Across the Line

Tag: football

Canada- 2026 World Cup Factfile

Canada will participate in their second consecutive FIFA World Cup, and for the first time, as co-hosts, with this responsibility being shared alongside the United States and Mexico.

Given their recent form, especially when considering their performance in the most recent Copa America, expectations have risen sharply around Canada, with few national sides climbing as rapidly in the FIFA World Rankings in recent years, reinforcing their emergence as a new threat on the international stage.

World Cup History

The 2026 World Cup will be the third men’s World Cup in the Canucks history. Their first appearance came in the 1986 tournament, which was hosted in Mexico, where they qualified after going unbeaten against both Costa Rica and Honduras in the final round of qualifiers.

Despite this, they would finish their first campaign in FIFA’s centrepiece bottom of their group that contained European champions France, without scoring a goal.

Canada was close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, getting to the inter-confederation playoffs, but lost out to Australia in the semi-finals on penalties.

After 1998, the next time they would reach the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers was 2022, where despite starting their campaign in the second round, they defied all odds qualifying for the Qatar World Cup under the management of John Herdman, with current Southampton player Cyle Larin being the top goalscorer in the continent.

Once again, unfortunately for Canada, they finished bottom of their group, which contained two teams that reached the semi-finals, missing a penalty in their opening match against Belgium in which they were the better side. Though, the Canucks scored their first two goals at the FIFA World Cup, and would hope to push on from this campaign.

Recent Form

Since the 2022 World Cup, Canada has been on an incredible run, especially since the appointment of Jesse Marsch.

This has led to the second-largest country by total area, which went from 120th to 30th in the FIFA World rankings in just eight years.

After qualifying for the expanded version of the Copa América, allowing for direct qualification for North American nations, Canada became the only North American side to get through the group stage alongside Panama, after a win against Peru and a goalless draw against Chile.

From here, Marsch’s side beat Venezuela in the quarter finals before going on to lose 2-0 in the semi final to World champions and Copa América holders, with the Canucks creating major chances which they failed to convert.

Since the Copa América in 2024, Canada has played 21 matches, only losing twice, with this run including wins against the United States twice, Ukraine, Wales, and a goalless draw away to France.

Manager – Jesse Marsch

At the centre of Canada’s revolution is Jesse Marsch, renowned for his high-energy, pressing and attractive philosophy, who was appointed after talks about the vacant United States job broke down in May of 2024.

Regarding the latter, what is interesting about the appointment of the American is that it followed a highly publicised breakdown of his stance on becoming manager of his home country, where he quotes that there were strong indications he was going to get the role before the organisation, before they reappointed the manager they had sacked the week prior, with Marsch saying that he “wasn’t treated very well in the managerial process”, stating that due to his devastation on the issue, he would have no interest in the United States role.

This name will be familiar to many, especially given his recent spell in the Premier League with Leeds United, after he was brought in by the club’s Director of Football, Victor Orta, in a bid to maintain their Premier League status, which he achieved in his first season in dramatic fashion on the final matchweek of the season.

Marsch, who was born in Wisconsin, started his career in football as a player being drafted from his University side, Princeton Tigers, to D.C. United before being signed by Chicago Fire in their inaugural MLS campaign.

Here, Marsch made over 200 appearances before moving into coaching, where he took charge of the expansion franchise Montreal Impact for one season before becoming the manager of New York Red Bulls, winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield in his maiden season, resulting in Marsch being named manager of the year. He would leave the side after three and a half seasons, becoming the most successful manager in the club’s history.

His next position would be as an assistant to RB Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick for the 2018–19 season, before becoming manager of RB Salzburg the following season, where he would win both the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup in his two seasons at the club.

Marsch would go on to manage RB Leipzig and Leeds United, though in both spells his time at the club would be cut short.

