Raul Jimenez, Edson Alvarez lead Mexico roster for friendlies

Veteran stars Raul Jiménez and Edson Alvarez anchor the 26-player roster Mexico’s men’s national soccer team manager Javier Aguirre unveiled Friday for two upcoming friendlies.

Aguirre’s roster includes several young players as well as notable omissions in preparation for the final friendly matches of the year ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

El Tri will face Uruguay on Nov. 15 in Torreón, Coahuila. Then Mexico will play Paraguay on Nov. 18 at the Alamodome in San Antonio in its last tuneups before next summer’s tournament. Both Mexico and Paraguay have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup. 

Jimenez, a forward at Fulham, and Edson Alvarez, a defender at Fenerbahçe, remain pillars of the Mexican squad. Together, they helped Mexico win the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup this past summer.

The inclusion of several emerging players shows Aguirre’s intent to explore talent within the roster. Among the most notable additions are Obed Vargas of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and Armando “Hormiga” González of Liga MX’s Chivas de Guadalajara. 

For Vargas, this marks his first senior call-up since debuting in October 2024. The midfielder has started his 40 appearances for Seattle this season, recording six goals and six assists. Gonzalez earned his first senior team call-up after a breakout Liga MX campaign in which he leads Chivas and is tied for the league lead with 11 goals.

Tijuana prodigy returns

Club Tijuana midfielder Gilberto Mora, 17, also returns to the national team after playing in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile alongside Vargas. Mora is the youngest player to score in Liga MX and to make a competitive appearance for the Mexican national team.

He also made history as the youngest Mexican player to win an international trophy. He was 16 years and 265 days old on July 6 at Houston’s NRG Stadium when he lifted the Concacaf Gold Cup.

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Several big starts are missing from Mexico’s roster. Santiago Giménez, Alexis Vega, César Huerta, Julián Quiñones, Luis Romo, Carlos Rodríguez and Jorge Sánchez were all left off the roster. Most of them were excluded because of injury. 

Fans will see both sides field near full-strength lineups. Paraguay called up Atlanta United midfielder Miguel Almirón, Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Diego Gómez and Palmeiras midfielder Ramón Sosa.

The match against Paraguay will also serve as the U.S. debut of Mexico’s new green Adidas 2026 World Cup jersey. Adidas released that kit on Nov. 5. The match will be played with the Adidas “Trionda,” the official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball.