Mexico’s captain Edson Álvarez expressed confidence in his team’s ability to advance in the World Cup, stating, “I’m happy because we have faced those rivals before,” referring to opponents South Korea, South Africa, and an as-yet undecided playoff winner.
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea & UEFA Playoff D | 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw
Álvarez highlighted the advantage of playing at home at the renovated Estadio Azteca, aiming to replicate Mexico’s past quarterfinal performances from the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.
He said, “You feel a responsibility as one of the hosts to open this great event. We rely on the extra support the fans give us, and opening the event against South Africa helps, and we can do great things.”
Coach Javier Aguirre acknowledged that not knowing one of their World Cup opponents poses challenges for the host nation. “We recently played Korea. We know South Africa very well, but the Europeans (in the playoff) are very different. I will put my assistants to work and analyze them all to find opponents that resemble them,” Aguirre remarked.
Mexico’s inaugural match will be against South Africa on June 11, 2026, marking the first official game at Azteca Stadium since its renovation.
