Mexico are in Group A with South Africa, South Korea, Czechia. Head coach: Javier Aguirre. Captain: Edson Álvarez. Below: full squad spotlight, fixture-by-fixture US broadcast info, and what to expect.
Third World Cup as Mexico manager (also 2002, 2010). The 67-year-old returns to El Tri to lead the co-host through one of the toughest jobs in football: opening the entire tournament in front of 87,000 at Estadio Azteca.
Mexico opens the tournament on June 11 against South Africa in front of 87,000 at Estadio Azteca — the same venue that hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals. The narrative pressure is enormous. Aguirre's third World Cup at the helm is built around an experienced spine (Ochoa, Álvarez, Jiménez) plus a generation of European-based attackers (Lozano, S. Giménez, Lozano). Group A is forgiving on paper — South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia are all winnable. The question is whether this Mexico side can finally crack the Round of 32 ceiling that has haunted them through seven straight World Cups.
Ceiling: Quarterfinal — playing 2 of 3 group games at home and avoiding the round of 32 deep tier makes the path achievable.
Floor: Round of 32 exit — a familiar Mexico ceiling. Decades of 'Quinto Partido' baggage.
All times Eastern. FOX matches are free over the air with a $30 antenna. FS1 matches require cable or a streaming trial (Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream). Telemundo carries every match in Spanish — also free over the air.
| Thu, Jun 11 15:00 ET | Mexico vs South Africa | FOX FREE OTA |
| Thu, Jun 18 21:00 ET | Mexico vs South Korea | FOX FREE OTA |
| Wed, Jun 24 21:00 ET | Mexico vs Czechia | FOX FREE OTA |
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