Mexico national football team

Football in Mexico was first organized in the early 20th century by European immigrant groups, notably miners from Cornwall, England, and in later years Spanish exiles fleeing the Spanish Civil War.

Mexico's first match was played against Guatemala, which Mexico won 3–2.[5] A series of international friendlies were played against the national representation of Guatemala on 9, 12 and 16 December 1923. The match on 9 December was played in Parque España which Mexico won 2–1. On 12 December, the match ended in a 2–0 win for Mexico, and the final game of the series ended in a 3–3 draw.[6] The manager for this team was Rafael Garza Gutiérrez.[6]

It would be another four years before the national team would be represented in international friendlies. On 19 June 1927, Mexico faced Spain, drawing 3–3. During this series, the squad also played against the Uruguayan club Nacional de Montevideo, losing 1–3.[5]

The Mexico national team before the first ever World Cup game against France in 1930

In 1927, the official governing body of football in Mexico was founded. The 1928 Summer Olympics was Mexico's first international tournament, where Mexico lost to Spain 1–7 in the round of 16.[7]

Mexico participated in the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, grouped with Argentina, Chile, and France. Mexico took part on the first World Cup match ever, a 4–1 loss to France, with Mexico's first World Cup goal by Juan Carreño.[8] In their second match, Mexico fell to Chile 3–0. Mexico's third match, against Argentina, featured the first penalty of the tournament, scored by Mexico's Manuel Rosas.[9]

Mexican squad in April 1952

Mexico did not appear again in a FIFA World Cup tournament until the 1950 World Cup. Before 1970, Mexico struggled to make much of an impact in the World Cup. It was by far the strongest team in the North American Football Confederation and its successor, CONCACAF, but found it difficult to compete against European and South American teams. However, goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal has the distinction of being the first player ever to appear in five consecutive World Cups.[10]

In 1965, Mexico won the 1965 CONCACAF Championship to become continental champions for the first time.

Mexico v Argentina in Los Angeles, 1985

In 1970, Mexico hosted the World Cup and kicked off their campaign with a scoreless draw against the Soviet Union. This was followed by a 4–0 win over El Salvador. Mexico advanced to the next round with a victory against Belgium. At the quarter-finals stage, Mexico was eliminated by Italy, losing 4–1.

Mexico failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, but did make it into the 1978 finals. Mexico suffered an early exit after three defeats: 0–6 against West Germany, 1–3 against Tunisia, and 1–3 to Poland. Mexico failed to qualify for the 1982 World Cup.

In 1986, Mexico again hosted the World Cup. Coached by Bora Milutinović, Mexico was placed in Group B where they defeated Belgium 2–1, drew 1–1 with Paraguay, and defeated Iraq 1–0. With this performance, Mexico won the top spot in its group, and advanced to the next round where they defeated Bulgaria 2–0. In the quarter-finals stage, Mexico lost to West Germany 1–4 in a penalty shootout after the match finished 0–0.

Mexico was disqualified from the 1990 FIFA World Cup (and other international competitions) after using players over the age limit in the qualifying round for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the "Cachirules" scandal. The punishment was applied to all Mexico national representatives of all FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.[11]

In the 1990s, after hiring coach César Luis Menotti, Mexican football began experiencing greater international success. In the 1993 Copa América they finished second, losing to Argentina 2–1 in the final.

At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Mexico won its group on tiebreakers, emerging from a group composed of Italy, Ireland, and Norway. However, Mexico lost in the second round to Bulgaria on penalty kicks.

At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Mexico was placed in a group with the Netherlands, South Korea and Belgium. Mexico won their opening fixture 3–1 against South Korea. Mexico tied Belgium 2–2, and against the Netherlands earned another 2–2 draw, qualifying for the round of 16. In that round, Mexico lost 2–1 to Germany.

In 1999, Mexico won its first official FIFA tournament by becoming the first host nation to win the FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico defeated the United States 1–0 in the semifinals, and 1998 World Cup runners-up Brazil 4–3 in the final.[12]

Mexico was placed in Group G at the 2002 World Cup alongside Italy, Croatia, and Ecuador. Mexico started with a 1–0 win over Croatia. In the second match, Mexico earned a 2–1 win over Ecuador. Mexico then achieved a 1–1 draw against Italy. In the round of 16, Mexico played rivals United States, losing 2–0.

