For a long time this was the nation that ruled Northern and Central American football. To this day, they are one of the region's greatest assets.

Historically the most successful team in the CONCACAF region, Mexico have qualified for 17 World Cups but have only ever reached the quarter-finals.

Mexico have never won the Copa America, but have been runners-up on twice in 1993 and 2001.

Mexico first played international games in 1923 when they faced neighbours Guatemala three times within a week, notching up two wins and a draw.

Estadio Azteca has hosted World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, and will be used in the 2026 World Cup too. The stadium also hosted the finals of the 1968 Summer Olympics, the 1971 Women's World Cup, the 1999 Confederations Cup and multiple Gold Cups.

Early years at the World Cup

Mexico qualified for the first-ever FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. They lost all three group games, with Manuel Rosas scoring two of the four Mexican goals.

The defeats to France (4-1), Chile (3-0) and Argentina (6-3) sent the Mexico team home in 13th place.

Mexico didn't qualify for the 1934 World Cup, and they were among the many teams from North and South America who withdrew from the 1938 World Cup out of protest.

Following World War II, Mexico returned to the international stage at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. They again went 0-3 with losses to Brazil (4-0), Yugoslavia (4-1) and Switzerland (2-1).

At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, Mexico lost both of their group games. They headed home after going down 5-0 to Brazil and 3-2 to France.

 

First Word Cup successes

Following nine straight losses, the 1958 World Cup in Sweden saw Mexico earn their first World Cup point with a 1-1 group stage draw against Wales.

Defeats to Sweden (3-0) beforehand and Hungary (4-0) after ended their tournament at the group stage, though.

In Chile, at the 1962 World Cup, Mexico were shut out in the first two games with 2-0 and 1-0 losses to Brazil and Spain, respectively.

In their 14th World Cup game, Mexico finally got their first win with a 3-1 defeat of Czechoslovakia, but it wasn't enough for them to advance from the group stage.

The 1966 World Cup in England had Mexico in a group with Uruguay, France and the hosts. They drew 1-1 against France in the opener before falling to England 2-0.

They needed a win to advance but could only draw 0-0 against Uruguay and thus headed home after the group stage once again.

The big breakthrough

The 1970 World Cup was a watershed moment for Mexico. Not only did they host the tournament, but they made it out of the group stage for the first time in seven attempts.

They opened with a 0-0 draw against the USSR before Javier Valdivia scored twice in a 4-0 win over El Salvador.

Mexico progressed to the knockout round with a 1-0 win over Belgium, but their tournament ended in the quarter-finals with a 4-1 defeat to Italy.

They drew 0-0 against Honduras in the final game of the 1981 CONCACAF Championship and failed to qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Mexico was chosen to host again in 1986 when Colombia withdrew as hosts due to the increasing costs of an expanded 24-team field. This made Mexico the first country to host a World Cup twice.

They won the opener 2-1 against Belgium before drawing 1-1 against Paraguay. A 1-0 win over Iraq sent Mexico into the knockout round, where they beat Bulgaria 2-0.

Mexico then lost in the quarter-finals, bowing out in a penalty shootout to West Germany after a 0-0 draw.

 

Controversy, ban and return

Mexico could not participate in the 1990 World Cup in Italy after using illegal players in the qualifying rounds of the 1989 World Youth Championships.

The use of over-age players and the resulting ban from international competition saw Mexico revamp their entire association and coaching staff, with Cesar Luis Menotti leading the team to a runner-up finish at the 1993 Copa America.

At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Mexico were fan favourites, getting group games in Orlando and Washington DC. They lost to Norway 1-0 before beating Ireland 2-1 and drawing against Italy 1-1.

That saw them win the group but they lost in a penalty shootout against Bulgaria in the round of 16 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

 

More group stage success

The 1998 World Cup in France saw Luis Hernandez score three goals in the tournament as Mexico made it out of the group stage once again.

They beat South Korea 3-1 in the opening group game before a 2-2 draw against Belgium and a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.

Hernandez scored his third goal in the round of 16, but Mexico lost 2-1 to Germany.

The 2002 World Cup started well for Mexico in South Korea/Japan as they beat Croatia 1-0 and Ecuador 2-1 before drawing 1-1 against Italy.

A CONCACAF showdown in the round of 16 ended in a 2-0 loss to the United States - the only time the near-neighbours have met in a World Cup.

Mexico finished second in their group at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They beat Iran 3-1, drew 0-0 against Angola and lost to Portugal 2-1.

In the round of 16, they fell to Argentina 2-1 in extra time after Rafael Marquez scored his first World Cup goal.

Marquez was joined by Chicharito at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and both players scored in the group stage. Mexico drew against the hosts 1-1, beat France 2-0 and lost to Uruguay 1-0.

They again had to face Argentina in the knockout round and lost 3-1 in the round of 16 as Chicharito scored.

 

Recent years

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Mexico opened with a 1-0 win over Cameroon and a 0-0 draw against Brazil.

Marquez and Chicharito both scored in a 3-1 win over Croatia as Mexico advanced to the knockout stage. In the round-of-16, they lost to the Netherlands 2-1.

The 2018 World Cup in Russia marked the eighth straight time Mexico had advanced out of the group stage. They beat Germany 1-0 and South Korea 2-1 as Chicharito and Carlos Vela scored.

Mexico fell to Sweden 3-0 in the final group game and were eliminated by Brazil 2-0 in the round of 16. That completed their seventh consecutive defeat in the round of 16 in their last seven tournamanents.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar they fared even worse, exiting in the Group Stage after finishing third on goal difference behind Poland.

Mexico had more success in the Gold Cup winning the 2019 and 2023 tournaments and finished runners-up in 2021.

But the Copa America has not been a happy hunting ground, Mexico were not invited to the 2019 and 2021 tournaments, and crashed out of the group stages in 2024.

 

Rivalry with the United States

The biggest rivalry for Mexico by far is against their northern neighbours, USA.

Mexico have never lost a competitive game against USA at Estadio Azteca, and their friendly defeat to the Americans in 2012 was the first on Mexican soil in 75 years.

The rivalry dates back to 1934, when the US won the first game 4-2. Mexico didn't lose again until 1980 with 21 wins and three draws in that time.

Before 1990, Mexico dominated the series with 22 wins, with USA winning just twice. However, during the 1990s, Mexico won just five times out of 14, with six draws, and from 2000-2020 Mexico trail the series 14-9 to the US with six stalemates.

The US won back-to-back games for the first time in 1994/95 as the tide began to turn. Beginning with the 2002 World Cup qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, Mexico lost 2-0 in four straight World Cup qualifiers in the US plus the 2002 round-of-16 game at the World Cup.

The rivals have met in seven Gold Cup finals, with Mexico winning six times.

Mexico also lost ot the US in the Nations League final in 2021.

Mexico's top players

Jorge Campos, who played from 1991 to 2014, has the most caps (130) for a Mexican goalkeeper.