Key Player – Jonathan David

Canada has so many incredible talents that have come through the ranks over the past few years. This includes players such as Villarreal’s Tajon Buchanan, former Arsenal academy player Marcelo Flores, and Moïse Bombito, for whom Marsch has said it is “unacceptable that a player like Bombito is not discovered sooner”.

Other more experienced stars include Cyle Larin and arguably the best Canadian player, Alphonso Davies, yet one player that will have to prove pivotal should Canada reach new heights on home soil will be Jonathan David.

Since his summer transfer to Juventus last summer, David has not transitioned to life in Serie A as quickly as he would have hoped. Yet, with two goals in his last two matches for the national team, he shows that his attacking outlet has helped in the development of expectations for the Canucks.

After trials with FC Salzburg and Stuttgart, David joined Gent in 2018, scoring on his debut, earning a spot in the Canadian Under-21 side months later.

In August of 2020, David signed for Ligue 1 side Lille for a reported fee of €30 million, making him the most expensive Canadian transfer to date. This proved to be a pivotal signing for the French side, as after scoring in a 2-1 away win over Angers, Lille were crowned Ligue 1 champions for the first time since 2011. In his time at the club, the Canadian registered 232 appearances, where he found the back of the net on 109 occasions, including 24 league goals in the 22/23 season.

Matches

Canada, who were drawn from Pot 1 due to their status as co-hosts, was placed into Group B alongside Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There was slight concern amongst Canadians when Wayne Gretzky drew out the winners of UEFA Playoff Path A, which consisted of four-time World champions in Italy, especially when the latter would have been seeded in Pot 1 should they have qualified directly.

Yet, after the Azzurri failing to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be the opening match for Jesse Marsch’s side in Toronto.

What is most interesting about this draw from a Canadian perspective is their unfamiliarity with the sides they will encounter. The Canucks have never played a professional match against Bosnia and Herzegovina since the latter gained its independence in 1992.

Moreover, Canada has only faced both Switzerland and Qatar once, with the latter coming more recently in a friendly prior to the 2022 World Cup, where the Canucks won 2-0, thanks to early goals from David and Larin.

Canada beat Switzerland 3-1, with the only occurrence of this matchup being played back in 2002.

Canada vs Bosnia – Toronto – Friday 12th June (20:00)

Canada vs Qatar – Vancouver – Thursday 18th June (23:00)

Switzerland vs Canada – Vancouver – Wednesday 24th June (20:00)

May 12, 2026
Czechia- 2026 World Cup Factfile

After a 20-year absence, Czechia will return to the World Cup stage, looking to prove the doubters wrong once more.

Written off by many in their play-off campaign, Czechia will look to rectify the wrongs from the 2024 European Championships, now led by the incredibly promising Ladislav Krejci, currently on loan at Premier League side Wolves.

World Cup History

Since their brilliant run to the quarter finals of the World Cup at Italia 90, Czechia have only qualified for one tournament, which was the 2006 edition in Germany.

After thrashing the United States 3-0 in Gelsenkirchen thanks to two goals from former Arsenal midfielder Tomáš Rosický and a goal from Jan Koller, they were knocked out of Group E on the final matchday by Ghana who snatched second spot in the group, with the European nation losing 2-0 to Italy who would go on to win the entire tournament, knocking out the hosts in the process.

The best moments in their history in the competition came when they lost the final in both 1934 and 1962, when they competed as Czechoslovakia. In 1934, they took the lead with 20 minutes to go against hosts Italy, before losing 2-1 in extra time.

At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, they suffered a similar fate when they took an early lead against holders Brazil, but were eventually beaten 3-1 at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago.

The 1976 European Championship Winners are hoping to kickstart a new era for football in Czechia, where World Cup Football is much more of a common site.

Qualification and Recent Form

Qualification for the FIFA World Cup was dramatic to say the least for the Czech. Despite losing to Croatia and the Faroe Islands, they cruised through into the playoffs with 16 points, but that’s where the drama began.

