In Mexico’s second World Cup game, on June 18th, the Mexico team beat South Korea 1-0.
On her Twitter X account, President Claudia Sheinbaum posted a photo and video of her and her husband Jesús María Tarribawatching the game. President Sheinbaum, wearing a custom-made soccer jersey with the number “1” and “Presidenta”, cheers the goal scored by Team Mexico’s Luis Romo.
President Sheinbaum’s attendant comments to the video are “Así vivimos el gol de nuestra Selección. ¡Viva México!” ( This is how we experienced the goal of our National Team. Long live Mexico!)
President Sheinbaum and her husband reside in living quarters inside the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), which is pictured at the top of this website.
Mexico’s second World Cup game was played on June 18th, 2026. It was played in Zapopan (part of the Guadalajara metro) in this stadium:
Estadio Akron, known in World Cup as “Estadio Guadalajara”. Source: Alejan98
The game was against the South Korea team, which had previously won its first game against the Czech Republic.
While the South Korean team was practicing in Zapopan (Guadalajara metro) several days before the game, a drone appeared, presumably to spy on the team.
From the Seoul Economic Daily: “An illegal drone appeared over the training ground during the South Korean national football team’s closed practice session in preparation for its match against Mexico, causing a commotion.”
“According to the national team, an illegal drone appeared over the training ground during the closed session held that day, the team said Monday (Korea time). A team security officer spotted it, and a Mexican military drone-jamming officer stationed at the on-site base camp brought the drone down by emitting radio waves.”
“The team’s safety officer, along with local police and military personnel, moved to the crash site to secure the downed drone, but two men presumed to be the operators recovered the drone and fled. Their escape was captured on footage filmed by the team’s video staff inside the training ground, but their exact nationality or identity has not yet been confirmed.”
Apparently the drone didn’t film any secret South Korean soccer strategies.
” ‘The situation ended during the warm-up stage before tactical training began, so there was no impact on the team’s tactical exposure,’ a national team official explained.”
ESPN reports other drones: “several drones had been neutralized in recent days after attempting to enter security zones around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — the tournament’s three host cities in Mexico — as well as team base camps and fan festivals.”
When the game rolled around on June 18th, Mexico won the game 1 to 0. The Mexican goal was scored by Luis Romo.
Luis Romo celebrates his goal. Source: Hector Lopez
This triumph seals Mexico’s right to advance to the second round, the Round of 32. In fact Team Mexico is the first of all the teams to qualify for the Round of 32 (beginning June 28th). (See How Does the World Cup Get from 48 Teams to One Winning Team?)
Before that round, however, the Mexico team is slated to play the Czech Republic team, on June 24th in Mexico City.
Later, South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in Zapopan (Guadalajara metro). That means that the Mexico team has 3 points in the World Cup and the South Korea team has 3 points in the World Cup.
Mexico’s next scheduled game is against South Korea on June 18th, in Zapopan (Guadalajara metro).
It’s the eve of the 2026 World Cup, to be held in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, from June 11th to July 19th. (See previous articles about the World Cup here , here , here , here , here and here).
The 2026 World Cup is to be the biggest World Cup yet, with 48 teams competing in 104 games.
What about the Mexican team? As I pointed out in my previous article, only 8 national teams have won the World Cup, and Mexico, like most countries, is not one of those 8. The farthest Team Mexico has gotten is reaching the Quarterfinals twice, in 1970 and 1986, which were both World Cups played in Mexico.
Every World Cup is a new one, so all the teams and their fans can be optimistic, at least at the beginning. Will a new team win the World Cup, or one of the 8 which has already won it? Brazil is the all-time champion, with 5 World Cup triumphs through the years.
The Mexican team has been selected, it has 26 players, including 3 goalies (the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands). At any given time, a team can only have 11 players on the field (including one goalie).
