Inside Mexico’s World Cup roster 2026: El Tri banking on experience of Ochoa, Jimenez at home tournament

As one of the three joint-host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico know this year is their chance for a return to prominence amongst the global football elite.

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Always considered one of the historical greats of world soccer, Mexico have not enjoyed particular success at the World Cup, but that could change this time around as they begin the competition on home soil.

Led by a familiar cast of characters with extensive international experience, El Tri will hope to put on a show for the home fans before traveling to the United States to finish off their tournament in style.

The Sporting News has all the key details on Mexico’s World Cup squad below.

MORE: A full breakdown of Mexico’s World Cup draw for 2026

Mexico World Cup predicted roster 2026

Javier Aguirre is expected to name his final squad this week, perhaps on Thursday, May 27.

Teams had until Monday, May 11 to submit to FIFA an official preliminary list of 35-55 players, from which they are required to name a final roster by Saturday, May 30.

Below is a predicted list of 26 players anticipated to be named to the Mexico roster.

Caps and stats correct as of May 20.

Mexico World Cup roster analysis

This Mexico squad has been treading water for a number of years now, building a core group of regulars that have as of yet failed to achieve anything notable on a World Cup stage.

Captained by West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez, who is coming off ankle surgery in February, there are five players in this squad who have at least 90 international appearances and nine more with at least 40. Most notable amongst them is 40-year-old Guillermo Ochoa who is set to take part in a record sixth World Cup, level with Cristiano Ronaldo and (likely) Lionel Messi in that category.

While this brought the national team a strong level of consistency, it has also created a logjam of established players who have often blocked younger up-and-coming stars at various positions. The midfield is clogged, as is the back line where those with less international experience have had a tough time breaking in.

One veteran who was notably excluded from even the preliminary 55-man roster was star winger Hirving «Chucky» Lozano who has barely played for his club San Diego FC due to injuries as well as locker-room troubles. After a long national-team hiatus, Lozano was reintegrated to the squad in late 2025, but after being exiled from his club dressing room for clashing with staff, he has been omitted from the World Cup roster.

Mexico injuries ahead of World Cup

El Tri have suffered a few key injuries that have affected the World Cup squad.

The most notable absence is goalkeeper Luis Malagon, who was expected to start in net for Mexico but suffered a torn ACL early in the year and will miss the tournament. This is what saw Guillermo Ochoa back into the national team fold after the program had seemingly moved on from the 40-year-old legend.

Experienced midfielder Edson Alvarez has been included on the roster, having only just barely returned from ankle surgery before the end of the club season. It remains to be seen how fit he is for full 90-minute performances or how the ankle will affect his ability to perform consistently at the World Cup.

The same is true for fellow midfielder Luis Chavez, who has only just returned from a torn ACL.

Mexico players to watch at World Cup

The most consistent presence up front for Mexico over the last decade has been Premier League veteran Raul Jimenez, who plays for Fulham and scored nine goals in the English top flight this season. Now 35 years old, he could be challenged up front by in-form Inter Miami striker German Berterame, who signed on for big money to be Messi’s teammate and has been excellent up front for the Herons.

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Those two will be critical for Mexico’s fate at the World Cup, because while this El Tri generation has always been defensively stout, many of their failures have come from an inability to score goals.

Creativity in midfield and out wide will be necessary, and that could come from the likes of Alexis Vega who leads Liga MX in assists this season and will hope to reverse his paltry national-team return so far. Meanwhile, Carlos «Charly» Rodriguez provides tenacity in midfield, which will be important as they bring Alvarez back to full fitness.

Who is Mexico’s coach at the World Cup?

El Tri are led by Javier Aguirre, who is in his third stint as Mexico head coach, having previously led the team from 2001-02 and again in 2009-10.

This time around, his stay has been somewhat longer, first signing on in the summer of 2024 after the Copa America and steadying the ship after a rocky period of upheaval at the helm of the national team.

Aguirre’s third go has been surprisingly successful, as he joined when things were shaky at best but has managed to provide an even keel and strong presence. He led Mexico to victory in the 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League, which had been dominated by the United States since its inception nearly a decade prior. He then led Mexico to the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup crown, beating the U.S. in the final.

Can Mexico replace players on World Cup roster?

Once the final roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup could only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.

According  (page 32), «a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.»

Mexico World Cup qualifying results

As one of the hosts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico qualified automatically for the competition alongside fellow co-hosts Canada and the United States. None of the three hosts were required to compete in CONCACAF qualification, as three other North and Central American sides reached the tournament.

Mexico World Cup history

Mexico have only twice been to the quarterfinals at a World Cup, both times coming while on home soil.

Now on their third time hosting the competition, the first nation to do so, they will hope to reach that stage or beyond for the first time since 1986.

As a consistent World Cup participant but one that has not excelled at the competition, Mexico have conceded the joint-third most goals in World Cup history, behind only the 130 by Germany and 108 of Brazil.

• Current FIFA World Ranking: 15 (April 2026)
• World Cup titles: 0
• World Cup appearances (last): 17 (Qatar 2022)
• How Mexico qualified, W-L-D: Automatic (Host nation)
• World Cup record:
  • Games: 33 GP (17W, 15D, 28L)
  • Goal difference: -39 (62 GS, 101 GA)

Mexico World Cup schedule

As a Pot 1 host team, Mexico was automatically pre-drawn into Group A. Their competitors in the group will be South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia who qualified out of the UEFA playoff in March.

Their first match against South Africa on June 11 at Estadio Azteca will be the opening game of the competition. While all their group matches will be played on home soil, the entirety of the knockout stage in this competition will be contested in the United States.

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Mexico and Group A match schedule

MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

• Last time the World Cup was in United States
• Revisiting the first World Cup in 1930
• Most World Cup wins by country
• Future World Cup locations for 2030 and beyond
• Guide to host countries, cities for 2026 World Cup