The first test in the semi-final was the Republic of Ireland, where they were 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go courtesy of a Troy Parrott penalty, and an own goal from Matej Kovar, cancelling out Patrik Schick’s leveller from 12 yards.

In their moment of need, up stepped Ladislav Krejci to head the ball home and force penalties. It was the shootout where the heroics would come with Kovar denying Finn Azaz and Alan Browne on consecutive occasions, allowing Jan Kilment to convert and take Czechia through to the final.

The final was just as dramatic, this time having to resist a Denmark comeback as goals from Pavel Sulc and Krejci again were unable to deny the Danes’ fightback; Joachim Andersen and Kasper Hogh, giving a 2-2 deadlock, and forcing spot kicks once more. Despite the high levels of pressure, the hosts kept their cool to win 3-1 in the shootout and secure their place in North America.

Manager – Miroslav Koubek

Miroslav Koubek, who was formerly a goalkeeper in his playing career, was appointed manager of the national team in December 2025, replacing Ivan Hasek, who was sacked earlier in the year following a 2-1 defeat in qualification to the Faroe Islands.

Koubek began his managerial career at SK Kladno, where he has managed on three separate occasions. Prior to his fourth spell at the club, he went on to manage Viktoria Plzeň, who, like Kladno, Koubek has gone back to manage on more than one occasion.

In 14/15, he led Viktoria Plzen to the third of their six Czech First League titles, and he was also awarded the manager of the year award in his third spell at Plzen in 2024.

He had previously coached the national team’s U19 squad from 2013 to 2014, where he worked with current first team players such as West Ham’s Tomáš Souček and key striker Schick.

Key Player – Tomáš Souček

After spending four years at Slavia Prague, Souček has become somewhat of a cult hero in East London for Premier League giants West Ham United.

Nicknamed “Potato Salad” for his apparent love of the meal, the midfielder has become a mainstay in the Hammers team , winning “Hammer of the Year” in 2021, where he finished joint top scorer with 10 goals as West Ham qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

Having been likened to Mauroane Fellaini in 2020 by Jose Mourinho, Soucek’s box-to-box qualities will be crucial for Czechia this summer, particularly with two of the group matches taking place in the blazing Mexican heat.

Souček has been part of the senior national team set-up for a decade now, but the first moment at a World Cup will be an extremely special moment for Czechia’s longest active player. He really has been a special player for a class Premier League and a nation hoping to achieve a lot in North America this summer.

Matches

Czechia are in Group A alongside Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

Czechia and South Korea have only faced off three times before, but this summer is the first time in a competitive setting. The record is split equally, with a win, a draw, and a loss for Czechia.

The last match-up in June 2016 saw South Korea win 2-1 in Prague.

The only ever fixture between South Africa and Czechia came in Group B of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1997. A brace from Vladimir Smicer wasn’t enough to deny Bafana Bafana a late 2-2 draw courtesy of Helman Mkhalele.

Mexico and Czechia faced off in 2000 in Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year Cup, with the Czechs winning the tournament by beating Mexico 2-1 in the final. It will be a tough occasion as the game will take place in front of a daunting atmosphere at the Azteca.

South Korea vs Czechia – Guadalajara – Friday 12th June (03:00)

Czechia vs South Africa – Atlanta – Thursday 18th June (17:00)

Czechia vs Mexico – Mexico City – Thursday 25th June (02:00)

May 12, 2026
South Korea- 2026 World Cup Factfile

South Korea will compete in their 10th consecutive World Cup in North America, enjoying the most successful spell in their history, and they will hope to be right up there as one of the highest performing Asian nations in the tournament.

World Cup History

The Tigers of Asia have competed in eleven World Cups, once as joint hosts in 2002 alongside Japan, where they became the first team outside of Europe and the Americas to reach a World Cup semi final.

South Korea have also been at every tournament since Mexico 1986, including the World Cup in the United States in 1994, so they will be hoping to enjoy a successful run at their third tournament in North America.

