What You Need to Know About England's Round of 16 Opponent, Mexico

Mexico will face England in the round of 16 of the World Cup. Mexico have been a strong side at previous World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals on two occasions when they hosted - in 1970 and 1986 - and are now one win away from repeating that feat. However, Mexico are not at their best at the moment, with only a handful of players having careers in Europe's top five leagues, and their biggest name, Raul Jimenez, is at the end of his career.

Before the World Cup, there was some criticism of El Tri's style of play, with some fans even booing them in goalless draws against Uruguay and Portugal. However, the atmosphere during the tournament was very supportive. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said the support had been the "driving force" behind a run of four wins without conceding at the tournament.

Aguirre typically prioritizes defensive pragmatism and often deploys a narrower front three, while the wing-backs provide width when Mexico attack. As co-hosts, they have the advantage of playing at home and getting extra recovery time as well as playing at altitude, where the thinner air can sap the opponent's energy. They worked hard to quickly regain possession and showed their defensive prowess in March's draws with Portugal and Belgium, while they are yet to concede a goal in this tournament.

Johan Vasquez and Cesar Montes complement each other well in the center back positions, making Mexico a difficult team to break down. Despite having scored eight goals in this World Cup against limited opponents, Mexico have often struggled to find a good attacking flow under Aguirre. If England can cut off passing lines and disrupt their usual attacking patterns, it's likely Mexico will be short of ideas.


Mexico is short on stars, so high hopes are placed on creative Tijuana midfielder Gilberto Mora, who they hope can be the talisman they are looking for. Mora, aged 17, is the youngest player in Mexico's World Cup history, and also the youngest of any nation to start a knockout match since Brazil legend Pele in 1958. Raul Jimenez, aged 35, usually steps up when Mexico needs him, as he did in last year's Gold Cup final against the United States, when he equalized in a 2-1 win.

The forward - who has agreed to return to Wolves from Fulham this summer - has not scored in the previous three World Cups but has scored twice in this one. El Tri is the fourth-smallest team in the tournament, but 29-year-old Cesar Montes is a dominant figure in both boxes. The 1.90m tall centre-back scored three goals in last year's Gold Cup, and joined Lokomotiv Moscow in 2024 after a less than successful 18 months in Spanish football.

Javier Aguirre, 67, has restored competitiveness and harmony to the team in his third spell as coach, although not all fans like his pragmatic style. A former midfielder who played for Mexico in the 1986 World Cup, he was also coach when his side reached the last 16 in 2002 and 2010. The co-hosts have impressed so far in the tournament, winning their first three games against South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group A. They then recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Ecuador in the last 32 to set up a last-16 tie against England.

Mexico City is sinking at up to 40 cm a year because it was built on the soft clay bed of an ancient lake - once home to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan - which was drained after the Spanish conquest. If there is a team that can be called a mid-table team at the World Cup, it is most likely Mexico. They are almost always present, but no team has played as many as 64 games in the tournament without lifting the trophy. Their supporters can be demanding, but expectations are more modest for this summer. However, the co-hosts managed to end a 40-year wait for a knockout win by beating Ecuador, so their confidence is boosted ahead of the match against England.

Failure to reach the elusive fifth game – the 'quinto partido' curse – has haunted Mexico for generations. El Tri were eliminated in the last 16 at seven consecutive World Cups between 1994 and 2018, before ending that sequence in the worst possible fashion in Qatar, where they were knocked out in the group stages. Since then, Mexico has fired and hired two coaches before recalling the vastly experienced Aguirre for a third spell in 2024. Nothing has been left unturned in his preparations. El Tri played 22 games during the year before the tournament began, giving Aguirre plenty of room to experiment with tactics and personnel. He used 54 players in that time, with less than half included in the final squad. Those selected have now been well trained, especially the 12 domestic-based players. Most of them were asked to report for training on May 6, meaning some members of the squad are in camp for five weeks before the World Cup starts. This was their ninth consecutive appearance and third as hosts or co-hosts. They reached the quarter-finals on two previous occasions, namely in 1970 and 1986.