Pumas UNAM and Club de Fútbol Cruz Azul were scheduled to play the Clausura 2026 final on Sunday, May 24, at Estadio Olímpico Universitario, with kickoff set for 21:00 hours in the United States and 19:00 hours in Mexico after the first leg finished 0-0.
The regular season left Pumas first in the table with 36 points and Cruz Azul third with 33, and the zeros on the scoreboard from the first meeting at least for now leave everything to be decided in Ciudad Universitaria.
Pumas reached the final after eliminating América in the quarterfinals by tying the global score and then getting past Pachuca in the semifinals after tying the series and advancing by regular-season position, while Cruz Azul arrived after eliminating Atlas and Chivas by winning the decisive matches as the visiting team.
The small margins in the teams' recent knockout rounds have carried into the final: Telemundo reported that if the series stayed tied after 180 minutes the champion would not be decided by the table, that the match would go to two 15-minute extra-time periods, and that if the tie remained after extra time the final would be decided by penalty kicks, with each team taking an initial round of five penalty kicks.
An external AI prediction tested the match as very close, saying Pumas would probably win narrowly or the teams would draw, that the title could be decided in extra time or penalties, and that it leaned toward Pumas winning the title; the AI listed probable results of Pumas 1-0 Cruz Azul, Pumas 2-1 Cruz Azul, or 1-1.
Sports Illustrated summed the endgame the same way: "El título se define en prórroga o penales." The outlet added: "Es una final 50-50 con ligera inclinación auriazul." Those assessments track with facts already on the schedule: a goalless first leg and a final that will force extra play if the aggregate is level after 180 minutes.
The context that mattered in earlier rounds will not help Pumas if the final stays tied. Pumas had advanced in the Liguilla by using its higher position in the regular-season table as a tiebreaker; Telemundo makes clear that rule does not apply in the Liga MX final, meaning the home advantage and Pumas's regular-season lead are useful but not decisive under the competition rules now set to govern both legs.
The tension is simple and sharp: Cruz Azul has shown the capacity to win decisive matches away from home in this playoff—eliminating Atlas and Chivas on the road—while Pumas arrives as the higher-ranked, home-side favorite after a season that placed them first. The 0-0 first leg raises the probability that this title will hinge on the narrowest of margins—extra time or a shootout—rather than the regular-season table or comfortable aggregate leads.
Given the rules and the way both teams reached the final, everything on paper points to a match decided by small margins and extended play; the available predictions and reporting lean toward a narrow Pumas edge, but the structure of the final means Club de Fútbol Cruz Azul can still win the championship in regulation, in extra time, or in penalties if the aggregate is level after 180 minutes.