Their highest finish at a World Cup was that 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan where they finished fourth, but the Taegeuk Warriors have also reached the Round of 16 on two occasions.

Before this run of ten consecutive World Cups, South Korea had only appeared at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland where they were unable to make it out of the group stages.

Qualification and Recent Form

South Korea are 25th in the FIFA rankings, having recently dropped three places thanks to their recent losses in the March international break.

In qualification for this tournament, the Taegeuk Warriors topped their group, not seeing defeat in any of the ten matches, meaning they have not lost a competitive match since the Asian Cup semi-final in February 2024, where Jordan beat them 2-0.

Since qualifying for the World Cup, the Tigers of Asia have competed in eight friendlies, winning four, drawing one and losing three, but their most recent two against the Ivory Coast, which was played in Milton Keynes, and Austria finished 4-0 and 1-0 respectively, with South Korea on the losing side in both.

Yet, this does mean that since the 2022 Qatar World Cup, South Korea have only lost six matches in total with this record including friendlies, but with two of these coming three months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, they are going into it out of their best form.

Manager – Myung-Bo Hong

One of the most decorated Asian defenders of all time, Hong Myung-Bo is in his second spell as first team manager of South Korea, having also had a brief stint as the assistant manager.

He played in four World Cups himself for South Korea, the first in 1990, the last the 2002 tournament in Korea and Japan, where he won the Bronze Ball, awarded to the player deemed third best at the entire tournament, becoming the first Asian player to win an individual award at a World Cup.

Until 2025 the experienced defender was South Korea’s all time top appearance maker, earning 136 caps, but last year he was overtaken by Son Heung-Min with 142.

In terms of club career, the 57 year old made the most appearances for Pohang Steelers, where he played 110 games, before moving to Bellmare Hiratsuka and Kashiwa Reysol, although he returned to Steelers in 2002. After only one season he moved to LA Galaxy where he played 38 games. Across all of his clubs, Myung-Bo made 281 appearances, and found the net 21 times, a feat he managed additionally ten times for his country.

This is his second World Cup in charge of the Taegeuk Warriors, having taken charge at the 2014 tournament, where South Korea ended winless, leading to Myung-Bo’s resignation. He rejoined the National Team in 2024 with the aim to lead South Korea to success at the 2026 World Cup.

Key Player – Son Heung-Min

Son Heung-Min has been one of Tottenham Hotspur’s most successful players over the past 10 years, joining Spurs in 2015, and only leaving last year to join Los Angeles FC in the MLS.

He made over 300 appearances for Tottenham, scoring 127 goals, and was for a period one of the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League, forming a dangerous partnership with Harry Kane for a number of seasons, even winning the Golden Boot in the 21/22 season.

When Kane left Spurs in 2023, Son as well as Tottenham struggled, and he has never really been the same, even since his move to the MLS.

However, as the United States are one of the host countries, the South Korean captain will be used to the climate, and has experience playing in a number of the stadiums in use at the World Cup.

He is now 33 and there is a high chance this is his last World Cup for the Tigers of Asia, so he will want to make it even more memorable than the previous three that he has competed in.

In the 2022 World Cup Son failed to score, although he bagged three goals across the 2014 and 2018 tournaments – the captain will be desperate to get on the scoresheet in North America.

Matches

South Korea, who were drawn from Pot Two, are in Group A alongside one of the hosts with that being Mexico, and will compete in the second game of the entire 2026 World Cup, facing Czechia. South Africa are the other team in the group.

In terms of head to head, South Korea have won, drawn and lost against Czechia in their three meetings, the most recent a loss in a 2016 friendly, this being the two sides first competitive meeting.

South Korea will be hoping to top the group, and there will be some expectations in doing so, but hosts Mexico are a huge obstacle standing in their way, with a home crowd roaring behind them.

