The tournament was played in the preliminary round with four groups, each consisting of four teams. The respective winners qualified for the semi-finals in the knockout system . This was played in home and away games with one home right each for the two opponents, while only one match was scheduled for the final held at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City .
Preliminary round
The preliminary round matches were played between January 7 and February 14, 1965. The following designation of the groups (with 1, 2, 3 and 4) is only for the sake of clarity, but otherwise purely arbitrary, as the exact designation of the groups has not been handed down. The sorting takes into account, however, that the qualified group winners from the respective neighboring groups (1 and 2 on the one hand and 3 and 4 on the other hand) had to compete against each other in the semifinals.