| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Mexico |
| Teams | 27 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Cruz Azul(4th title) |
| Runner-up | Monterrey |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 69 |
| Goals scored | 190 (2.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 902,828 (13,084 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Martín Cauteruccio (6 goals) |
TheApertura 2018 Copa MX was the 80th staging of theCopa MX, the 52nd staging in the professional era and is the thirteenth tournament played since the1996–97 edition.
The tournament started on 24 July 2018 and ended on 31 October 2018.
Thefinal was held atEstadio BBVA Bancomer in theMonterrey suburb ofGuadalupe with the visiting teamCruz Azul defeatingMonterrey 2–0 to win their fourth title.
As winners, Cruz Azul earned a spot to face the winners of theClausura 2019 edition, in the2019 Supercopa MX.
The tournament will feature all Liga MX clubs (excluding Lobos BUAP) as well as the first ten Ascenso MX clubs of the2017–18 Ascenso MX aggregate table.
Due to the new format of theCONCACAF Champions League, Mexican clubs do not begin their participation until February, thus the teams qualified to2018–19 CONCACAF Champions League (Monterrey,Santos Laguna,Toluca,UANL) will participate in this season's Copa MX.
The following 27 teams qualified for the tournament.
In the following table, the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best result count only those in theCopa MX era starting fromApertura 2012 (not counting those in the eras from 1907 to 1996).
| Team | Aggregate table ranking | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liga MX (17 teams) | ||||||
| Monterrey | 1st | 10th | Clausura 2018 | Champions (Ap. 2017) | [1] | |
| Necaxa | 9th | 12th | Champions (Cl. 2018) | [2] | ||
| Toluca | 2nd | 9th | Runners-up (Cl. 2018) | [3] | ||
| UANL | 3rd | 5th | Apertura 2017 | Champions (Cl. 2014) | [4] | |
| América | 4th | 6th | Clausura 2018 | Semifinals (3 times) | [5] | |
| Morelia | 5th | 11th | Champions (Ap. 2013) | [6] | ||
| Cruz Azul | 6th | 9th | Champions (Cl. 2013) | [7] | ||
| León | 7th | 9th | Runners-up (Ap. 2015) | [8] | ||
| Santos Laguna | 8th | 8th | Champions (Ap. 2014) | [9] | ||
| Tijuana | 10th | 9th | Apertura 2017 | Quarterfinals (6 times) | [10] | |
| Atlas | 11th | 11th | Clausura 2018 | Runners-up (Ap. 2013) | [11] | |
| Pachuca | 12th | 9th | Runners-up (Ap. 2017) | [12] | ||
| Puebla | 13th | 13th | Champions (Cl. 2015) | |||
| UNAM | 14th | 10th | Quarterfinals (2 times) | [13] | ||
| Querétaro | 15th | 11th | Champions (Ap. 2015) | [14] | ||
| Guadalajara | 16th | 10th | Apertura 2017 | Champions (2 times) | [15] | |
| Veracruz | 18th | 13th | Clausura 2018 | Champions (Cl. 2016) | [16] | |
| Ascenso MX (10 teams) | ||||||
| Zacatecas | 1st | 10th | Clausura 2018 | Round of 16 (2 times) | [17] | |
| Celaya | 2nd | 12th | Round of 16 (Cl. 2018) | [18] | ||
| Zacatepec | 3rd | 8th | Semifinals (Cl. 2018) | [19] | ||
| Oaxaca | 4th | 11th | Runners-up (Cl. 2014) | [20] | ||
| Tampico Madero | 5th | 2nd | Round of 16 (Cl. 2018) | [21] | ||
| Sinaloa | 6th | 13th | Champions (Ap. 2012) | [22] | ||
| Tapachula | 7th | 5th | Quarterfinals (Cl. 2018) | |||
| Venados | 8th | 6th | Group stage (8 times) | [23][24] | ||
| Juárez | 9th | 6th | Quarterfinals (2 times) | [25] | ||
| Atlético San Luis | 10th | 8th | Semifinals (Cl. 2016) | [26][27] | ||
The draw for the tournament took place on 5 June 2018 at the Iberostar Hotel inCancún, Mexico.[28] 27 teams were drawn into nine groups of three with each group, except group 9, containing two teams from Liga MX and one team from Ascenso MX.[29]
Clubs in Pot 1 were drawn to be the seed of each group according to the order of their drawing. That is, the first club that was drawn is seed of Group 1, the second drawn is seed of Group 2 and so on and so on.[29] The Liga MX teams in Pot 1 are teams who ended 1–4 in the2017–18 Liga MX Aggregate table.[28] The champions of the last two editions,Monterrey (who is also first in Aggregate table) andNecaxa are also in Pot 1.[28] The Ascenso MX teams in Pot 1 are teams who ended 1–4 in the2017–18 Ascenso MX Aggregate table.[28]
Pot 2 contained Liga MX clubs who ended 5–8 in theAggregate table and Ascenso MX clubs who ended 5–9 in theAggregate table.[28]
Pot 3 contained Liga MX clubs who ended 10–18 (excludingLobos BUAP) in theAggregate table.[28]Atlético San Luis, who ended tenth in theAscenso MX Aggregate table, is the lone Ascenso MX club in Pot 3.[28]
If two or more clubs are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:
Every group is composed of three clubs, each group has at least one club fromLiga MX andAscenso MX.