South Korea vs Czechia – Guadalajara – Friday 12th June (03:00)

Mexico vs South Korea – Guadalajara – Friday 19th June (02:00)

South Africa vs South Korea – Monterrey – Thursday 25th June (02:00)

May 12, 2026
South Africa- 2026 World Cup Factfile

South Africa will play in their first World Cup since the 2010 tournament, which it hosted. Bafana Bafana will play in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 edition, the first that was held in Africa.

World Cup History

South Africa has played in three World Cups, with the 2026 edition being its first in 16 years.

Their first came in 1998. In qualifying, Bafana Bafana beat Malawi in the first round 4-0 on aggregate. They were then placed into Group 3 alongside Congo, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (who were remanded from Zaire halfway through qualifying).

After topping the group with 13 points, they qualified for the tournament, in which they were placed into Group C alongside hosts France, who topped the group, Denmark and Saudi Arabia.

Despite a 1-1 draw against Denmark and a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia, they exited the tournament in finishing 3rd, two points behind Denmark.

The 2002 World Cup saw their best performances in the tournament to date, though once again they were unable to make it past the group stage, with Paraguay snatching second place on goals scored.

In their most recent appearance, where they were hosts, Siphiwe Tshabalala gave them a world-renowned moment, scoring first in a 1-1 draw against Mexico in Soccer City, Johannesburg.

That being said, South Africa once again earned four points but were eliminated from the group stage, with a 2-1 defeat to France in their final group stage match in Bloemfontein not being enough to snatch a spot in the knockout rounds.

This meant that South Africa became the first World Cup host team to fail to advance past the group stage after placing behind Mexico on goal difference.

Qualification and Recent Form

South Africa, from the back of their qualification campaign, had high hopes going into the 2025 edition of the African Cup of Nations, but were unfortunate not to advance any further than the round of 16.

A 79th-minute strike from Lyle Foster would give South Africa all three points against Angola, but a defeat against Egypt on Boxing Day in Agadir would mean they would have to avoid defeat, bettering or equalling the result of Angola’s match against group leaders Egypt, but with the Sable Antelope playing out a goalless draw against the 2010 Champions (who last won the competition in Angola), they would not have to worry.

But, much like their first opponents, Mexico, their form recently has not been as good as they would have hoped for with their first World Cup in sixteen years on the horizon.

In their last four matches, Bafana Bafana have only won once, beating Mario Marinica’s Zimbabwe in Marrakesh in their final group stage match.

The most southern-based side geographically in the continent has only had two friendlies since the tournament, with both coming against an up-and-coming Panama side, yet with a 1-1 draw followed by a 2-1 defeat just four days later is not quite what Broos’ side would have been looking for.

Manager – Hugo Broos

Hugo Broos has been the manager of the South African national team since 2021. This is his second time managing a national team, with Broos managing Cameroon from February 2016 to December 2017, where he won the Africa Cup of Nations.

His managerial career started in his home country of Belgium with R.W.D. Molenbeek, before managing Belgium’s second most successful side, Club Brugge for seven seasons, winning the title twice in 1992 and 1996, and winning the Belgian Cup three times.

He then managed 197 matches at Excelsior Mouscron between July 1997 and June 2002 before leaving to go to Anderlecht, where he led Belgium’s most successful side to the title in the 2003–04 season, though he was sacked for the first time in his career the following season.

After managing two clubs in Algeria, Broos was named manager of the Cameroon national team in a ‘shock appointment’, with his name not being on the Fecafoot’s shortlist.

Albeit the appointment paid off, with his side winning the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, coming back from behind to beat Egypt 2-1 in Gabon, despite qualifying from the group stage in second and only winning once.

Yet, Broos was dismissed just ten months into the job, with Hugo, with leaked documents showing that members of Fecafoot (the Cameroon Football Federation) wanted him out, with the Belgian saying that “this is something that is not serious, it’s a soap opera … what happens now in Cameroon.”

