When will the Mexican National Team play the group stage?

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May 18, 2026May 18, 2026By Mario Vásquez
When will the Mexican National Team play the group stage?

24 days before the start of the World Cup 2026the selection of Mexico He is already preparing to play his third World as a local, with the aim of surpassing what was achieved in the editions of 1970 and 1986 and reach for the first time the semifinals of the main official international men’s soccer tournament between national teams.

The best Mexico’s two participations in the World Cups occurred when the Tricolor hosted the World Cup, because in 1970 they lost in the quarterfinals to Italy 4-1 and in 1986 he was defeated by Germany in the same instance, in a penalty shootout marked by Fernando’s mistakes Love you and Raul Servin.

Now, four decades after that fateful afternoon at the University Stadium in Montereythe tricolor squad hopes to give new joy to its fans and trusts that, with the help of Mexican coach Javier Aguirre, it can overcome the quarterfinals and sneak into the top four teams in the world, something it has never achieved.

What’s more, from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Soccer Confederation (Concacaf), only the selection of the USA has managed to reach the semifinals of some World Cup, since in the edition of 1930 the set of stars and stripes He passed the first phase and was positioned among the four best.

Mexico in the 2026 group stage

June 11 – Mexico vs. South Africa: 1:00 p.m.

Sixteen years later, the teams of Mexico and South Africa They will play the match again inaugural of a World Cup, only this time the match will not be at Soccer City in Johannesburg, as in the edition of the 2010but will take place at the Banorte Stadium in Mexico City, in front of 87 thousand spectators.

On Thursday, June 11, at 1:00 p.m. in Guatemala, the ball will roll first once in the 2026 World Cup and this match will be historicalsince the sports venue of the capital Mexican will host its third World Cup opening duel, which reaffirms its relevance among the venues of the main official tournament between national teams.

Read more about CS Herediano and Real Estelí: The first Central American champions of Clausura 2026

June 18 – Mexico vs. South Korea: 7:00 p.m.

As in the group stage of Russia 2018Mexico and South Korea They will face each other in the first round of the World Cup, so the Asian team will try to take revenge for what happened in the city of Rostov-on-Don eight years ago, when the forwards Carlos Candle and Javier Hernandez They left her out of that World Cup.

After their debut against South Africa, the team led by coach Javier Aguirre will travel to the state of Jalisco to dispute this commitment before South Korea in the Guadalajara Stadium. Therefore, this meeting seeks to reinforce the presence of the host in different parts of the country and bring the World Cup party to the West from Mexico.

June 24 – Czech Republic vs. Mexico: 7:00 p.m.

The last guest was the selection of Czech Republicwho qualified for the World Cup last March 31 after playing the final duels of the repechage in Europe, where the Czechs beat Denmark on penalties and returned to a World Cup for the first time in two decades, after participating in the 2006 edition in Germany.

The Mexican National Team and the Czech Republic have faced each other only once in the World Cup, because more than six decades ago, in the edition of Chile 1962, The Tricolor defeated the Czechs 3-1 in the city of Vina del Mar and in that way he got his first triumph in the World Cups, although it was not enough to advance.

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