Mexico continues its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a competitive friendly against Turkiye on Tuesday. This match takes place as the one-year countdown to the tournament in North America officially begins.
El Tri, one of the three host nations for the next World Cup, is currently in the final stages of preparation for the Concacaf Gold Cup, which represents their last chance to secure silverware before the World Cup. Mexico recently celebrated winning their first-ever Concacaf Nations League title in March, a significant achievement in the early months of Javier Aguirre`s third tenure managing the national team.
Tuesday`s game against Turkiye is Mexico`s second pre-Gold Cup friendly, following a 4-2 defeat to Switzerland. In that match, Santiago Gimenez netted his fifth goal for the national team, and veteran Angel Sepulveda scored another after coming on as a substitute.
Turkiye, meanwhile, is visiting the U.S. during their final international break before their World Cup qualifying campaign kicks off in September. They are aiming to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2002. Their U.S. trip began positively with a 2-1 win over the U.S. men`s national team on Saturday, featuring goals from Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu.
Last Meeting
This upcoming match will be the first encounter between the senior men`s national teams of Mexico and Turkiye.
What Mexico Are Saying
In Mexico, a loss for El Tri, even in a friendly, is rarely well-received. The national team faced considerable criticism following their defeat to Switzerland, a game where they were outperformed in certain aspects, particularly in attack. Despite holding equal possession and nearly matching shots on target, Mexico generated only 1.11 expected goals from their 10 attempts.
Head coach Javier Aguirre, in his third spell, accepted the criticism. He stated on Monday, “It`s never good to lose. We didn`t play well. It was a game with a lot of takeaways – more negatives than positives. But what we can salvage is the effort from Santiago Giménez and Angel Sepulveda. We want people to criticize us – we`ll prove what we`re capable of at the Gold Cup. There will be rotations against Turkiye; that`s what these friendlies are for. We need to be fully prepared.”
What Turkiye Are Saying
While World Cup qualifiers are still three months away, they are firmly on the mind of Turkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella as his team concludes their U.S. visit with Tuesday`s friendly against Mexico.
According to beIN Sports Turkiye, Montella said, “We need to think of this match as the last match of the season for us. We came to the USA with our players who are at the end of the season, but they are in the middle of the season. Our opponent tomorrow is tough, they won the last Concacaf [Nations League]. We are facing a good opponent tomorrow, we want to finish this period well because we want to focus completely on September afterwards. September is very important for us.”
Preparation could include valuable minutes for younger players, giving them crucial experience before World Cup qualifying begins. Montella added, “We generally play friendly matches to improve ourselves. We also have young players, two of our players played for the first time in the last match, and maybe we will have players who will play for the first time in this match. I think that there should not be too many changes in general, it should be done in a balanced way, if there is a game plan, I think it would be much better to develop it based on that and evaluate everyone.”
Predicted Lineups
Mexico: Luis Malagon, Julian Araujo, Cesar Montes, Mateo Chavez, Emilio Lara, Gilberto Mora, Edson Alvarez, Orbelin Pineda, Alexis Vega, Santiago Gimenez, Raul Jimenez
Turkiye: Berke Ozer, Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Samet Akaydin, Yasin Ozcan, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Oguz Aydin, Arda Guler, Kerim Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu
Player to Watch
Santiago Gimenez, Mexico: The performance of Mexico`s attack has been a point of focus for some time. Santiago Gimenez has earned a starting spot based on his impressive form for European clubs, scoring 26 goals for Feyenoord and AC Milan last season. However, this goal-scoring prowess hasn`t fully transferred to the national team, where he recently scored only his fifth international goal. A strong run of form this summer could potentially transform Mexico`s attack from a vulnerability into a strength.
Storyline to Watch
World Cup in Sight: The World Cup is only a year away, and while Turkiye is not yet guaranteed a spot, the tournament is a primary focus for most national teams worldwide. Both sides will undoubtedly use this friendly to experiment with personnel and tactical approaches, aiming not only to qualify (for Turkiye) or prepare as hosts (for Mexico) but also to deliver an impressive performance when the time comes. The stakes are high for both teams: Mexico wants to make a strong impression as a host nation and make amends for their group stage exit in 2022, while Turkiye is targeting their first qualification for the competition since their notable third-place finish in 2002.
Prediction
Given that both Mexico and Turkiye may prioritize experimentation in this friendly, it is challenging to predict the exact outcome. However, Turkiye`s attack might be better equipped to score goals at this juncture, especially if talent like Real Madrid`s Arda Guler is involved. In that scenario, the match is likely to tilt in Turkiye`s favor.
Pick: Mexico 1, Turkiye 2
Adrian Whitmore 
Benedict Kingsley