Mexico National Football Team

Mexico has a long history on the international stage of soccer, including at the World Cup, which they have hosted two times already. No doubt, with the 2022 World Cup ahead, they will continue to make a name for themselves in the sport. Read on to learn more about Mexico’s national team, their history, and the accolades they have achieved!

Mexico National Football Team

While they have not achieved as much success in the FIFA World Cup as some other teams, Mexico is still a distinguished part of the storied World Cup history. As with many countries in Central and South America, soccer is a national pastime in Mexico, and thus, any shot at World Cup glory creates an undeniable fervor in the nation. Mexico has appeared in the World Cup 17 times, and though they have never gone further than the quarter-finals, they are still hunting for glory. Despite not having huge success in the tournament, Mexico is one of only a few nations to host the World Cup twice (the others being Brazil, France, Italy, and Germany), and in 2026, they will become the first-ever country to host the tournament three times when they co-host with Canada and the United States.

Basic Info:

• Nickname: El Tri
• Association: Federación Mexicana de Fútbol
• Confederation: CONCACAF (North America)
• Head Coach: Gerardo Martino
• Home Stadium: Estadio Azteca
• FIFA Code: MEX
• World Cup Appearances: 17
• Best World Cup Result: Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)

Social Media:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Business Website

2022 World Cup Roster

History

The Mexican national team was first founded when soccer began to take hold of the country in the early 20th century. Their first-ever international match was played against Guatemala, and they won the game 3-2. In 1927, the official governing body of soccer in Mexico was founded, and Mexico participated in its first tournament, the 1928 Summer Olympics, one year later, losing to Spain 1-7 in the Round of 16.

Mexico was a key part of the inaugural World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, as their match against France was the first-ever World Cup match. Mexico lost 4-1 and was later eliminated in the group stage. After this first World Cup, Mexico did not appear in the tournament again until after World War II. Once they did, however, the team began to experience growing success on various levels of soccer. For example, they won the 1965 CONCACAF Championship and then advanced as far as the quarter-finals in the 1970 World Cup, which they also hosted. They experienced a dip in World Cup fortunes after this, before returning to the quarter-finals in 1986, ironically also in a tournament which they hosted.

In 1990, Mexico was disqualified from the World Cup as a result of the Cachirules Scandal, in which it was learned that the team had intentionally placed four players who were overage on its under-20 team during the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Mexico never made it past the Round of 16 in the World Cup. They have qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and will also be hosting the 2026 World Cup, along with the United States and Canada.

Rivalries

Mexico has a few major rivalries with other World Cup teams. The most major rivalry, though, is between Mexico and the United States. The two teams first met in a World Cup qualifier in 1934, in which the Americans won, but since then, Mexico has dominated the rivalry with 38 wins to the United States’ 23.

Kits

Mexico’s national soccer kits consist of a green shirt with dark green designs and red highlights, alongside white shorts with red stripes and red socks striped with white and green. These colors represent the tricolor Mexican flag. For their away kits, Mexico typically wears a white shirt with red, swirling designs, dark green shorts with white stripes, and white socks with red and green stripes. Prior to the 1950s, Mexico’s kits were largely maroon, with blue or black shorts. In 2015, they wore all-black kits with red, white, and green highlights. The official supplier of Mexico’s kits is Adidas, who have supplied the team with uniforms since 2007.

Mexico National Soccer Team Highlights

• 17 World Cup appearances, with no wins and two quarter-final appearances (1970, 1986).
• 24 CONCACAF Championship and Gold Cup appearances, with 11 wins (1965, 1971, 1977, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019).
• One CONCACAF Nations League Finals appearance and runners-up finish (2021).
• Seven FIFA Confederations Cup appearances and one win (1999).
• Placed in the top three of the Copa América five times.

Notable Mexico Players

• Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo
• Rafael Márquez Álvarez
• Hugo Sánchez Márquez
• Jared Francisco Borgetti Echavarria
• Claudio Luis Suárez Sánchez
• Gerardo Daniel Martino
• Carlos Salcido
• Jorge Francisco Campos Navarrete
• Javier Hernández

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