn’t relegation already abolished in Mexican football? Don’t lots of top leagues worldwide function as a closed shop? And why are Mexico’s 2026 World Cup preparations under Javier Aguirre causing problems for the domestic league too?</p><p><br></p><p>On this episode, we investigate the state of domestic football in Mexico and look ahead to the co-host’s controversial build-up to this summer’s global showpiece.</p><p><br></p><p>Plus: Racing de Montevideo celebrate their maiden Uruguayan title on the roadside and San Marino Calcio’s players pen an angry letter.</p><p><br></p><p>Jon Arnold&#39;s Substack is <a href="https://getconcacafed.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a> and his viral Mexican football video on Instagram is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAR7NRvqrh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters:</p><p>00:00 – Intro</p><p>01:25 – Seismic shifts in Mexican football</p><p>06:00 – The death of promotion &amp; relegation</p><p>10:05 – Closed shop leagues worldwide</p><p>15:37 – Mexico’s pre-World Cup chaos</p><p>21:38 – Racing’s roadside title celebration</p><p>27:22 – San Marino Calcio’s angry letter</p>