Mexico Tickets

There is no doubting the popularity of football in Mexico and it isn't unusual for the sport to bring about high levels of excitement among the general public of the North American nation.

Events involving the Mexico national team are always a fiesta – book your seats via SeatPick for an unforgettable experience!

History of the Mexico National Football Team

The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) was founded in 1922, less than half a year before the national team contested its first official fixture. Mexico shared a pitch with Guatemala on New Year's Day 1923, winning by three goals to two in Guatemala City.

In 1929, Mexico gained affiliation with FIFA before taking part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup the following year.

FMF became a member of CONCACAF when the confederation was formed in 1961.

Mexico has continually grown on the international soccer stage and was placed 4th in the FIFA world rankings in 1998 and again in 2006.

Mexico at the FIFA World Cup

Mexico was one of 13 teams to participate in the first-ever World Cup finals in 1930, but didn't make it far after losing all three group games.

The North American nation hosted the showpiece event in 1970 and it was the first time El Tricolor advanced beyond the group stage, at the seventh time of asking. Mexico defeated Belgium in the decisive group matchup before losing to eventual runners-up Italy in the quarter-finals.

The World Cup was held in Mexico for a second time in 1986 and once again the host nation progressed to the quarter-finals. After winning two of their three group games and easing past Bulgaria in the last-16, the Mexicans were dumped out of the tournament by West Germany.

Mexico reached the Round of 16 at seven consecutive World Cup tournaments from 1994 until 2018. They were beaten by Germany in 1998, by neighbours United States at the following edition and then lost to Argentina at the 2006 and 2010 events. In 2018, Brazil eliminated Mexico in the first knockout round.

El Tricolor claimed a famous win over France at the 2010 finals in South Africa, enabling the Mexicans to edge the hosts and advance to the knockouts.

Mexico is set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup together with Canada and the United States.

Mexico at Other Major Tournaments

Mexico is the most successful team in the history of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, founded in 1991. El Tricolor won this championship for a ninth time in 2023.

The North American nation took part in Copa America for the first time in 1993 after being invited to the tournament organised by CONMEBOL (South American football governing body). Remarkably, the Mexicans reached the final but ultimately lost out to Argentina.

Mexico again received invitations to play in the 1997 and 1999 editions of Copa America, claiming the bronze medal on both occasions.

In 2001, Mexico lost to Colombia in the Copa America final. The host nation became the first and only team to not concede a goal throughout the showpiece event since the tournament was altered to its current name in 1975.

The Mexicans once again claimed the bronze medal at Copa America in 2007, defeating Uruguay in the third-place match.

Mexico secured qualification for the 2024 Copa America, having last competed at the tournament in 2016. El Tri did not make it out the group stages this time.

Best Mexico Football Players

No Mexico player has been capped more times than Andres Guardado, who made a staggering 179 appearances before retiring from international duty following the 2022 World Cup. Guardado is part of an exclusive club of players who have played at five FIFA World Cup events, a feat also achieved by his former teammate Rafael Marquez before him.

Rafa Marquez earned 147 caps for Mexico and in 2018 he became just the third man to play at a fifth FIFA World Cup tournament. At club level, Marquez made almost 250 appearances for FC Barcelona and became a two-time winner of the UEFA Champions League during his seven-year stay with the Catalan giants.

Javier Hernandez (nicknamed Chicharito) is the highest-scoring player in the history of the Mexico national team, with 52 international goals in 109 outings for his country. The striker joined Manchester United in 2010 and later represented a handful of other European clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Sevilla prior to joining Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy in 2020.

Hugo Sanchez is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest Mexican footballer of all time. He made his international debut in 1977 at the age of 19 and went on to score 29 goals in 58 appearances for his country.

Guillermo Ochoa is the most-capped Mexican goalkeeper of all time, with more than 145 international appearances to his name. Hector Moreno has made upwards of 130 appearances for Mexico while also donning the badges of European clubs like PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie and AS Roma in Serie A.

Carlos Vela left local side Guadalajara to move abroad and sign for Arsenal in 2005, aged 16 at the time. The winger later transferred to Real Sociedad in La Liga and featured close to 250 times for the Basque club before switching to Los Angeles FC in MLS.

Hector Herrera has played no fewer than 105 times for Mexico and he made 245 appearances for Liga Portugal outfit FC Porto.

Raul Jimenez has been one of Mexico's most prolific strikers in recent years, and he has represented El Tricolor on more than 100 occasions. Jimenez was an Atletico Madrid player and then plied his trade at SL Benfica before moving to English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.

Edson Alvarez amassed close to 150 appearances for AFC Ajax before he was signed by West Ham United in 2023. Hirving Lozano spent four years at Italian team Napoli prior to making a return to former club PSV in 2023.

Mexico National Football Team – Home Stadium

Most of Mexico's home matches take place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This ground has a capacity of more than 85,000.

This venue hosted the FIFA World Cup final in both 1970 and 1986, with Pelé (Brazil) and Diego Maradona (Argentina) victorious on either occasion.

The Mexico national team played home games at Estadio Olímpico Universitario, also in Mexico City, prior to relocating to Azteca in 1966.