Mexico’s 2026 World Cup campaign begins on June 11 when it hosts South Africa in the opening match of the tournament. There are 48 teams, a first at a World Cup, vying for the honor to be crowned champions. The defending champions, Argentina, and other star-filled squads such as Brazil are heavy favorites to win the 23rd version of this international tournament. These countries are on everyone’s minds to win, but the Mexican current iteration can be the dark horse to become the 2026 World Cup champions.
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Looking at Mexico’s group stage opponents and possible knockout round matchups, there’s hope that the squad will be a dark horse participant. The group stage matchups against South Africa, Korea Republic and Czechia offer a hopeful path to the newly formed round of 32.
Out of the three Group A opponents, the team that stands in Mexico’s chances of winning the group is the Korea Republic. There’s history there as the two nations met back in 2018, with South Korea’s win over Germany being the key to the Mexicans advancing out of the group stage.
If Mexico tops its group, it will face a third-place team from Groups C, E, F, H, or I in the round of 32. The possible matchups that favor a Mexican win are Sweden, Senegal, Iraq, or Saudi Arabia.
A round of 16 appearance would mark the eighth time that El Tri has accomplished this since 1994. Usually, Mexico has always been eliminated during the round of 16, but it could turn things around based on their matchup. During this round. The Mexicans would face the winner of Group L’s top team vs the Group E/H/I/J/K third-place team.
Capitalizing on matchups would advance Mexico to the quarterfinals. It would be a first in this century of World Cup play.
A quarterfinal appearance would be Mexico’s first since 1986, and can be against perennial favorites, Brazil. An upset win over the five-time champions would lead to a grudge match against the defending champions, Argentina. A victory against Lionel Messi’s squad would give Mexico its first appearance in a World Cup final against teams such as Belgium or France.
The current lineup of players called up for the national team are filled with known names like striker Raúl Jiménez and midfielder Érik Lira. Other fan favorites such as goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, making his fifth appearance at a World Cup. Another favorite on the team is striker Julián Quiñones, a four-time Liga MX champion, round out the team.
Under the tutelage of coach Javier Aguirre, El Tri can be guided to become a solid rotation of players able to play at a high enough level to create a deep run in the tournament. Aguirre’s previous experiences coaching the Mexico national team in the 2002 and 2010 iterations of the tournament will be useful for game planning and strategy plans.
Looking towards the start of the 2026 World Cup, proud Mexican fans can be hopeful in a good tournament finish by the national team. Mexico has the best shot of the three hosting nations at creating some noise and disturbance for the World Cup heavyweights. El Tri’s mark on the tournament as a dark horse is in sights with their current squad lineup and coaching expertise.
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