MEXICO CITY.- Before facing the United States in October, Mexico will play a preparation match that same month against the Valencia from Spain, Mexican Football Federation President Ivar Sisniega said on Friday.
Mexico has previously scheduled a friendly match against the United States to be held on October 15 in Guadalajara, in the west of the country. Three days before, it will face the Iberian team in Puebla.
“I am pleased to share with you that the Cuauhtémoc stadium, home of Puebla, will be the setting for a very special match,” said Sisniega in a video posted on social media. “It is a great opportunity to see our players take on one of the most traditional clubs in Spain.”
The Mexicans will begin a new stage on Saturday, when they face New Zealand in the match that will mark Javier Aguirre’s return to the tricolor bench, where he spent two previous stages, in Korea Japan 2002 and in South Africa 2010.
As co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the Mexicans will not compete in the qualifying round and their friendly matches are the only way they can prepare.
“It will be a high-level match and the national team will be tested to continue its preparation for 2026. We will face a team with hierarchy and history,” said Duilio Davino, director of national teams.
Uneven scenario
The two matches on Mexican soil are atypical. The Mexican national team, by contract, has to play most of its friendly matches on courts in the United States.
“The match will be a good one for the national team, but also for the fans from the center of the country to accompany and support us,” said Sisniega. “I thank the government of Puebla and its governor Sergio Salomón, with whom we have worked to make this match possible.”
The Mexican national team has not played in Puebla since September 9, 2007, when it faced Panama.
