TheMexico national football team (Spanish:Selección de fútbol de México) representsMexico in men's internationalfootball and is governed by theFederación Mexicana de Fútbol (English:Mexican Football Federation). It has been a member ofFIFA since 1929 and a founding member ofCONCACAF since 1961.From 1946 to 1961, it was a member ofNAFC, the former governing body of football in North America and a predecessor confederation of CONCACAF, and also a member ofPFC, which was a unified confederation of the Americas.
Mexico has qualified to seventeenWorld Cups and has qualified consecutively since 1994, making it one of six countries to do so.[3] Mexico playedFrance in thefirst match of the first World Cup on 13 July 1930. Mexico's best progression in World Cups has been reaching the quarter-finals in both the1970 and1986 World Cups, both times as host. They will play host for the third time in2026.
Mexico is the most successful national team in its confederation with 15 official continental titles, winning 13 titles in CONCACAF's premier continental competition (3CONCACAF Championship titles and 10CONCACAF Gold Cup titles), oneCONCACAF Nations League and oneCONCACAF Cup. Globally, Mexico is the only national team from CONCACAF and the only non-European or South American team to have won an official global FIFA competition for senior national teams, winning theFIFA Confederations Cup in1999. Regionally, it also won twoNAFC Championship titles (organized by NAFC, the former confederation for the North American zone), oneNorth American Nations Cup (organized by NAFU), and two gold medals at theCentral American and Caribbean Games.
It is one of eight national teams[a] to have won two of the three most important global football competitions that are recognized and endorsed by FIFA (World Cup, Confederations Cup, and Olympic football tournament), having won the 1999 Confederations Cup[4] and the2012 Olympic football tournament.[5] Although Mexico is under the jurisdiction of CONCACAF, the national team was invited since 1993 to participate in theCopa América, which isCONMEBOL's top continental competition, finishing runners-up twice (1993 and2001), and obtaining third place in three editions.
History
Early years
Football in Mexico was first organized in the early 20th century byEuropean immigrant groups, notably miners fromCornwall, England, and in later yearsSpanish exiles fleeing theSpanish Civil War.
The team's first match was played on 9 December 1923 atParque España in Mexico City, beatingGuatemala 2–1, which was the first match of a series of international friendlies played against Guatemala. The second match played on 12 December was won by Mexico 2–0, and the final match of the series, played on 16 December, ended in a 3–3 draw.[6] The manager for this team wasRafael Garza Gutiérrez.[6]
It would be another four years before the national team would be represented in international friendlies. Mexico faced Spain, drawing 3–3 on 19 June 1927. During this series, the team also played againstNacional de Montevideo, losing 1–3.[7]
Formation
The Mexico national team before the first everWorld Cup game againstFrance in1930
In 1927, the first official governingfootball body in Mexico was founded. The1928 Olympic Football Tournament was Mexico's first official international competition, where Mexico lost to Spain 1–7 in the round of 16.[8]
Mexico participated in the inaugural1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, grouped withArgentina,Chile, andFrance. Mexico took part in the first World Cup match ever, a 4–1 loss to France, with Mexico's first World Cup goal scored byJuan Carreño.[9] In their second match, Mexico fell to Chile 3–0. Mexico's third match, against Argentina, featured the firstpenalty of the tournament, scored by Mexico'sManuel Rosas, although Mexico would go on to lose this match by a score of 6–3.[10]
Post-WWII
Mexican squad in April 1952
Mexico did not appear in another World Cup tournament until1950. Despite being the strongest team in theNorth American Football Confederation and its successor, CONCACAF, Mexico struggled to make much of an impact in the World Cup before 1970, and found it difficult to compete againstEuropean andSouth American teams. However, goalkeeperAntonio Carbajal has the distinction of being the first player ever to appear in five consecutive World Cups.[11]
Mexico hosted the1970 World Cup and kicked off their campaign with a scoreless draw against theSoviet Union, followed by a 4–0 win overEl Salvador. Mexico advanced to the next round with a victory againstBelgium, and in the quarter-finals, Mexico was eliminated byItaly, losing 4–1.
