Passion and pure love for the game: in Mexico, a life without football is unimaginable. Whether it is the great performances by the national football team – present for a whopping seventeen times at the finals of the World Cup – or the organization of the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, the national football league with lively matches and emotional fans (La Primera División de México), or the great names of the national team of the past, such as the icon, Hugo Sanchez: it is safe to say that all of Mexico is very much looking forward to the new, major chapter in soccer history that will be added in 2026.
In 2019 Mexico won their 8th CONCACAF Gold Cup Final (1-0 against USA, goal scored by Jonathan dos Santos). Apart from that, just like its fellow host countries, the United States and Canada, Mexico wants to use the World Cup to further promote soccer. That objective includes giving Mexican talent every opportunity to grow into new icons and further innovating the training of coaches and other football instructors as well as the national football facilities. In addition, soccer-loving girls in Mexico are receiving plenty of attention so that they can start working towards their soccer dreams from an early age. One of the outcomes is the creation of the national women’s league, Liga MX Femenil, in 2017.
Performances Mexico (hosts in 1970 and 1986) at FIFA World Cup
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 in sight, Mexicans regularly revisit their memories, enjoying their FIFA World Cup past as a host country. Two legendary final tournaments took place in Mexico. It was Pelé who gave Brazil the world title with iconic performances in 1970. In 1986, it was Maradona who, on behalf of Argentina, did exactly the same to the eyes of the world. And now, in 2026, it might be time for Mexico to place higher than it ever has at the FIFA World Cup. Since 1930 up until 2022, the quarterfinals marked the best performances for Mexico so far, both times achieved at their home field (1970 and 1986). An interesting note: during the last seven out of eight World Cups (2022 not yet included), Mexico’s national football team reached the round of 16 each time. In 2022 Mexico, however, did not progress beyond the group stage.
Great national Mexican football talents
Mexico, which once organized the FIFA World Cup Under 17 in 2011, has already achieved exceptionally high rankings three times in a row in this age group of under 17-year-olds. The Mexican stars crowned themselves world champions in 2011 and also reached the finals in 2013. In 2015, they managed to finish in fourth place during this youth World Cup. In short, Mexico also experiences soccer intensely with its latest generation of players.
Claudio Suárez is Mexico’s most capped player with 177 caps.
The all-time top scorer of the national team is Javier Hernández with 52 goals.