Here is Team Mexico:
Mexican National Soccer Team for World Cup 2026. Source: futbolasado
However the team does, the New York Post selected the Top Ten team jerseys, and the Mexico team placed #6. (The U.S. team placed #4). Here are the Mexico team jerseys, by Adidas:
Team Mexico’s coach is Javier Aguirre, called “El Vasco” (The Basque). The Basques are a tribe of people in northern Spain who traditionally spoke a non-Indo-European language.
Many Mexicans have Basque ancestry, but usually their Basque ancestors arrived to Mexico a long time ago. In the case of Javier Aguirre, however, his parents were Basques who migrated from Spain to Mexico, before Javier was born in Mexico City. Javier Aguirre named his three sons traditional Basque names: Iker, Ander, and Iñaki.
In his younger days, Coach Aguirre played professional soccer in Mexico and on the Mexico national team in the 1986 World Cup.
In his coaching career, Aguirre coached professional soccer in Mexico, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
As for national soccer teams, Aguirre has coached the teams of Japan and Egypt; and has coached the Mexican national soccer team twice before, during which times he coached Team Mexico in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.
In the 2026 World Cup, Team Mexico is assigned to Group A, along with South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic. In the first phase of the World Cup, each of those 4 teams plays each of the other 3 teams. (See my previous article How Does the World Cup Get from 48 Teams to One Winning Team?)
On June 18th, Mexico is scheduled to play South Korea in Zapopan (Guadalajara metro), and then to play the Czech Republic on June 24th, back in Mexico City. After that, we can see which teams proceed to the next stage.
How will Team Mexico do in this World Cup? It’s almost time to find out.
The World Cup is the international soccer tournament in which national teams compete.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be held June 11th to July 19th in three countries – the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico. (See here , here , here , here and here .) There are 48 teams competing in this World Cup, the most ever, in 104 games.
Soccer at this level is very competitive and only 8 national teams have ever won it. Here is a list of the teams that have won the World Cup and how many times:
Brazil 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) Italy 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) West Germany/Germany 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) Argentina 3 (1978, 1986, 2022) Uruguay 2 (1930, 1950) France 2 (1998, 2018) England 1 (1966) Spain 1 (2010)
Here is a map of the 8 countries which have won the World Cup in red. It’s interesting how all the countries which have won World Cups cluster in two areas of the globe:
The USA team’s highest placing was in the very first World Cup in 1930, when the team actually made it to the semifinals. (There were 13 teams in the 1930 World Cup). The team has never placed higher in a World Cup.
The highest the Mexico team has gotten is the Quarterfinals, twice (1970 and 1986).
But, it’s a new World Cup, a new chance for every team. It should be interesting…
The upcoming Soccer World Cup is scheduled to be held June 11th to July 19th in three countries – the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.
Since there are three countries, there are three mascots, one for each country, authorized by FIFA, the international soccer governing body.
The official mascots are Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, and Clutch the Bald Eagle:
Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, Clutch the Bald Eagle.Source: FIFA
Maple represents Canada, Zayu represents Mexico, and Clutch represents the U.S.A. Here’s another view of the trio:
Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, Clutch the Bald Eagle. Source: FIFA
Maple, Zayu and Clutch are the official FIFA mascots. But Mexico City has its own mascot, the axolotl, a type of salamander endemic to the city. Click here for my previous article about the fascinating axolotl. Here is a photo of a real axolotl:
So while Zayu the Jaguar is the official FIFA mascot for the country of Mexico, the axolotl is the mascot of Mexico City, as proclaimed by Clara Brugada, Jefade Gobierno of Mexico City. See Is Mexico City Being “Axolotlized” ?
La Jefa Clara Brugada and a Stuffed Axolotl. Source: Henry Romero
There are 16 stadiums for the games: 11 in the United States, 2 in Canada, and 3 in Mexico.
FIFA (the international soccer governing body) has certain rules about sponsorship, and therefore the stadiums are not allowed to use their official names. Instead, other names are used for the World Cup.
For example, the AT&T Stadium is located in Arlington, part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The stadium is the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s one of the World Cup venues, but for World Cup purposes, it can’t be called the AT&T Stadium but is officially referred to as “Dallas Stadium”.
