Bolivia vs. Mexico—International Friendly: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

The Mexico national team’s January camp continues with a long trip south to face Bolivia on Sunday afternoon, aiming to start 2026 with consecutive wins.

El Tri was far from flashy but managed to defeat Panama 1–0 on Thursday with a stoppage-time own goal. Although it wasn’t a dominant performance, Mexico was far superior and a number of inexperienced players had strong displays that could help their chances of sneaking into El Tri’s 2026 World Cup roster.

The victory against Panama also saw Javier Aguirre’s side end a horrendous six-game winless streak that raised the alarms in the second half of 2025. With that weight off its shoulders, Mexico will be motivated to continue stringing together positive results before the World Cup.

Bolivia, on the other hand, are preparing for the upcoming 2026 World Cup playoffs. Óscar Villegas’s side are targeting a maiden World Cup appearance this century, and the bout against Mexico will serve as Bolivia’s final warm-up before it takes the pitch vs. Suriname looking to get within 90 minutes of next summer’s big dance.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to Mexico vs. Bolivia.

What Time Does Bolivia vs. Mexico Kick-Off?

Location: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Stadium: Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera
Date: Sunday, Jan. 25
Kick-off Time: 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT

Bolivia vs. Mexico Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Bolivia: 0 wins
Mexico: 4 wins
Draws: 1

Last Meeting: Mexico 1–0 Bolivia (May 31, 2024)—International Friendly

Current Form (All Competitions)

Bolivia	Mexico
Bolivia 1–1 Panama - 18/1/25	Panama 0–1 Mexico 22/1/25
Peru 2–0 Bolivia - 21/12/25	Mexico 1–2 Paraguay - 18/11/25
Japan 3–0 Bolivia - 18/11/25	Mexico 0–0 Uruguay - 15/11/25
Sout Korea 2–0 Bolivia - 14/11/25	Mexico 1–1 Ecuador - 14/10/25
Russia 3–0 Bolivia - 14/10/25	Mexico 0–4 Colombia - 11/10/25

How to Watch Bolivia vs. Mexico on TV and Live Stream

Country	TV Channel / Live Stream
United States	TUDN USA, Univision, FOX One, FOX Deportes, ViX, FOX Sports App
Mexico	TUDN, Canal 5, Azteca 7, ViX, Azteca Deportes

MORE: Full list of broadcasters around the world for Bolivia vs. Mexico

Bolivia Team News

Like El Tri, the majority of Bolivia’s roster for the match is made up of players from the local league, with historic powerhouse Club Bolívar supplying eight players to Villegas’s January camp.

Over half of the players on Bolivia’s roster are U-23 talents. Villegas is assessing his options ahead of the World Cup playoffs, but the young side will be boosted by the presence of veteran goalkeeper Carlos Lampe.

Youngsters Miguel Terceros and Ervin Vaca have become regulars under Villegas, and should get the nod for El Tri’s visit.

Bolivia Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico

Bolivia lineup. — Villegas will deploy a side beaming with youth. | FotMob

Bolivia predicted lineup vs. Mexico (4-3-3): Lampe; Macazaga, Gómez, Arroyo, Rodríguez; Villarroel, Vaca, Vaca; Terceros, Miranda, Nava.

Mexico Team News

Mexico national team. — Mexico started 2026 winning its first match since the 2025 Gold Cup final. | Arnulf Franco/AFP/Getty Images

Aguirre is expected to make wholesale changes to the XI that took the pitch in Panama. However, for the first time in almost a year, El Vasco abandoned his preferred 4-3-3 set up and in favor of trialing a 3-4-3, something that’s expected to continue at least until the end of the January camp.

The trio of dual nationals Obed Vargas, Richard Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez started against Panama and only the latter is expected not to repeat in the lineup on Sunday.

The duo of Cruz Azul midfielders Erik Lira and Charly Gutiérrez will likely replace Luis Romo and Gutiérrez, and Jesús Gallardo could be the other wingback.

Up front, Armando González may very well replace the Inter Miami-bound Germán Berterame to make his first start for El Tri.

Mexico Predicted Lineup vs. Bolivia

Mexico lineup. — Javier Aguirre could field a very intriguing lineup vs. Bolivia. | FotMob

Mexico predicted lineup vs. Bolivia (3-4-3): Malagón; Reyes, Lira, Juárez; Ledezma, Vargas, Rodríguez, Gallardo; Lainez, González, Castañeda.

Bolivia vs. Mexico Score Prediction

Sunday’s clash will be a tightly-contested affair with scoring opportunities expected to be hard to come by for both teams. The majority of the game will be spent in midfield, with both teams prioritizing structure first and creativity in the final third second.

As was the case against Panama—and for the majority of the latter part of 2025—don’t expect El Tri to suddenly become a chance-creating machine in attack. These players have spent little time training together, so some bumps along the road are understandable.

Nevertheless, Mexico has enough quality from the midfield forward to threaten a Bolivia side devoid of its best talents. It will certainly be a tough fight, but one Mexico should be able to emerge victorious from.

Score Prediction: Bolivia 0–1 Mexico