Key Player – Lyle Foster

Lyle Foster has quickly grown into a key attacking player for both his club, Premier League side Burnley, and the South African national team.

The striker, who was first called up to his national team in 2018, has earned 28 caps, scoring on ten occasions, contributing to their success in World Cup and AFCON qualification.

This was most evident in the most recent AFCON, where Foster earned two man of the match performances after scoring a decisive goal each in both their group stage wins against Angola and Zimbabwe, in which the latter he also registered an assist.

As for his club career, his performances and returns at Burnley have been similar in both the Premier League and Championship, with Foster just two goals off his best season in a Clarets shirt, which came in the 2023/24 season, when Burnley failed to survive the drop on the first time of asking.

Foster’s career started in South Africa, with regional giants Orlando Pirates before the promising South Africa youth international was brought by Monaco, therefore becoming the youngest Pirates player to move to a Top Five European league.

Yet after a season with their academy side, he was sent on loan to Monaco’s feeder club Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro League, where he played 18 times for the ‘Green and Black’.

In August of 2020, Foster joined Vitória de Guimarães for approximately £1.08 million, before being loaned out to Westerlo in Belgium on a loan-to-buy which was activated at the end of the season after scoring five goals and gaining four assists, helping them gain promotion to the top flight.

The season after saw an even better return with eight goals and three assists in the Belgian Pro League, earning him a transfer to Burnley for an amount just shy of £10 million, where his speed makes him a major threat on the counterattack.

Matches

South Africa, who were drawn from Pot Three, are in Group A alongside Mexico, South Korea and European play-off winners Czechia. Two of their three matches will take place in Mexico, with the other taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Their opening match will be against the same opponent, same manager on the same date, just sixteen years later.

Mexico vs South Africa – Mexico City – Thursday 11th June (20:00)

Czechia vs South Africa – Atlanta – Thursday 18th June (17:00)

South Africa vs South Korea – Monterrey – Thursday 25th June (02:00)

May 12, 2026
Mexico- 2026 World Cup Factfile

Mexico, alongside Canada and the United States are joint-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which means that they will become the only country to host three FIFA World Cups. This will be El Tri’s 18th World Cup, meaning they have qualified for the tournament on the most occasions out of sides that have yet to win it.

World Cup History

Excluding the upcoming tournament, Mexico have qualified for the World Cup on 19 occasions, but it has participated in only 17.

This is because the El Tri withdrew from the 1938 World Cup due to the tournament taking place in Europe, as well as being banned from the 1990 World Cup in Italy due to the Cachirules scandal, where the Mexican Football Association knowingly played at least four overage players at the U-20 CONCACAF Tournament.

El Tri’s consistency on the international stage has made them the most reliable qualifiers from the CONCACAF region, regularly topping or finishing near the top of the final qualifying round.

Despite their constant success in qualification, the furthest they have reached in FIFA’s centrepiece is the quarter-finals, with both occasions being the case in World Cups that Mexico hosted (1970 and 1986).

Since the 1994 World Cup onwards, El Tri have failed to make it past the round-of-16, with the most recent tournament in Qatar being the first time that they had failed to make it that far since 1978.

In the Middle East, Mexico, who were managed by Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Poland, with Guillermo Ochoa saving a penalty from Robert Lewandowski.

Yet, a win against Saudi Arabia was not enough on the final matchday, with the defeat against Argentina in their second match enough for El Tri to miss out on progression only on goal difference.

The closest that El Tri has been to getting further into the knockout stages came in 2006 and 2014, where, in the latter, a soft foul on Arjen Robben in the box allowed for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to convert a penalty past Mexican legend Ochoa deep in added time, with then Mexico manager Miguel Herrera calling for referee Pedro Proença to be sent home from the tournament.

Recent Form

Mexico are currently ranked 16th in the FIFA World Rankings, down one place since the last World Cup in Qatar.

Despite this, Mexico won the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer. During the group stage, Aguirre’s side beat both Suriname and the Dominican Republic, and played a goalless draw against group runners-up in Costa Rica.