Mexico has three stadiums serving as World Cup venues:
“ESTADIO MONTERREY” This stadium is normally called BBVA. It’s located in Guadalupe, part of the Monterrey metroplex. It has a capacity of 53,500 spectators.
Estadio BBVA, known in World Cup as “Estadio Monterrey”. Source: MX
“ESTADIO GUADALAJARA” This one is normally called Estadio Akron, located in Zapopan, part of the Guadalajara metroplex. Its capacity is 48,000.
Estadio Akron, known in World Cup as “Estadio Guadalajara”. Source: Alejan98
“MEXICO CITY STADIUM”
This one is the famous Estadio Azteca. It’s now officially known as Estadio Banorte, and from 1997-1998 was officially called Estadio Guillermo Cañedo. For World Cup purposes, it is officially “Mexico City Stadium”. But it’s hard not to call the stadium its original name of Estadio Azteca.
This stadium is the home of Mexican professional soccer team Club América.
Estadio Azteca/Estadio Banorte/Mexico City Stadium. Source: ProtoplasmaKid
Its altitude is 7,200 feet above sea level and it has a capacity of 87,523. It was constructed from 1961-1966. It is the biggest stadium in Latin America and the 8th-biggest soccer stadium in the world.
It’s been used in two previous World Cups, those of 1970 and 1986. In each of those World Cups, the final game was played in the stadium.
The two most famous soccer players in history, Pelé and Maradona, have each won a World Cup final game in this stadium.
The 1970 final saw Brazil defeat Italy 4-1. Here is the great Pelé celebrating that triumph:
Estadio Azteca has also been the venue for concerts, featuring, for example, Paul McCartney, Luis Miguel, U2, Elton John, The Three Tenors and Michael Jackson (5 sold-out shows in 1993).
It’s also been the site of political and religious rallies, including a 1999 appearance of Pope John Paul II.
It’s the famous Estadio Azteca, officially known in the World Cup as Mexico City Stadium:
The games are played in 16 cities, 11 in the U.S., 2 in Canada and 3 in Mexico.
There are 104 games to be played, with 48 national teams competing.
At the end though, there’s just one winning team.
So what’s the plan? How do they plan do it? How are the games organized?
The games are divided into phases: the Group Stage, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Third Place Match and the Final Game.
GROUP STAGE (June 11th- June 27th) The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups. Each group has 4 national teams. Each of these four national teams plays each of the other 3. A team receives 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie and zero for a loss. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams of the group proceed to the next stage, along with the 8 highest-scoring 3rd place teams among all groups.
Mexico is in Group A, along with South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic. So the Mexico team has to play each of those other 3 teams in the Group Stage, then the calculations are made.
Canada is in Group B, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland.
The U.S.A. is in Group D, with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey.
ROUND OF 32 (June 28th-July 3rd)
At the beginning of this stage there are 32 teams. In this stage it’s single elimination, lose one game and your team is out.
ROUND OF 16 (July 4th to July 7th)
There are now 16 teams, single elimination again.
QUARTERFINALS (July 9th to July 11th)
There are 8 teams, single elimination.
SEMIFINALS (July 14th, 15th) Four teams. Two games.
THIRD PLACE MATCH (July 18th) The two teams who lost in the Semifinals play each other, the winner is in third place of the World Cup.
WORLD CUP FINAL GAME (July 19th, East Rutherford, New Jersey) The two teams who won the semifinals play each other. The losing team is in second place. The winning team wins the 2026 World Cup.
MetLife Stadium, known in World Cup as “New York New Jersey Stadium” Planned Venue of Final Game of World Cup Source: Anthony Quintano
Click here for the entire schedule and where to watch.
This is the biggest one yet, with 48 national teams competing in 104 games, played in 16 cities in three countries (the U.S., Canada and Mexico).
Here are the 48 teams competing, organized within their international conferences:
AFC (Asian Football Confederation) : Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.