Mexico against Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico was one of eight seeded teams at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Mexico was in Group D with Iran, Angola and Portugal. Mexico won their opening match 3–1 against Iran. In their second match, Mexico played to a 0–0 draw against Angola. Mexico reached the round-of-16, despite losing to Portugal 2–1. Mexico saw another round of 16 loss, this time to Argentina, 2–1. Mexico's coach Ricardo Lavolpe stepped down after the tournament, and was succeeded by Hugo Sánchez.

After losing the final match of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1–2 against the United States, Mexico successfully rebounded at the 2007 Copa América. Beginning by beating Brazil 2–0, they then defeated Ecuador and tied with Chile to come first in Group B. In the quarter-finals, Mexico beat Paraguay 6–0, but lost in the semi-finals 3–0 to Argentina. Mexico secured third place against Uruguay, winning 3–1.

In July 2009, Mexico won their fifth Gold Cup, and eighth CONCACAF Championship overall, after beating the United States 5–0 in the final.[13]

Cuauhtémoc Blanco converting his penalty kick against France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where they were drawn into Group A alongside host South Africa, France and Uruguay. They drew 1–1 against South Africa, defeated France 2–0, and lost 1–0 to Uruguay, and advanced to the round of 16, where they were eliminated following a 1–3 defeat to Argentina.

The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup saw Mexico win their group with three wins and no losses. During the tournament, however, five players tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol and were suspended from the competition.[14] Mexico beat Guatemala in the quarter-finals 2–1, and beat Honduras 2–0. For the third-straight year, the final would be contested between Mexico and the United States; Mexico won the match 4–2,[15] and qualified for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where they were eliminated at the group stage.

Mexico placed second in their group at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and advanced to the semifinals and faced Panama.[16] Mexico lost the match 2–1, their second defeat to Panama in the competition after losing to them in the group stage. The two losses to Panama were the first two times Panama had ever defeated Mexico in a Gold Cup match.[17]

Mexico won only two of ten matches during the fourth round of 2014 World Cup qualifying, but qualified for an intercontinental play-off as the fourth-highest placed team in the CONCACAF region.[18] They defeated New Zealand 9–3 on aggregate to qualify for a sixth consecutive World Cup.[18] The team reached the round of 16 where they were defeated 2–1 by the Netherlands.[19]

At the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico was drawn into Group C along with Triniad and Tobago, Cuba and Guatemala. The team placed second in the group, and won the quarterfinal match against Costa Rica and semifinal against Panama, both under controversial circumstances.[20][21][22] Mexico won the Gold Cup after defeating Jamaica 3–1 in the final.[23] Two days after the final, Miguel Herrera was released as coach of the national team after an alleged physical altercation with TV Azteca announcer Christian Martinoli.[24] On 10 October, Mexico defeated the United States 3–2 to win the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Cup, thus earning qualification to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.[25] The following month, Juan Carlos Osorio was hired as Mexico's 16th manager, replacing interim manager Ricardo Ferretti.[26]

Mexico entered the Copa América Centenario, hosted in the United States, on a 13-match unbeaten streak that began in July 2015.[27] El Tri placed first in Group C, winning 3–1 over Uruguay and 2–0 over Jamaica, and drawing 1–1 with Venezuela.[28] In the quarterfinal against Chile in Santa Clara, California, the team lost 7–0, ending the unbeaten streak at 16 after nearly a year.[29] After the match, manager Osorio apologized to Mexico's fans for what he described as an "embarrassment, an accident of football".[30]

At the 2017 Confederations Cup, Mexico was drawn into Group A along with Portugal, New Zealand, and hosts Russia. El Tri advanced as runners-up of the group, and lost 4–1 to Germany in the semi-finals.[31] Mexico finished fourth in the tournament, losing 2–1 to Portugal in the third-place match.[32]

Héctor Herrera and Mesut Özil (Mexico v Germany) at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In their opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mexico defeated defending champion Germany, thanks to a sole goal from Hirving Lozano, for the first time in a World Cup match.[33] They would go on to defeat South Korea 2–1 in the next game,[34] with goals from Carlos Vela and Javier Hernández,[35][36] but would fall 3–0 to Sweden in the last group stage match.[37] Despite the loss, Mexico qualified to the round of 16 for the seventh-consecutive tournament.[38] In the round of 16, Mexico was defeated 0–2 by Brazil;[39][40] the defeat meant that for the seventh tournament in a row, Mexico failed to reach the quarterfinals since they last hosted the World Cup in 1986.[41] On 28 July, Juan Carlos Osorio left as head coach on the expiry of his contract.[42]

