The 2026 World Cup is rapidly approaching. This tournament features a historic format, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with an expanded field of 48 teams. Mexico are scheduled to open the tournament on June 11 against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, as coach Javier Aguirre believes his squad can finish the campaign by lifting the trophy.
Speaking with ESPN ahead of the tournament, Aguirre stated that Mexico are in the best possible position to win the championship, driven by the advantage of playing on home soil, particularly during the group stage.
“When I saw the schedule and the home games, I told my players, ‘It’s on a silver platter for us to not let it slip away,‘” Aguirre said. “Playing at home is priceless. England won the championship at home. Never again. They disappeared. But at home, at Wembley, they were lions”.
While the 26-player roster has already been decided internally, Aguirre will wait until the June 1 deadline to officially announce the squad. The manager remains confident that Mexico can go all the way and achieve a breakthrough that has eluded the nation across its 18 previous World Cup appearances.
History supports Aguirre’s focus on home advantage. Mexico’s two best World Cup campaigns occurred when hosting the tournament in 1970 and 1986. In both instances, El Tri reached the quarterfinals, which remains the furthest the nation has ever advanced in the competition.
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Mexico’s 2026 World Cup schedule
As a host nation, Mexico will head Group A alongside South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic, giving Aguirre’s squad the advantage of playing all their group stage matches on home soil.
El Tri will feature in the tournament’s opening match on June 11 against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener. Mexico will then face South Korea on June 18 in Guadalajara before closing out the group stage against the Czech Republic on June 24 at Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA.