All match times listed areCDT (UTC–6), except for matches in Culiacán, Ciudad Juárez (bothUTC–7) and Tijuana (UTC–8).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 10 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Puebla | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Venados | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Juárez | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Toluca | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Querétaro | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | León | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Zacatecas | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 3 |
| Zacatecas | 4–3 | León |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Necaxa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | UNAM | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Tampico Madero | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pachuca | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 10 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Celaya | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Santos Laguna | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 2 |
| Santos Laguna | 1–1 | Celaya |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Zacatepec | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 | |
| 3 | Atlas | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4 |
| Zacatepec | 2–3 | Cruz Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Cruz Azul | 2–0 | Zacatepec |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | América | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 10 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Sinaloa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | Veracruz | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalajara | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Morelia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Oaxaca | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 2 |
| Guadalajara | 1–0 | Oaxaca |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UANL | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Tapachula | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Atlético San Luis | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 |
| Tapachula | 1–1 | Atlético San Luis |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Puebla | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | 7 | Sinaloa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | 3 | León | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | |
| 4 | 4 | UNAM | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5 | 6 | Zacatepec | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 | |
| 6 | 9 | Tapachula | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | |
| 7 | 2 | Juárez | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 5 | |
| 8 | 8 | Morelia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| 9 | 5 | Celaya | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 |
The nine group winners and the seven best runners-up from thegroup stage qualify for the final stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | Puebla |
| 2 | Tijuana | Juárez |
| 3 | Querétaro | León |
| 4 | Necaxa | UNAM |
| 5 | Pachuca | — |
| 6 | Cruz Azul | Zacatepec |
| 7 | América | Sinaloa |
| 8 | Guadalajara | — |
| 9 | UANL | Tapachula |
| Seed | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | América | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Pachuca | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 10 |
| 3 | 1 | Monterrey | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 10 |
| 4 | 8 | Guadalajara | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 |
| 5 | 4 | Necaxa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9[a] |
| 6 | 3 | Querétaro | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9[a] |
| 7 | 9 | UANL | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 |
| 8 | 2 | Tijuana | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 9 | 6 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 |
| 10 | 1 | Puebla | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 |
| 11 | 7 | Sinaloa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 | 3 | León | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | 4 | UNAM | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 14 | 6 | Zacatepec | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 |
| 15 | 9 | Tapachula | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 16 | 2 | Juárez | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 5 |
| Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Pachuca | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Tapachula | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Pachuca (pen.) | 3(6) | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | UANL | 3(5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | UANL | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Puebla | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Pachuca | 3(3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Monterrey (pen.) | 3(4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Monterrey | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Zacatepec | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Monterrey | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Querétaro | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Querétaro | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Sinaloa | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Monterrey | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Cruz Azul | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Tijuana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Cruz Azul | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Cruz Azul | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Juárez | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | América | 2(8) | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Juárez (pen.) | 2(9) | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Cruz Azul (pen.) | 1(5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | León | 1(4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Necaxa | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | León | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | León (pen.) | 1(5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | UNAM | 1(4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Guadalajara | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | UNAM | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
All match times listed areCDT (UTC–6), except for matches in Tijuana (UTC–8).
| Tijuana | 1–2 | Cruz Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Guadalajara | 1–3 | UNAM |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Cruz Azul | 2–0 | Juárez |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| León | 1–1 | UNAM |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–4 | ||
| Monterrey | 0–2 | Cruz Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Martín Cauteruccio | Cruz Azul | 6 |
| 2 |  Franco Jara | Pachuca | 5 |
| 3 | Matías Alustiza | UNAM | 4 |
 Cecilio Domínguez | América | ||
 Daniel Lajud | Monterrey | ||
| Josué Mercado | Zacatecas | ||
| Leonardo Ulloa | Pachuca | ||
 Eduardo Vargas | UANL |
Source:Copa MX
