Confirmed: Mexico’s next head coach is signed and sealed

Duilio Davino, the Mexican men’s national team’s sporting director, confirmed this Monday that Rafael Márquez will be in charge of El Tri for the 2030 World Cup cycle.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Davino said that Márquez’s contract through the 2030 tournament has been fully signed and that his coaching staff is already about 80 percent complete.

Márquez joined the Mexico setup for Javier Aguirre’s current cycle leading into this year’s World Cup, serving as an assistant to “El Vasco”. After this summer’s finals, however, Márquez will take over as head coach.

“His contract is signed, his coaching staff is more or less 80 percent finalized,” Davino told Fox. “Andrés [Guardado] is an option. I’d prefer not to be the one to say it, for him to say it himself, but Andrés is a very good option. As a coach, he’s just like he was as a player.”

Mexico did not have to go through qualifiers for this summer’s World Cup because it is a host nation. For the 2030 edition, El Tri will have to navigate the CONCACAF qualifying process to earn a spot in the tournament, which will be played in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Expects competitive Mexico this summer

Beyond confirming Márquez’s future, Davino spoke of his confidence in Mexico’s prospects at the forthcoming World Cup. “We’re going to compete,” he said. “I have no doubts about that.”

Drawn in Group A, alongside South Africa, South Korea and Czechia, Mexico kick off the 2026 World Cup against the South Africans, hosting the tournament’s opening game on June 11 at Estadio Banorte.

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