CAF (Confederation of African Football) : Algeria, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital city Kinshasa), Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.
CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football): Canada, Curaçao (a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands), Haiti, Mexico, Panama, United States.
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations): Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. (Note that England and Scotland compete as separate teams, not as the United Kingdom).
All those 48 teams compete in 16 different venues. Here are the venues:
U.S.A. : New York metroplex (East Rutherford, New Jersey); Dallas metro (Arlington); Kansas City, Missouri; Houston; Atlanta; Los Angeles metro (Inglewood); Seattle; San Franciso Bay Area (Santa Clara); Philadelphia; Miami metro (Miami Gardens); Boston metro (Foxborough).
Canada: Vancouver; Toronto.
Mexico: Mexico City; Monterrey metro (Guadalupe); Guadalajara metro (Zapopan).
There are to be 48 national teams competing, an increase from 32 in the last World Cup in 2022. There are 104 games scheduled.
Before and during the World Cup, each national team has a base camp in North America where they stay and train.
For example, the base camp of the Algeria team is Lawrence, Kansas.
Of the 48 base camps, 39 of them are located in the United States, 2 in Canada and 7 in Mexico .
The Canada team’s base camp is in Vancouver, while the Panama team is in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The Mexico team’s base camp is in Mexico City. The South Africa team’s base camp is in the state of Hidalgo in Mexico. The Tunisia team is in the Monterrey metroplex. The Uruguay team’s base camp is in Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo. Both the Colombia team and the South Korea team are based in the Guadalajara metroplex, with a hotel in Guadalajara and a training site in Zapopan. The Iran team’s base camp is in Tijuana, Baja California.
Here is the official soccer ball of the 2026 World Cup, the Adidas Trionda:
The Mexican government is requiring all cellphone users, including foreigners living in Mexico, to register their cellphone numbers with the government.
It’s estimated that there are 127 million active cellphone numbers in Mexico. Under the new law, each individual can register up to 10 cellphone numbers in his own name.
The argument in favor of this law is that it will combat crimes such as extortion, kidnapping and fraud, by linking each cellphone number to a verified identity. And it’s true that phone fraud is a big problem in Mexico. According to the Expat Insurance website, “In the first half of 2025 alone, over 6,000 people reported being victims of telephone extortion.”
On the other hand, there are questions about privacy and data security.
A Mexican citizen registering his cellphone must provide his CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población), an already-existing population registry code, and a photo ID (for example Voter ID or passport).
[The CURP code uses an 18-character code utilizing both letters and numbers.]
A foreigner residing in Mexico who has a CURP number would use that along with his passport or Mexican residency permit.
A foreigner in Mexico without a CURP is required to register, but the mechanism for registering is unclear.
Cellphone registration has been tried before. From Expat Insurance: “This is actually Mexico’s third attempt at mandatory cell phone registration. The previous two failed spectacularly: Mexico’s first cell phone registry…was launched in 2008…The database was hacked and sold on the black market…Instead of helping police catch criminals, it became a shopping list for extortionists who now had verified names and addresses linked to phone numbers. RENAUT [the cellphone registry] was quietly abandoned in 2012…In 2021, the government tried again…This version required biometric data, including fingerprints and facial recognition. Digital rights organization R3D and others challenged the law, and in 2022, Mexico’s Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional, citing privacy violations.”
The R3D organization opposes the registration for three reasons: 1. It can be a database for tracking citizens. 2.There are data security risks. 3. There is no evidence that such registration reduces crime.
Expat Insurance recommends that foreign tourists simply use an international eSIM service or keep your home country cellphone plan. See the article on the subject here.
Mexico Daily Post has an interesting article about Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico. Here’s what it says: “While millions of users continue to refuse to register their phone lines using their CURP, reports are now emerging that Carlos Slim may be seeking mechanisms to prevent his customers from losing service. Concerns are mounting because Telcel represents one of the largest and most important telecommunications companies in Latin America, and the impact of this refusal to register is already beginning to be felt.”
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