In January 2019, Gerardo Martino was appointed as Mexico's new head coach, becoming the third Argentine to coach the national team.[43] In that year's Gold Cup tournament, they won all three group stage matches, defeated Costa Rica in penalties 5–4 following a 1–1 draw in the quarter-final and won against Haiti in the semi-final. Mexico won the Gold Cup after defeating the United States 1–0 in the final.[44]

Mexico finished runners-up in the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Final and the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, both in which Mexico lost to the United States. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mexico finished third in Group C behind Argentina and Poland (due to goal difference), making it the first time since 1978 that Mexico got eliminated in the group stage (the 1982 and 1990 World Cup tournaments, in which Mexico did not participate, notwithstanding). Due to the poor performance with only a single win over Saudi Arabia, head coach Gerardo Martino and Mexico parted ways immediately after elimination.[45] This humiliation also put an end to a humiliating year in Mexican football history, triggering a widespread crisis inside Mexican football system that caused widespread outrage among Mexican football fans, many accused the powerful CEOs and FMF as responsible for the crisis, given their power influencing Mexican domestic football that prevented the country from moving forward.[46][47][48]

In February 2023, Diego Cocca was appointed as the new head coach, the fourth Argentine to take the job.[49] In the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, Mexico suffered a 0–3 defeat to the United States, which caused even more widespread outrage in Mexico.[50] They defeated Panama 1–0 in the third place match that was largely boycotted by Mexican fans as a response;[51] the following day, Cocca was dismissed from his post, with Jaime Lozano appointed on an interim basis to take charge for the forthcoming Gold Cup.[52] Despite successfully guiding Mexico to win the Gold Cup, it failed to dissuade pessimism among Mexicans due to the relative weaknesses of CONCACAF, plus accusations of corruption, mismanagement and racketeering of profits over football passions continue to haunt the national team, with calls for a complete overhaul of the whole football system in Mexico increased, leaving concerns over Mexico's perpetration for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Mexico will co-host with the United States and Canada.[53][54][55][56][57]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mexico national football team kits.

The Mexico national team traditionally utilizes a tricolor system, composed of green shirts, white shorts and red socks, which originate from the national flag of Mexico, known as the tricolor.[60] Until the mid-1950s, Mexico wore a predominantly maroon kit, with black or dark blue shorts.

In 2015, Adidas released a new all-black color scheme for Mexico's home kit. Green, white and red remain as accent colors.[61]

In 2017, the Mexico national team's jerseys were updated to reflect their Spanish names correctly spelled, with the diacritic mark.[62]

All of Mexico's matches are shown live on over-the-air networks Televisa and TV Azteca in Mexico. In the United States all of Mexico's international friendlies and home World Cup qualifiers are shown on Spanish language network Univision while away World Cup qualifiers are shown on Telemundo.[63][64] On 30 January 2013, English language network ESPN and Univision announced an agreement to telecast the Mexico national team home World Cup qualifiers and international friendly matches in English in the United States.[65]

Mexico's fans at 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

Mexico's fans are infamously known for the vulgar, homophobic chant "¡eeeh puto!", which is typically screamed when an opponent's goalkeeper is about to perform a goalkick.[66][67]

The origins of the chant is thought to have had developed in the 1980s in Monterrey where in little league American football games, fans would chant "¡eeeh pum!" during the opening kickoff. This chant was not disparagingly used as the word pum is attributed to an impact of some sort.[68] Though the current incarnation of the chant is widely thought to have originated sometime between 2000 and 2003 by supporters of Atlas F.C. to former Atlas goalkeeper, Oswaldo Sánchez, no primary sources exist that support this claim and is an urban legend.[69][70] The earliest documented usage of puto being chanted by fans in this manner occurred on 22 May 2004, during the second leg of the Clausura 2004 repechage match between Cruz Azul and C.F. Pachuca. Fans of Pachuca repeatedly chanted puto every time Óscar Pérez performed a goal kick.[71][69]

Due to the homophobic meaning of the word puto in Mexican Spanish (a vulgar term for a male prostitute), the chant received negative attention in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Mexico's fans defended it as being traditionally used in the Liga MX.[72] On 23 June 2014, FIFA dropped an investigation, concluding that the chant "was not considered insulting in the specific context". Football Against Racism in Europe, an anti-discrimination organization, criticized the ruling as "disappointing".[73] In 2017, in advance of the 2018 World Cup, FIFA fined the Mexico football federation over fans' use of the chant and introduced escalating sanctions,[67] which were first applied in Liga MX games in 2019.[66] In 2021, three Mexico international matches in the United States were halted because of fan behaviour, including the CONCACAF Nations League final, in which fans also threw things onto the pitch and Giovanni Reyna was hit in the face by a heavy object.[66][74] On 18 June 2021, FIFA announced that as a penalty for the use of the chant in a pre-Olympics tournament in Guadalajara, spectators would be barred from Mexico's first two qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup.[66] During the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals semifinals, the match between Mexico and the United States was stopped at the 90th minute and eventually ended early due to the chants. The chants have become such a massive problem that some are calling for Mexico to lose points during qualification, or in the case of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, either lose hosting rights to several group stages matches or be kicked from the tournament.

