Ascenso MX

Ascenso MX, also known as Ascenso BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, was a professional association football league in Mexico and the second level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Primera División A de México (1994–2009) and Liga de Ascenso de México (2009–2012). The season was divided into two short tournaments (Apertura and Clausura), the champions of each tournament were decided by a final phase (Liguilla). The clubs promoted to Liga MX (top division) were the winners of the Campeón de Ascenso, which was the division's super cup between the Apertura and Clausura champions. The bottom club was relegated to Liga Premier (third level division).

In 2012, the league rebranded its name and competition format as Ascenso MX, the major changes (clubs do not need a FMF certification to be promoted and that the competition no longer used group stages). The Ascenso MX was replaced by the Liga de Expansión MX on April 17, 2020.

Sinaloa, León, Irapuato and Necaxa were the most successful clubs with 4 titles each, followed by Querétaro with 3 titles. In all, twenty-seven clubs won the Ascenso MX at least once.

In 1994, the FMF upgraded the Segunda División de México to Primera División A de México to bring closer the level of play in the two divisions. The project was under the direction of José Antonio García Rodríguez, then president of the then top level Primera División. He envisioned the new division to be joined by the best teams of the Segunda División and include teams from the United States (Los Angeles Salsa and San Jose Black Hawks expressed a desire to join). FIFA declined the integration but established a new league with the best Segunda División sides. The founding clubs of the inaugural 1994–95 season were: Acapulco, Atlético Celaya, Atlético San Francisco, Atlético Yucatán, Caimanes de Tabasco, Coras de Tepic, Gallos de Aguascalientes, Halcones de Querétaro, Inter Tijuana, Irapuato, Reboceros de La Piedad, Marte, Pachuca, San Luis, and Zacatepec. Cobras de Ciudad Juárez declined to participate due to financial problems.

In 2006, the number of teams increased from 20 to 24, and geographically separated into two groups for preliminary competition (A and B).

In 2009, the major changes were: the name change from Primera División A to Liga de Ascenso. The league was reduced to 17 teams and the groups were eliminated. The Apertura 2010 tournament had 18 teams participating. In 2012 the league was rebranded as Ascenso MX. Alebrijes de Oaxaca was the 16th team of Ascenso MX in 2013. Alebrijes was partly formed by consolidating Segunda División side Tecamachalco which had won promotion to Ascenso MX in 2012, but did not fulfill infrastructural requirements set by the Mexican Football Federation. In August 2013, Zacatepec was promoted to Ascenso MX in place of relegated Pumas Morelos.

From 2011 to 2016, there was no relegation to the Segunda División de México. On June 6, 2016, returned the relegation for the 2016–17 season. Loros UdeC and Murciélagos were relegated in the next two seasons. In 2018–19 season, C.D.S. Tampico Madero finished last in the relegation table, but remained in Ascenso MX after paying a bail.

On April 13, Liga MX and Ascenso MX President Enrique Bonilla announced the termination of the remainder of the Clausura 2020 season. Two reasons were the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and the league's lack of financial resources. Its U-17 and U-20 youth systems and the Liga MX Femenil are also at risk.