20 players who could star for Mexico in 2026
Without World Cup qualifiers, Mexico will have enough time to put together a competitive squad.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup will be the end of a cycle for Mexico. For veteran stars such as Guillermo Ochoa, Néstor Araujo, Héctor Moreno, Héctor Herrera and Andrés Guardado, it will be their last involvement in a major tournament and will mark the end of their international careers.
With their eyes set on the 2026 World Cup, Mexico will be in a fortunate position where they will be able to rebuild their squad without the distraction of having to play through the qualifiers. Mexico, along with the United States and Canada are already guaranteed a place in the finals as tournament hosts. It means they will have time to define a four-year project and play in tournaments from other confederations in the same way that Qatar and Japan have done in recent years.
20 footballers who could wear the ‘Tri’ shirt in 2026
Carlos Acevedo | Santos Laguna
Emilio Lara | América
Israel Kings | Puebla
Victor Guzman | Tijuana
Jordan Carrillo | Sporting Gijón
Ozziel Herrera | Atlas
Erick Lira | Cruz Azul
Jeremy Márquez | Atlas
Diego Lainez | Braga
Kevin Álvarez | Pachuca
Luis Chavez | Pachuca
Eric Sánchez | Pachuca
Santiago Muñoz | Newcastle
Marcelo Flores | Oviedo
Alexis Vega | Chivas
Erick Aguirre | Monterrey
Sebastián Cordova | Tigres
Edson Álvarez | Ajax
Santiago Giménez | Feyenoord
Hirving Lozano | Napoli
Almada, successful formula
Doubts about Gerardo Martino’s future with Mexico have fuelled talk of Guillermo Almada taking the reins of the ‘Tri’ after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Uruguayan coach is skilled at working with youth players - the proof being his successes at both Santos Laguna and Tuzos del Pachuca.
With the Torreón-based outfit, Carlos Acevedo, Eduardo Aguirre, Alan Cervantes or Jordan Carrillo stood out under the coach, at Pachuca, Kevin Álvarez, Luis Chávez and Mauricio Isais have all blossomed under his leadership.