Four Takeaways From Mexico’s Liga MX 2026 World Cup Roster

With 44 days to go before the Mexico national team makes its 2026 World Cup debut, Javier Aguirre announced the first 12 players that will be part of El Tri’s tournament roster.

The initial 12-man list is exclusively constructed of Liga MX players, who won’t feature for their respective clubs during the Clausura 2026 playoffs and instead will begin working under Aguirre’s command when Mexico’s 2026 World Cup camp starts on May 6.

Aguirre now has over a month to work with almost half of the players that will represent El Tri this summer, before those playing overseas join the camp at the conclusion of the club season.

As was the case during Aguirre’s first two World Cups in charge of Mexico, his inclusions and omissions from the Liga MX talent pool didn’t lack any controversial decisions.

Here’s four takeaways from the 12 Liga MX players Aguirre selected to be part of Mexico’s 2026 World Cup roster.

Liga MX Teams Compromise Aguirre’s Roster Selection

Carlos Rodríguez, Erick Sánchez — Liga MX midfielders Carlos Rodríguez (right) and Erick Sánchez were omitted from Aguirre’s roster. | Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images

With Mexico starting its World Cup camp while the Liga MX playoffs are still ongoing, an agreement was reached between El Tri and Liga MX clubs. Any player included on Aguirre’s list that was forced to miss the Clausura 2026 playoffs automatically became a lock for the World Cup roster, these players could not be cut from the official tournament squad that will be unveiled in early June.

This agreement only became official in mid-April, and it seems to have had a direct impact on Aguirre’s decision-making. Reports suggest El Vasco was considering a wider pool of Liga MX players that he could continue evaluating during the extended camp. That plan, though, went up in flames due to the condition of guaranteeing World Cup roster spots to players from Liga MX teams involved in the upcoming playoffs.

As a result, players such as Carlos Rodríguez, Marcel Ruiz, Erick Sánchez, Richard Ledezma, Everardo López and Jesus Angúlo, who all had been regulars in recent El Tri camps, have been excluded from Aguirre’s Liga MX list.

Having over a month to prepare the World Cup with all the local talents available should’ve been a net positive for Aguirre and Co. But with Liga MX playoff teams forcing Aguirre’s hand, it’s likely he had to make precipitated judgments that forced him to reconsider his own decisions—why else would Aguirre have delayed the announcement of the list by almost a week?

Only time will tell if this doesn’t backfire come the summer.

Aguirre Gambles on Specific Profiles

Through almost two full years since Aguirre’s return to El Tri, he’s mostly stuck to a 4-3-3 formation where pieces may change but the style of play and overall system remains intact. At the last possible minute, there are signs that this could change come the World Cup.

Both Erik Lira and Luis Romo will be at the World Cup and there are two glaring conclusions to take from their call-ups. First, Aguirre is unsure whether El Tri captain Edson Álvarez will be fully healthy by the summer and is protecting himself. Second, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if—or likely when—Mexico plays with a back-three/back-five system during the World Cup.

Like Álvarez, Lira and Romo are midfield/center back hybrids, and especially the latter has become the perfect piece at the club level with Chivas to act as a third center back and then become a midfielder in possession. Álvarez not making the roster regardless of his match fitness would be a major shock, so with all three players having a particular profile that fits a back-three system, it would seem incongruous not to deploy it at some point in the tournament.

Speaking of specific profiles, Pumas striker and upcoming World Cup debutant Guillermo Martínez is exactly that. The 31-year-old center forward hasn’t scored for Mexico since a friendly prior to the 2024 Copa América and has played just 24 minutes for El Tri in the past year.

But it seems like his physical traits, quality in the air and ability to be a serviceable target-man convinced Aguirre that “El Memote” can be a valuable asset for specific game plans which, by the looks of it, El Tri will employ come the summer, marking a swift u-turn from what Aguirre had done over the past year.

Santiago Gimenez at Serious Risk of Missing World Cup

Martínez’s surprise call-up will unquestionably have repercussions for other players, and Santiago Gimenez could be in big trouble. There’s a growing possibility that the AC Milan striker now fails to make the World Cup roster for the second time in his career.

Aguirre included just three natural center forwards in his previous two World Cup squads in charge of El Tri back in 2002–2010. Martínez, plus Liga MX top goalscorer Armando González, are now guaranteed to make the roster in 2026, and Raúl Jimenez won’t just make the roster, he’s going to be the starter. That’s three strikers already, and Gimenez is nowhere to be found.

Still, it’s been long thought that Aguirre will break his own trend and take four strikers on the final roster. Yet, Martínez wasn’t expected to be included, it was Giménez and Inter Miami forward Germán Berterame who looked poised to complete the striker depth chart.

Now, the pair of Argentina-born goalscorers are likely fighting for that final spot on the roster. Berterame hasn’t exactly tore up MLS since moving to Miami in January, but Gimenez hasn’t scored a single goal since last September and has played a grand total of 67 minutes in 2026.

Gimenez was one of the final cuts from Mexico’s 2022 World Cup roster. Four years later and despite some very promising seasons in between, the 25-year-old fan favorite could be destined to suffer a similarly cruel fate.

Mexico’s Youngest World Cup Player in History

Welcome to the World Cup, Gilberto Mora. | Emiliano Morales/Jam Media/Getty Images

Manuel Rosas holds the record for the youngest Mexican player to ever feature in a World Cup, appearing as an 18-year-old in the first edition of the tournament in 1930. Almost a century later, that record will be broken, with 17-year-old wonderkid Gilberto Mora poised to play a signifant role for El Tri this summer.

The world-class prospect struggled to overcome a nagging groin issue that sidelined him since January and threatened to jeopardize his World Cup hopes. Alarms were raised over the past three months, but finally, Mora returned to play the last four games of the Liga MX regular season, starting the last two and even bagging a goal.

Mora isn’t just along for the ride to get some experience, he’s expected to be a major contributor for a side that desperately requires his difference-making quality. At his best and fully fit, the Tijuana teenager is already one of the most dangerous weapons at Aguirre’s disposal.

Mexico hasn’t produced a talent of Mora’s quality in a generation, so he’ll become a worthy record-breaker, and a strong performance this summer will platform him for a marquee European move when he comes of age.

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