Jaime Lozano to be confirmed as Mexico manager until 2026: will he manage at the World Cup?

After what feel like an eternal wait for confirmation, the news has arrived: Jaime Lozano will be the person chosen by the FMF to lead Mexico on their campaign to the 2026 World Cup. The ex-midfielder will be confirmed as the new head coach of the Mexican National Team on Wednesday 9 August, AS can confirm.

The decline of the Mexican National Team has been a long and slow road which has perhaps made the process even more painful to watch. Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino and El Tri collapsed spectacularly at the World Cup in Qatar, with the Argentine never managing to galvanise the squad and subsequently failing to progress out of a group that contained Saudi Arabia, Poland and eventual winners, Argentina.

Diego Cocca becomes Mexico manager: the decline continues

The manager was then replaced by a fellow Argentine, Diego Cocca, who was tasked with picking up spirits and showing the world that the Mexico squad was better than their performances in the Middle East. However, things did not go as planned, and the team never managed to settle under his orders, with rumours of player unrest and a potential revolt coming after fans decided to boycott the stadiums during the CONCACAF Nations League tie against Panama.

Mexico lost to the USMNT 3-0 in June 2023 and this became the final straw for the FMF and Cocca. His ‘era’ at the helm never took off and a crushing loss to the US was one step too far: the game descended into madness and saw 4 red cards, with Mexico resorting to physical play after being outclassed on the pitch by their opponents. Cocca was soon relived of his duties and the search to lift spirits that had started after the World Cup continued, albeit now from an even worse position.

Jamie Lozano has led a revolution

Enter Jaime Lozano. The former Club Universidad Nacional player was seen as the ideal candidate to lift spirits in the camp, and the young, fresh face was chosen. The fans returned after the departure of Cocca, with the Gold Cup game against Honduras selling over 60,000 tickets.

And Mexico repaid the fans. The squad looked rejuvenated on the bench and on the pitch, with smile and hugs the order of the days, weeks and now months. Spirits were lifted immediately with a change of staff and the players responded superbly well on the pitch, going all the way and even lifting the Gold Cup in a stunning 1-0 final victory over Panama.

And now Jaime Lozano is set to carry on his mini-revolution; the smiles will continue for at least a while longer. The coach is going to be announced as the permanent manager and he will have the honour of guiding El Tri through the Copa América 2024 as well as another international tournament a year later. Then, after that, the one we are all waiting for.