The defending champions, Cruz Azul, began their Liga MX Apertura 2026 campaign with a 3-2 comeback victory at Atlético de San Luis, recovering from two goals down in the second half. The hosts stunned the visitors with quick strikes from Sébastien Salles-Lamonge and Rafael Llorente within five minutes of the restart. A triple substitution by coach Joel Huiqui turned the match: Gabriel Fernández converted a penalty after a VAR review, and midfielder Jeremy Márquez equalised in the 81st minute before driving in the winner deep into stoppage time. The result extends Huiqui’s unbeaten run to eight matches, and Fernández’s celebration—a deliberate imitation of Jude Bellingham’s gesture from the recent World Cup—was widely noted in Mexican media.

Elsewhere on the opening weekend, Puebla secured a 1-0 away win at FC Juárez thanks to an early goal from Ignacio Maestro Puch, their first victory in a season opener on the road in four years. Juárez played the final half-hour with ten men after Iker Moreno’s dismissal, and the match was overshadowed by a serious injury to Lucas Ramón Romero, who left the pitch in an ambulance. Atlas, still without newly appointed coach Hernán Crespo on the touchline, beat León 3-2 in a match that saw both sides finish with ten men. Cape Verdean forward Duk scored on his debut after two minutes, and León’s Diber Cambindo equalised before being sent off before half-time. Crespo watched from the stands and will take over training this week.

In Germany, Bundesliga clubs continued pre-season tests with mixed performances. Werder Bremen beat FC Verden 6-2, with Justin Njinmah and Jens Stage—both seeking transfers—scoring twice each. Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Wuppertaler SV 6-0 but lost Lukas Ullrich to an early injury. RB Leipzig, in Martin Demichelis’s first match, edged Altglienicke 2-1, while Köln managed only a 5-0 win over amateur side Rheinsüd, a result German media deemed underwhelming. In Italy, Bologna suffered a 4-0 loss to Arminia Bielefeld, with Jonathan Rowe sent off for violent conduct, a worrying start for new coach Domenico Tedesco.

Cruz Azul will host Puebla on Tuesday at the Estadio Banorte—their return to the Azteca after a temporary relocation—before facing Toluca in the Campeón de Campeones in California. Puebla and Atlas look to build on their opening wins, while Juárez and León seek to rebound. European clubs continue their build-ups: Werder Bremen head to a training camp in Austria, Gladbach face Rot-Weiss Essen next, and Bologna meet Heidenheim on Wednesday. The contrast between competitive Mexican action and European experimentation will narrow as the Bundesliga and Serie A seasons approach.