MEXICO CITY — Forward Charlyn Corral had to pack a suitcase and emigrate to Spain in 2015 because a professional league did not yet exist in her country.
Women’s soccer in Mexico has been transformed since then and a recent example is the more than 50,000 fans who came last Monday to witness the final where Monterrey defeated Tigres on penalties.
The Liga MX Femenil was launched in 2017 with a couple of tournaments per year, as occurs in the men’s division. The Closing that takes place in the first half of the year and the Opening in the second.
“The growth has been exponential, I can say it was very fast,” said Corral, 33, who returned to his country three years ago to play for Pachuca, which lost in the semifinals to Monterrey. “It’s nice to see more people recognize you.”
“Before you were only known in the world of football, but many more people now know the national teams,” added the player, who was the top scorer in the Spanish league with Levante in the 2017-18 season. “That didn’t happen before.”
Las Rayadas, based in Monterrey, a city located in the north of the country, averaged 11,428 fans in their home games in the Apertura, the most in the league.
“All the support has been incredible, not only here but throughout the country – of course there are places with fewer fans, but in Monterrey it has been incredible,” said the team’s goalkeeper, Pamela Tajonar, who played for Spanish club Barcelona.
A FIFA report showed that in the 2021-22 season, the Liga MX Femenil had the second best average attendance in the world (3,100) behind the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States (7,930). The Women’s Super League in England was third that year, but already increased its average to 7.363 last season.
It is no secret that soccer is the most popular sport in the country. The Mexican Federation estimates that there are about 34 million fans in Mexico and of those 26 million are interested in women’s soccer.
“Interest has been growing, now we are in the conversation and we are changing narratives. This allows us to be able to say how much the game has grown in the country,” said Mariana Gutiérrez, the president of the league.
In Mexico, women’s teams are affiliated with the 18 first division teams and play in the same stadiums, which helps with attendance metrics.
But it’s not just in the stadiums. Fans also watch it on television. The tenth date of the Apertura had an audience of 5.75 million fans to set a record surpassing the previous record of 4.61 million set only in the previous tournament.
And women in Mexico are succeeding not only in soccer.
Mexicans recently elected Claudia Sheinbaum to be the first female president, although there are regions in the country, especially rural areas, where men still have all the power.
Many of the women who are playing in the top division began their careers competing with men.
“I started playing with my first children, from the age of five to 12 I played with men,” said Stephany Mayor, who participated with Mexico in two World Cups. “People told me don’t play football, focus on your career and get to work, but I wanted to be a player and I said ‘I’m going to do it and I’m going to make a living from this profession.'”
Mexico has seen the number of women and girls playing soccer grow. According to FIFA, in 2019 there were only 50,000 and last year that figure was 1.5 million.
The national team, once forgotten, has begun to develop better players and obtain better results in international competitions.
Last year, the Tri women won gold medals at the Central American Games and the Pan American Games. Additionally, earlier this year, they managed to beat the United States 2-0 in the Gold Cup.
“It’s important for the national team to have strong, committed clubs because then you can have great players and a strong national team,” said Andrea Rodebaugh, director of women’s national teams.
Rodebaugh, 58, was captain of the Mexican team in the 2022 World Cup and assumed her position in December 2022.
“I never imagined the results would come so quickly,” he said. “It just shows that we are on the right path. It was faster than I would have imagined.”
The Mexican team failed to qualify for the last World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand and was also left out of the Paris Olympic Games. Now the rest is to try to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
“We have the means to have a good team, Mexico has the infrastructure, strong clubs, a strong federation and talented girls who are gaining confidence,” said the national coach, the Spanish Pedro López. “There are talented players, we have everything to be contenders, you just have to believe in that and gain confidence.”
While that happens, Gutiérrez can only hope the league maintains its solid growth.
“In Mexico everyone breathes football and gender is not so important, that is why the women’s league is gaining relevance,” said the leader. “So far Mexico is doing great in women’s soccer.”
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