The eyes of the sporting world will be on North America this month for the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, and Mexico will have the honor of leading the way into the massive tournament.
The Mexican team has some of the best odds of advancing into group play, and they’ll have the benefit of home games in Mexico City and Guadalajara as the tournament advances.
Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s schedule, and players to watch for the squad.
When does Mexico play in the World Cup?
Mexico will have the honor of opening this year’s World Cup in Mexico City as they host South Africa on Thursday afternoon.
The team will also take on Korea Republic on June 18, and will wrap up group play on June 24 when they host Czechia, again in Mexico City.
Here’s the team’s full group play schedule:
June 11 – vs. South Africa, 2 p.m. Central
June 18 – vs. Korea Republic, 8 p.m. Central
June 24 – vs. Czechia, 8 p.m. Central
All three games will air in English on Fox, and will also air in Spanish on Telemundo Chicago. The games will also be available for streaming on Peacock.
How has Mexico been playing in the lead-up to the World Cup?
Fans of the Mexican team have likely been thrilled by their defense and goalkeeping in the lead-up to the World Cup, as the squad has only allowed two goals in eight friendly games during 2026.
That includes two clean-sheets in their final three games before the start of the tournament, and they also showcased their offensive skills in their final friendly game as they thrashed Serbia 5-1 on Thursday.
In all, Mexico has outscored their opponents by a margin of 15-2 in this calendar year.
Which players should fans monitor?
In the last World Cup Mexico only managed to score two goals as they were bounced after group play, but this time around the team is hoping they can bring more firepower to the party as a tournament host.
Highlighting the list is Luis Chavez, who scored a goal in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and peppered goalkeepers with 10 shots. He also scored a goal in the team’s final friendly against Serbia, giving himself some solid momentum heading into the tournament.
Chicago Fire fans will recognize Brian Gutiérrez, who scored nine goals for the squad last season. He has picked up a pair of goals in friendly matches this year for Mexico, and he’ll be looked at as a Bonafide scoring threat in this year’s event.
Johan Vásquez also has a pair of goals for Mexico in friendly matches this year.
In goal, the team has brought back veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who allowed just three goals in the three games in Qatar. This will be his fifth World Cup as a member of the Mexico squad, appearing in 11 matches during his tenure.
MLS analyst Taylor Twellman tackles five of the biggest questions ahead of the World Cup, including what defines success for the United States and Mexico, which nation faces the most pressure, and who could emerge as the tournament’s breakout star.
What are the odds Mexico advances?
According to multiple oddsmakers and statistical websites, including FiveThirtyEight, Mexico has among the best odds to advance to the round of 32, pegging those odds at 90%.
They also have a 50% chance of winning their group according to the website, and a 51% chance of reaching the round of 16.
Korea Republic and Czechia also have roughly similar odds, a three-in-four chance, of advancing to the knockout round according to FiveThirtyEight.
A full list of those odds can be found here.
How does the tournament work?
This year, the field expanded from 32 teams to 48, and that added an additional round to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
This year, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will advance, a format similar to previous years, but this time around the eight best third-place teams in group play will also advance into the knockout stage, a single-elimination bracket that will determine the World Cup winner.
The final game of the tournament will be played on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