In 1986, Mexico again hosted theWorld Cup. Coached byBora Milutinović, Mexico was placed inGroup B where they defeated Belgium 2–1, drew 1–1 withParaguay, and defeatedIraq 1–0. El Tri topped their group, and advanced to the next round where they defeatedBulgaria 2–0. In the quarter-finals, Mexico lost to West Germany 1–4 in apenalty shootout after the match finished 0–0.
1990s
Mexico was disqualified from the1990 FIFA World Cup (and other international competitions) after using players over the age limit in the qualifying round for the1989 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the "Cachirules" scandal. The punishment was applied to all Mexico national representatives of all FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.[12]
In the 1990s, after hiring coachCésar Luis Menotti, Mexican football began experiencing greater international success. In the1993 Copa América they finished second, losing to Argentina 2–1 in the final. At the1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico won its group on tiebreakers, emerging from a group composed of Italy,Ireland, andNorway. However, Mexico lost in the round of 16 to Bulgaria on penalty kicks.
At the1998 FIFA World Cup, Mexico was placed in a group with theNetherlands,South Korea and Belgium. Mexico won their opening fixture 3–1 against South Korea, drew Belgium 2–2, and against the Netherlands with the same score, qualifying for the round of 16. In that round, Mexico lost 2–1 toGermany.
In 1999, Mexico won its first official FIFA tournament by becoming the first host nation to win theFIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico defeated theUnited States 1–0 in the semifinals, and 1998 World Cup runners-upBrazil 4–3 in thefinal.[13]
21st century
2000s
Mexico was placed inGroup G at the2002 World Cup alongside Italy,Croatia, andEcuador. 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 rivalsUnited States, losing 2–0.
Mexico was one of eight seeded teams at the2006 World Cup in Germany, and enteredGroup D, being drawn withIran,Angola andPortugal. Mexico won their opening match 3–1 against Iran. In their second match, Mexico played to a 0–0 draw against Angola. After losing to Portugal 2–1, Mexico reached the round of 16, where they would be eliminated again, this time to Argentina, 2–1. Mexico's coachRicardo Lavolpe stepped down after the tournament, and was succeeded by Hugo Sánchez.
After losing the final match of the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1–2 against the United States, Mexico successfully rebounded at the2007 Copa América. Beginning by beating Brazil 2–0, they then defeated Ecuador and tied with Chile to come first inGroup 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.
Mexico qualified for the2010 FIFA World Cup, where they were drawn intoGroup A alongside hostSouth 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 another defeat to Argentina, 1–3.
The2011 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 substanceclenbuterol and were suspended from the competition.[15] Mexico beatGuatemala in the quarter-finals 2–1, andHonduras 2–0 in the semi-finals. For the third-straight year, thefinal would be contested between Mexico and the United States; Mexico won the match 4–2,[16] and qualified for the2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where they were eliminated at the group stage.
