SOCCER
Mexico look to hit the magic number in World Cup qualifiers
To finish in the top three in CONCACAF to seal a ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, El Tri has to pick up a total of 25 points with 11 games left.
Eight teams are fighting for the three tickets to qualify directly for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in CONCACAF, while the fourth placed team will be playing against a representative from either Oceania, South America or Asia. They will play a two-legged series to determine who makes it to the biggest national tournament in the world.
Mexico are undefeated in the round-robin
Mexico started strong in the World Cup qualifiers with two wins and a draw in the opening games of the final round. The Mexican national team defeated Jamaica 2-1, then Costa Rica 1-0 and tied 1-1 against Panama. They are at the top of the table with seven points and they will resume activity during the international window of October.
El Tri will have two back-to-back home games in this window. First, they will host Canada on 7 October and three days later will face Honduras. The Mexican national team will then go on the road to play against El Salvador on 13 October at the Estadio Cuscatlán. Mexico could end with another seven points by the end of this window.
Mexico is looking for that magic number and based on the past World Cup qualifiers, each team needs an average of 1.5 points per game according to BTS. In order to finish in the top three at the end of the round-robin, Mexico needs a total of 25 points, which means they are 18 away from booking their ticket to the next World Cup.