Mexico has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the eighteenth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Mexico, along with the United States and Canada, is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and has received automatic qualification for the tournament. Mexico achieved its best World Cup results by reaching the quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986, playing on home soil both times.
Head coach Javier Aguirre announced the full squad earlier today. The captain and leader of the team is Edson Álvarez. The 28-year-old Fenerbahçe midfielder is a key player for the team. Also, Guillermo Ochoa is back for his sixth World Cup tournament. The 40-year-old Mexican goalkeeper was already part of the squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Other important players in the squad are Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Santiago Giménez (AC Milan), and Alexis Vega (Toluca).
Full Squad Mexico For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Raúl Rangel (Guadalajara), Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna)
Defenders: César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Jorge Sánchez (PAOK), Israel Reyes (América), Mateo Chávez (AZ)
Midfielders: Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Brian Gutiérrez (Guadalajara), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow), Luis Romo (Guadalajara), Érik Lira (Cruz Azul), Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens), Álvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), Obed Vargas (Atlético Madrid), Gilberto Mora (Tijuana)
Forwards: Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), César Huerta (Anderlecht), Santiago Giménez (AC Milan), Alexis Vega (Toluca), Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah), Guillermo Martínez (UNAM), Armando González (Guadalajara)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico mostly played friendly matches. Since they were automatically qualified, they didn’t have to participate in any qualification to enter the tournament. They did participate in three major tournaments leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In 2023, they won the CONCACAF Gold Cup, defeating Panama 1-0 in the final by a goal from Santiago Giménez. It was the ninth Gold Cup title in history for the Mexicans.
In 2024, they didn’t get past the group stage of the Copa América. In a group with Venezuela, Ecuador, and Jamaica, the Mexicans came in third. Last year, Mexico was victorious once again at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. They reached the final and beat the host, the United States, 2-1, winning their 10th Gold Cup title in history. So far this year, Mexico has played six games. They were victorious against Australia, Panama, Bolivia, and Iceland. Against Belgium and Portugal, they drew. It’s the third time Mexico will host a FIFA World Cup. They did it before in 1970 and 1986.
2026 FIFA World Cup
Hosts Mexico are in Group A. El Tricolor opens the FIFA World Cup on June 11 in Mexico City, Mexico, where they will take on South Africa. Seven days later, they take on South Korea in Guadalajara. For their final group stage match, they travel back to Mexico City to take on Czechia on June 24. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Mexico Schedule
- June 11 – South Africa (3 pm EST)
- June 18 – South Korea (11 pm EST)
- June 24 – Czechia (9 pm EST)
Mexico Announces Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup