USA vs Mexico: Where to watch in the US

The USA vs Mexico is the biggest rivalry in North American international soccer.

The USMNT and El Tri are the two biggest teams in CONCACAF, and games between the neighboring nations are always big.

Where to find USA vs Mexico

As an international matchup that occurs across multiple competitions, USA vs. Mexico can be seen on various networks and services.

Watch USA vs Mexico on US TV

The USA and Mexico are two of only three teams (the other being Canada) to have ever won the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The English rights for that competition are held by FOX, with games on FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus, and over-the-air FOX affiliates. USA-Mexico is a huge game, and would likely feature on FS1 or FOX.

Univision holds the Spanish-language rights, with USA-Mexico almost always being shown on the main channel, along with TUDN.

CONCACAF Nations League, however, is on CBS platforms, mainly Paramount+. USA and Mexico meeting up in a semifinal or semifinal could see games moved to CBS over-the-air or CBS Sports Network.

Turner Sports (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) now hold the US Soccer rights for World Cup qualifying and friendlies. So these games can be found on TNT and HBO Max, and streaming in Spanish on Peacock.

FOX, CBS, Telemundo and Univision are available on cable/satellite providers and streaming services Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Sling.

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Streaming offers

Fubo (with access to FOX, FS1, FS2, Univision, UniMás, TUDN, Telemundo, and Universo) is $74.99/month and offers a free 7-day trial. Fubo also carries beIN SPORTS, GolTV, ESPN, USA, NBC in addition to many other channels. So while it is more expensive than standalone streaming services, you get a lot of value (and a ton of soccer).

History of the USA vs Mexico rivalry

The first ever USA vs Mexico match was in 1934, in Rome, Italy. The final spot for the 1934 FIFA World Cup was on the line, and the USA emerged triumphant with a 4-2 win.

However for much of the rest of the 20th century, Mexico was the dominant side in the rivalry. In fact, the US wouldn’t defeat Mexico again until November 1980. Since 2000 the tide has turned a bit more towards the US, with the Americans holding the edge.

As the powerhouse sides in CONCACAF in recent decades, the two nations often meet in Gold Cup and Nations League finals, as well as the final stage of World Cup qualifying. These frequent high-pressure matchups have helped stoke the rivalry.

Several big 2-0 wins for the US have created the “Dos a cero” tradition. The US had won 2-0 in the meetup before, but the win over Mexico in the Round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup is generally considered to be the starting point. Five World Cup qualifiers since 2001 have ended in this scoreline, all of them in Ohio (four at Crew Stadium in Columbus).

In terms of overall success, Mexico has been more accomplished for a longer time. The have won the Gold Cup/CONCACAF Championship more times than the US have. They made the round of 16 in seven World Cups in a row, from 1994-2018, but have never advanced further than the quarterfinals. The USA finished 3rd in the inaugural World Cup, but have failed to reach such heights since. They’ve qualified for all but one World Cup since 1990, reaching the knockout stage four times. The quarterfinals in 2002 (reached by beating Mexico) is the high water mark for the USMNT in modern times.

For more info about each side, as well as upcoming schedules and TV listings, check out our USA and Mexico team pages.