Javier Aguirre says he already knows the 26 players who will carry Mexico into the World Cup, but he is not pretending the decision will be popular. With the tournament opener against South Africa closing in, the coach has framed his final choices around pressure, temperament, and the ability to handle a home World Cup. The public list is still pending, and the debate over who stays out may be as loud as the names included.
Aguirre says Mexico’s 26 are already chosen
Javier Aguirre says Mexico’s final 26-player World Cup roster is already decided, setting up several days of argument before the names are made public.
The Mexico coach said on a podcast that the selection process has already left some players behind and that he is settled on the group he wants for the tournament. “I have the list of 26, I am sure,” Aguirre said, according to accounts of the interview with Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Germán Villa, and Isaac Terrazas.
FIFA allows each World Cup team to carry 26 players, and participating teams must submit their final lists during the late-May to June 1 window. FIFA is expected to publish final squad lists after submissions are completed.
That leaves Aguirre in a familiar place. He has made the decision privately, while the country waits for the part that invites criticism.
The debate is already built into the list
Aguirre did not try to soften what comes next. He said he knows the announcement will bring complaints about which players were included and which were left out.
“I know that when I submit the final list, people will ask why I didn’t include so-and-so,” Aguirre said. He added that it is difficult to please everyone and said the choices are not based on “caprichos.”
The coach also pointed to temperament as one of the filters. He said he wants players who do not fold when a match turns against them, citing 17-year-old Gilberto Mora as an example of someone who keeps asking for the ball under pressure.
That standard matters because Mexico is not entering this World Cup as just another participant. It opens the tournament at home against South Africa on June 11 at Estadio Ciudad de México, the FIFA tournament name for the rebuilt Azteca.
Australia is the last public test before the list
Mexico still has preparation matches before the opener. The next one is Saturday, May 30, against Australia in Pasadena, California, after a 2-0 win over Ghana in Puebla.
The timing makes the Australia match less of an open audition than it appears. Aguirre’s comments suggest the core decision has been made, though injuries or late administrative decisions can still affect a final tournament squad.
Recent reporting on the team’s camp has focused on the arrival of Raúl Jiménez and César Huerta, with Mexico’s preparation group already close to the 26-player squad expected for the tournament.
Vallarta Daily has followed Mexico’s roster process since the early preparation group was named, when Mexico’s first World Cup squad picks began the final countdown toward Aguirre’s 26-man decision.
A home World Cup raises the cost of every omission
Mexico’s group begins in Mexico City with South Africa, followed by group-stage matches that keep the national team within the country. FIFA’s Group A overview lists Mexico with South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia.
Aguirre has spoken openly about the value of playing at home. He said the calendar and home matches give Mexico an opening it cannot waste, while also acknowledging the pressure around the team.
That pressure reaches beyond the field. The opening ceremony, fan zones, transport planning, and World Cup-related security have already become part of Mexico’s national agenda, including Mexico City’s free World Cup fan festivals and the broader countdown to the June 11 opener.