In the knockout stages, Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 thanks to two goals at opposite ends of the second half, before beating Honduras 1-0 in the semi-finals through a Raúl Jiménez right footed strike just inside the box.

In the final, which was played at NRG Stadium in Houston, the United States took an early lead through Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards, scoring a header which hit the underside of the bar and crossed the line.

Albeit, Jiménez would score at Matt Freese’s near post with a powerful strike half way through the first half, with the winner coming in the 76th minute from a set-piece, with a whipped in free kick, being flicked on from Johan Vásquez to West Ham’s Edson Álvarez from close range to win their 10th Gold Cup.

Since then, their form has been quite poor, evident through a six game winless streak.

That being said, in their last three matches, Aguirre’s side have won all of their matches, keeping clean sheets across four of their last five.

Manager – Javier Aguirre

Javier Aguirre is on his third spell as Mexico manager.

Born in Mexico City, the 67-year-old earned 59 appearances for the national team, with the midfielder scoring on 13 occasions.

In terms of management, Aguirre replaced Enrique Meza after one win in twelve matches for the national team, where Aguirre guided El Tri to the 2002 World Cup after finishing behind Costa Rica after qualifying.

During their qualification campaign and the finals of the tournament, Aguirre guided his national team to the final of the 2001 Copa America, albeit they were unable to take home the Centenario trophy, losing 1-0 in the final to hosts Colombia.

In the 2002 World Cup, Mexico topped the group which included Italy, but was defeated by the United States in the round-of-16. This was the same case in the 2010 World Cup in which Aguirre was re-appointed for, though this time it was Argentina who beat his side 3-1 in the round-of-16.

Since his last spell managing El Tri, El Vasco has also managed Japan for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Egypt for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where they were eliminated in the round-of-16, and had spells in Spain managing Leganés and Mallorca, where he reached the final of the Copa del Rey with the latter.

Key Player – Raúl Jiménez

Jiménez will be a familiar name to all Premier League fans. The Mexican made 166 appearances for Wolves in all competitions during his time at the club from 2018 to 2023, where he scored 57 goals, with the striker playing 70 matches at the time of writing for Marco Silva’s Fulham.

The predominantly right-footed striker started his career within the youth development of Mexican giants Club América, where he made his debut in October of 2011.

After three seasons at the club, where he won the 2013 Clausura, he was signed by Atlético Madrid, though joined Benfica just a season later. Here, Jiménez made 120 appearances for As Águias, scoring on 31 occasions, helping his side win two Liga Portugal titles.

From here, Jiménez was loaned out to Wolves ahead of their first season back in the Premier League since 2012 on a season-long loan for a fee of £2.6 million, with a buyout clause of £33 million. This deal was made permanent after helping the newly-promoted side finish 7th in the league, scoring thirteen goals in the league, and seventeen across all competitions.

He would go on to play another four seasons at the club after his loan-move was made permanent, scoring 57 goals in 166 matches, leaving Molineux as the player with the most Premier League goals for Wolves.

He was bought by Fulham for Fulham for £5.5m in July of 2023, where he has been a regular starter.

As for the national team, Jiménez was a part of the under-23 squad that won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and has represented Mexico in the last three FIFA World Cups.

Jiménez has won two CONCACAF Gold Cups in 2019 and 2025, and is currently El tri’s third all-time top goalscorer with 44 goals.

Matches

El Tri will host the first of 104 World Cup matches when they take on South Africa, in a rematch of the opening match of the 2010 South Africa World Cup where the score was level between both sides. Mexico will be expected to top the group, though South Korea will pose the biggest threat.

Mexico vs South Africa – Mexico City – Thursday 11th June (20:00)

Mexico vs South Korea – Guadalajara – Friday 19th June (02:00)

Czechia vs Mexico – Mexico City – Thursday 25th June (02:00)

May 12, 2026