Mexico placed second in theirgroup at the2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and advanced to the semifinals and facedPanama.[17] 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.[18]
At the2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico was drawn intoGroup C along withTriniad and Tobago,Cuba and Guatemala. The team placed second in the group, and won the quarterfinal match againstCosta Rica and semifinal against Panama, both under controversial circumstances.[21][22][23] Mexico won the Gold Cup after defeatingJamaica 3–1 in thefinal.[24] Two days after the final,Miguel Herrera was released as coach of the national team after an alleged physical altercation withTV Azteca announcer Christian Martinoli.[25] On 10 October, Mexico defeated the United States 3–2 to win the inaugural edition of theCONCACAF Cup, thus earning qualification to the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.[26] The following month,Juan Carlos Osorio was hired as Mexico's 16th manager, replacing interim managerRicardo Ferretti.[27]
Mexico entered theCopa América Centenario, hosted in the United States, on a 19-match unbeaten streak that began in June 2015.[28] El Tri placed first inGroup C, winning 3–1 overUruguay and 2–0 over Jamaica, and drawing 1–1 withVenezuela.[29] In the quarter-final againstChile inSanta Clara, California, the team lost 7–0, ending the unbeaten streak at 22 after nearly a year.[30] After the match, manager Osorio apologized to Mexico's fans for what he described as an "embarrassment, an accident of football".[31]
At the 2017 Confederations Cup, Mexico was drawn into Group A along with Portugal, New Zealand, and hostsRussia. El Tri advanced as runners-up of the group, and lost 4–1 to Germany in the semi-finals.[32] Mexico finished fourth in the tournament, losing 2–1 to Portugal in the third-place match.[33]
In their opening match of the2018 FIFA World Cup, Mexico defeated defending champion Germany, thanks to a sole goal fromHirving Lozano, for the first time in a World Cup match.[34] They would go on to defeatSouth Korea 2–1 in their next match,[35] with goals fromCarlos Vela andJavier Hernández,[36][37] before falling 3–0 toSweden in the last group stage match.[38] Despite the loss, Mexico qualified to the round of 16 for the seventh-consecutive tournament.[39] In theround of 16, Mexico was defeated 2–0 byBrazil;[40][41] 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.[42] On 28 July, Juan Carlos Osorio left as head coach on the expiry of his contract.[43]
In January 2019,Gerardo Martino was appointed as Mexico's new head coach, becoming the third Argentine to coach the national team.[44] Inthat 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 thefinal.[45]
2020s
Mexico finished runners-up in the2021 CONCACAF Nations League Final and the2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, both in losses to theUnited States. At the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar, Mexico finished third inGroup C behindArgentina andPoland (due to goal difference), making it the first time since1978 that Mexico were eliminated in the group stage (the 1982 and 1990 World Cup tournaments, in which Mexico did not participate, notwithstanding). This led to the end of Mexico's streak of reaching the round of 16 (which it had done in the previous seven World Cups), and as a result head coach Gerardo Martino stepped down immediately after the elimination.[46]
In February 2023,Diego Cocca was appointed as the new head coach, the fourth Argentine to take the job.[47] The same month, Mexico automatically qualified for the2026 World Cup as co-host. In the2023 CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, Mexico suffered a 0–3 defeat to the United States, which caused even more widespread outrage in Mexico.[48] They defeated Panama 1–0 in the third place match that was largely boycotted by Mexican fans;[49] the following day, Cocca was dismissed from his post, withJaime Lozano appointed on an interim basis to take charge for theforthcoming Gold Cup.[50] Mexico won the tournament, defeating Panama 1–0 in thefinal.[51] After the win, Lozano was appointed as head coach on a permanent basis.[52] However, following an underwhelming group stage exit from the2024 Copa América, on 16 July, Lozano was dismissed from his position.[53] Six days later, Javier Aguirre was named Mexico's new head coach, his third spell with the national side.[54] In March 2025, Mexico won its firstNations League title, beating Panama 2–1 in thefinal atSoFi Stadium.[55]
TheEstadio Azteca, also known in Spanish as "El Coloso de Santa Úrsula", was built in 1966. It is the officialhome stadium of the Mexico national team, as well as the Mexican club teamClub América. It has an official capacity of 87,523,[56][57] making it the largest football-specific stadium in theAmericas and the third largest football stadium in the world. The stadium hosted theFIFA World Cup Final in1970 and1986, and the stadium will host the tournament again in2026.