Mexico and the United States are widely considered as the two top teams in CONCACAF. Matches between the two nations often attracts media attention, public interest and discourse in both countries. Although the first match was played in 1934, their rivalry was not considered major until the late 1990s, when the USA emerged as a solid international side. On 15 August 2012, the United States defeated Mexico at Estadio Azteca in the first victory for the U.S. against Mexico on Mexican soil in 75 years.[75]

Since their first meeting in 1934, the two teams have met 76 times, with Mexico leading the overall series 36–17–23 (W–D–L), outscoring the U.S. 145–90. Mexico dominated in early years, with a 27–9–5 (W–D–L), record through 1990. However, since that time the series has become much more competitive, largely due to the rapid growth of soccer in the United States. Since 2000, the series has favored the U.S. 18–8–9 (W–D–L), with Mexico outscored 48–33. Since 2011, however, the rivalry has been marked by Mexican success, with Mexico defeating the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2011 and 2019, and the CONCACAF Cup in 2015, winning on American soil for the first time since 1980. In 2021, however, Mexico lost to the United States in both the CONCACAF Nations League final and the Gold Cup final. Still, Mexico remains undefeated to the United States at home soil in competitive matches, with all 19 meetings at home soil ended with the record 15–4–0 (W–D–L).[76]

Mexico has a rivalry with Argentina, given these two nations are among the most renowned Hispanic nations in the world.[77][78][79][80] The rivalry is abnormal by the fact it is intercontinental, with Argentina part of CONMEBOL and Mexico part of CONCACAF. This rivalry is more keenly felt by Mexican supporters than Argentines, who typically view Brazil, Uruguay, England and Germany as bigger rivals. In fact, a number of Argentines do not consider Mexico as rivals. Mexico has historically not fared well against Argentina, recording only 4 wins, 16 losses and 12 draws.

Mexico has a growing rivalry with Costa Rica, as Costa Rica is the first country in CONCACAF to beat Mexico on Mexican soil in FIFA World Cup qualification, known as Aztecazo. Costa Rica is also widely recognised as the only Central American national team to have sufficient quality to compete at the global stage, which increased the importance of the rivalry.[81] Mexico holds a dominant record against Costa Rica with 32 wins, 20 draws and only 6 losses.[82]

The following players were called-up for the friendlies against Ghana and Germany on 14 and 17 October 2023, respectively.[83]
Caps and goals correct as of 17 October 2023, after the match against Germany.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	José Antonio Rodríguez	(1992-07-04) 4 July 1992	1	0	Tijuana
12	1GK	Luis Malagón	(1997-03-02) 2 March 1997	2	0	América
13	1GK	Guillermo Ochoa (captain)	(1985-07-13) 13 July 1985	147	0	Salernitana
26	1GK	Julio González	(1991-04-23) 23 April 1991	0	0	UNAM
2	2DF	Kevin Álvarez	(1999-01-15) 15 January 1999	15	1	América
3	2DF	César Montes	(1997-02-24) 24 February 1997	40	1	Almería
5	2DF	Johan Vásquez	(1998-10-22) 22 October 1998	18	1	Genoa
6	2DF	Gerardo Arteaga	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998	21	1	Genk
19	2DF	Jorge Sánchez	(1997-12-10) 10 December 1997	38	1	Porto
23	2DF	Jesús Gallardo	(1994-08-15) 15 August 1994	94	2	Monterrey
25	2DF	Ramón Juárez	(2001-05-09) 9 May 2001	0	0	América
4	3MF	Edson Álvarez	(1997-10-24) 24 October 1997	72	3	West Ham United
7	3MF	Luis Romo	(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995	40	3	Monterrey
8	3MF	Marcel Ruiz	(2000-10-26) 26 October 2000	1	0	Toluca
10	3MF	Sebastián Córdova	(1997-06-12) 12 June 1997	17	3	UANL
14	3MF	Érick Sánchez	(1999-09-27) 27 September 1999	23	3	Pachuca
15	3MF	Uriel Antuna	(1997-08-21) 21 August 1997	55	13	Cruz Azul
17	3MF	Orbelín Pineda	(1996-03-24) 24 March 1996	64	9	AEK Athens
18	3MF	Jordi Cortizo	(1996-06-30) 30 June 1996	2	0	Monterrey
24	3MF	Luis Chávez	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996	26	3	Dynamo Moscow
9	4FW	Raúl Jiménez	(1991-05-05) 5 May 1991	103	33	Fulham
11	4FW	Santiago Giménez	(2001-04-18) 18 April 2001	22	4	Feyenoord
20	4FW	Henry Martín	(1992-11-18) 18 November 1992	40	9	América
21	4FW	César Huerta	(2000-12-03) 3 December 2000	4	1	UNAM
22	4FW	Hirving Lozano	(1995-07-30) 30 July 1995	66	18	PSV

