With World Cup on horizon, Mexico visits San Antonio

Mexico is poised to make history next year by becoming the first country to host the FIFA World Cup three times. Pele and Brazil won the first World Cup in Mexico in 1970. Diego Maradona led Argentina to the title in the land of the Aztecs in 1986.

Now the historic hat-trick will be completed in 2026 as Mexico co-hosts with Canada and the United States. in 2026. As Mexico prepares to make history, the national men’s soccer team hopes to give El Tri’s fans a memorable year.

To that end, every friendly match is important until the 2026 World Cup kicks off next summer. On Nov. 18, El Tri will visit one of its most passionate fanbases in San Antonio, a city that hasn’t seen El Tri since they faced Argentina at the Alamodome in September 2019.  

The international friendly between No. 13-ranked El Tri and No. 43 Paraguay is the last of the year for the Mexican squad. Both teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Mexican national team sporting director and former national team legend Duilio Davino insists that it won’t feel like a friendly.

“We won’t get another chance to have a World Cup at home, so we have to make the most of it,” Davino said. “We approach it with a lot of hope and a lot of responsibility, so we have to take these matches very seriously.” 

The match will also have implications for both teams because FIFA ranking points are at stake. Moreover, players are competing for spots on the final World Cup rosters and the starting 11. For El Tri, the significance is amplified by the expectations of their passionate fanbase, the Incondicionales. 

Home away from home

Davino emphasized that he wants to see a team that represents the thousands of people with the names of former and current El Tri stars across their backs well. Six years having passed since Mexico last visited San Antonio.

“There are more and more big venues and host cities now, but San Antonio, with its Alamodome, is still a home for us when it comes to the national team,” Davino said.  

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For the former Dallas FC player, the connection between Mexico and its fans is what has stayed with him the most from his playing days, which included playing four games in the 1998 World Cup in France.

To him, it is the same it was when he played 20 years ago; the closeness the fans feel to the team always translates to the players.

“The fans, the response from the people for our national team, is definitely what has stayed with me the most,” Davino said.  “Every time the team plays in the United States, they give it their all for us.”

Mexico’s fanbase in the United States is so passionate and widespread that El Tri has an immense presence in two countries. Matches like these become truly special, creating little pockets of home where fans step into the stadium and instantly reconnect with their roots. 

“We have like two fanbases, which are technically one,” Davino said. “But they feel like two because they’re in a different country. Being able to bring the national team closer to all these people is incredible for us. That’s what makes it one of the most unique fanbases in the world, for me.”