Pumas UNAM and Necaxa will meet this Sunday, August 23, at Estadio Olímpico Universitario, in a match corresponding to Matchday 5 of the Torneo Apertura 2026 of the Liga MX. The match begins at 19:00 hours Central Mexico time, with the two teams separated by just one point in the standings.
Pumas arrive with seven points from four matches. The university side drew 0-0 against Querétaro in their last outing and will look to rediscover winning ways in front of their home fans to stay in the upper part of the table.
Necaxa, for their part, have six points after four dates. Los Rayos come from a 2-1 loss to León and have accumulated two defeats in their recent Liga MX matches, so they will try to react in Ciudad Universitaria and get back to winning ways.
Midfielder Rodrigo López rejected the notion that CU has stopped being a fortress. Three games without a win at the Olympic Stadium contrast with eight consecutive unbeaten home matches before losing the Clausura 2026 final. “I don’t share that something is lost in such a short time,” he said, while recalling that playing in CU is very difficult, even for rivals.
“We are on the path back to victory, to making CU have that victory that the fans always ask for and that we want to give them,” added the auriazul player. López also spoke about what the previous final left behind. For him, having reached that instance should serve as learning and not as pressure, since it demonstrated that Pumas has the capacity to compete for the championship.
“I think reaching the final, there are two ways to see it, as pressure, or as a teaching for us that we are capable of being in these instances,” he explained.