The following players have also been called up within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Carlos Acevedo	(1996-04-19) 19 April 1996	6	0	Santos Laguna	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals INJ
GK	Miguel Jiménez	(1990-03-14) 14 March 1990	0	0	Guadalajara	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals PRE
GK	Alfredo Talavera	(1982-09-18) 18 September 1982	40	0	Juárez	2022 FIFA World Cup
GK	Rodolfo Cota	(1987-07-03) 3 July 1987	8	0	León	2022 FIFA World Cup
DF	Víctor Guzmán	(2002-03-07) 7 March 2002	3	0	Monterrey	v.  Ghana, 14 October 2023 INJ
DF	Jesús Angulo	(1998-01-30) 30 January 1998	14	0	UANL	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
DF	Julián Araujo	(2001-08-13) 13 August 2001	11	0	Las Palmas	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
DF	Jesús Orozco	(2002-02-19) 19 February 2002	0	0	Guadalajara	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
DF	Israel Reyes	(2000-05-23) 23 May 2000	14	2	América	2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
DF	Néstor Araujo	(1991-08-29) 29 August 1991	67	3	América	v.  Cameroon, 10 June 2023
DF	Salvador Reyes	(1998-05-04) 4 May 1998	2	0	América	v.  Cameroon, 10 June 2023
DF	Omar Campos	(2002-07-20) 20 July 2002	0	0	Santos Laguna	v.  Guatemala, 7 June 2023 INJ
DF	Héctor Moreno	(1988-01-17) 17 January 1988	132	5	Monterrey	v.  Jamaica, 26 March 2023
MF	Héctor Herrera	(1990-04-19) 19 April 1990	105	10	Houston Dynamo	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
MF	Carlos Rodríguez	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997	48	0	Cruz Azul	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
MF	Roberto Alvarado	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998	43	5	Guadalajara	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023.
MF	Alexis Vega	(1997-11-25) 25 November 1997	27	6	Guadalajara	v.  Uzbekistan, 12 September 2023
MF	Diego Lainez	(2000-06-09) 9 June 2000	26	3	UANL	2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
MF	Ozziel Herrera	(2001-05-25) 25 May 2001	7	0	UANL	2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
MF	Alan Cervantes	(1998-01-17) 17 January 1998	5	0	Santos Laguna	v.  Cameroon, 10 June 2023
MF	Jesús Manuel Corona	(1993-01-06) 6 January 1993	71	10	Monterrey	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals PRE
MF	Érick Gutiérrez	(1995-06-15) 15 June 1995	36	1	Guadalajara	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals PRE
MF	Fernando Beltrán	(1998-05-08) 8 May 1998	10	0	Guadalajara	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals PRE
MF	Aldo Rocha	(1992-11-06) 6 November 1992	0	0	Atlas	2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals PRE
MF	Efraín Álvarez	(2002-06-19) 19 June 2002	4	0	Tijuana	v.  United States, 19 April 2023
MF	Alfonso González	(1994-09-05) 5 September 1994	4	0	Monterrey	v.  Jamaica, 26 March 2023
FW	Roberto de la Rosa	(2000-01-04) 4 January 2000	3	1	Pachuca	v.  Cameroon, 10 June 2023
FW	Iván López	(1999-04-21) 21 April 1999	0	0	Toluca	v.  United States, 19 April 2023
FW	Rogelio Funes Mori	(1991-03-05) 5 March 1991	17	6	Monterrey	2022 FIFA World Cup
Notes INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad/standby SUS = Serving suspension WD = The player withdrew from the current squad due to non-injury issue