Professional American Football League of Mexico
Upcoming season or competition: | |
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| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 12, 2016 |
| Director | Alejandro Jaimes |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Mexico |
| Headquarters | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Mexicas LFA (1st title) |
| Most titles | Mayas LFA (2 titles) |
| TV partner(s) |
Claro Fox Sports Multimedios[1] Máximo Avance Televisa[2] TV Azteca[3] |
| Official website | LFA.mx |
The Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA) is a semi-professional American football spring league in Mexico, founded in 2016. In its first season only 4 teams participated, all from Mexico City, then the league expanded to 6 teams in 2017 with the addition of Saltillo and Monterrey squads, and for the 2019 season there will be two more teams, one in Toluca and another in Puebla City. The championship game is called Tazon Mexico (Mexico Bowl), and it is currently played on the last Sunday in April. The players are drafted from the two College Football conferences that exist in the country: ONEFA and CONADEIP.
History
American football has been played in Mexico for 90 years and is the sixth most popular sport in the country. In 2015 a group of investors decided to offer football while the NFL is offseason and founded the LFA, which would start two weeks after Super Bowl 50. Some of the players had not played for several years and most of them combined training and playing with other full-time jobs. In the first season, there was an average of 2000 attendees per game, and there were significant financial problems. The first game was played February 21, 2016, and the Tazon Mexico was won by Mayas. All matches were played at the Palillo Martínez Stadium of Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City.
The following season (2017), the league expanded to the north of the country, adding the Fundidores Monterrey and Dinos Saltillo. In that season Mayas maintained dominance over the league and won the Tazon Mexico for the second time.
During the 2018 season, the LFA experienced operational problems that led to the cancellation of the Mexicas-Dinos game. The Mexicas franchise was the champion after winning the Tazon Mexico.
For the 2019 season, there will be two new teams, one in Toluca and the other in Puebla.
Teams
| Division | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | First season | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | Dinos LFA | Saltillo, Coahuila | Olímpico Francisco I. Madero | 7,000 | 2017 |  |
| Fundidores LFA | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Nuevo León Unido | 1,500 | 2017 | | |
| Osos LFA | Toluca, State of Mexico | TBA | TBA | 2019 | | |
| Raptors LFA | Naucalpan de Juárez, State of Mexico | José Ortega Martínez | 3,700 | 2016 | | |
| Center | Artilleros LFA | Puebla City, Puebla | TBA | TBA | 2019 | TBA |
| Condors LFA | Xochimilco, Mexico City | Jesús Martínez "Palillo" | 6,000 | 2016 | | |
| Mayas LFA | Iztacalco, Mexico City | Jesús Martínez "Palillo" | 6,000 | 2016 | Vacant | |
| Mexicas LFA | Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City | Wilfrido Massieu | 13,000 | 2016 | | |
Tazon Mexico Champions
| Season | Champion | Score | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mayas LFA | 29–13 | Raptors LFA |
| 2017 | Mayas LFA | 24–18 | Dinos LFA |
| 2018 | Mexicas LFA | 29–13 | Raptors LFA |