Friendly matches hosted by the Mexico national team often take place in stadiums across the United States, which are marketed under the branding MEXTOUR by FMF. From 2000 to 2019, the national team played 110 friendlies in the United States, which were criticized as "cash grabs" by fans.[58] In 2022, the team played 15 matches in the United States and averaged over 52,000 in attendance at each of them; several were played atAT&T Stadium inDallas, which El Tri head coachJaime Lozano labeled as "the second home of the Mexican national team".[59] Additional friendlies under the MEXTOUR brand are also played in Mexico, including at the Azteca for special occasions.[citation needed]
The Mexico national team traditionally utilizes atricolor system, composed of green shirts, white shorts and red socks, which originate from thenational flag of Mexico, known as thetricolor.[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 theaccent diacritic mark.[62]
All of Mexico's matches are shown live on over-the-air networksTelevisa andTV Azteca in Mexico. In the United States all of Mexico's international friendlies and home World Cup qualifiers are shown on Spanish language networkUnivision while away World Cup qualifiers are shown onTelemundo.[63][64] On 30 January 2013, English language networkESPN 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 are infamously known for the vulgar chant "¡Eh, puto!", which is typically said when an opponent's goalkeeper is about to perform agoal kick.[66][67]
Origins
The origins of the chant is thought to have had developed in the 1980s inMonterrey where in little leagueAmerican football games, fans would chant "¡Eh, pum!" during the opening kickoff. This chant was not disparagingly used as the wordpum 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 ofAtlas 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 ofputo being chanted by fans in this manner occurred on 22 May 2004, during the second leg of the2004 Clausura repechage match betweenCruz Azul andPachuca. Fans of Pachuca repeatedly chantedputo every timeÓscar Pérez performed a goal kick.[71][69]
Sanctions
Due to thehomophobic meaning of the wordputo in Mexican Spanish (a vulgar term for a male prostitute), the chant received negative attention in the2014 FIFA World Cup. Mexico's fans defended it as being traditionally used in theLiga 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 the2018 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 theCONCACAF Nations League final against the United States, in which fans also threw things onto the pitch andGiovanni 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 the2022 World Cup.[66] During thesemifinals, the match between Mexico and the United States was stopped at the 90th minute and eventually ended early due to the chants.[75]
Mexico and theUnited States are widely considered as the two top teams inCONCACAF. Matches between the two nations often attract 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 20th century, when the U.S. emerged as a solid international side.
Mexico met the United States in theround of 16 of the2002 World Cup, losing 2–0.[76] Ten years later, 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.[77] On 11 November 2016, El Tri achieved their second consecutive victory on U.S. soil, inqualification for the 2018 World Cup, by defeating the U.S. inColumbus, Ohio.[78]
Since their first meeting in 1934, the two teams have met 78 times, with Mexico leading at 37 wins, 17 draws, and 24 losses, 147 goals scored, and 92 conceded. Mexico dominated in early years, with a 27–9–5 record through 1990. However, since that time the series has become much more competitive, largely due togrowth of soccer in the United States; since 2000, the series has favored the U.S. 18–8–9, with Mexico outscored 48–33. But in the 2010s, the rivalry has been marked by Mexican success, with Mexico defeating the United States in the Gold Cup final in2011 and2019, and theCONCACAF Cup in 2015. In 2021, however, Mexico lost to the United States in both theCONCACAF Nations League final and theGold Cup final. Still, Mexico remains undefeated to the United States at home soil in competitive matches, with all 19 meetings at home soil being either a win (15) or a draw (4).[79]
Mexico has a rivalry withArgentina, given these two nations are among the most renownedHispanic nations in the world.[80][81][82][83] The rivalry is abnormal by the fact it is intercontinental, with Argentina part ofCONMEBOL 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.
Costa Rica
Mexico has a growing rivalry withCosta Rica, as Costa Rica is the first country in CONCACAF to beat Mexico on Mexican soil inFIFA World Cup qualification, known asAztecazo. 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.[84] Mexico holds a dominant record against Costa Rica with 32 wins, 20 draws and only 6 losses.[85]
The following players were called up for thefriendly matches againstUruguay andParaguay on 15 and 18 November 2025, respectively.[86] Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2025, after the match againstParaguay.
Official continental competition organized byPFC. It was a unified confederation of the Americas, which was formed by NAFC, CCCF and CONMEBOL, from 1946 to 1961.
Official regional competition organized byNAFC. It was a predecessor confederation of CONCACAF, affiliated with FIFA as the former governing body of football in North America, from 1946 to 1961.
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