Mexico Confirms Final Three Warm-Up Games Before 2026 World Cup Start

El Tri will play against World Cup qualified teams in the weeks prior to the tournament.

El Tri will play six more friendly games before the start of the 2026 World Cup. | Omar Vega/Getty Images

The Mexico national team officially announced its last three friendly matches before the start of the 2026 World Cup, with Ghana, Australia and Serbia confirmed as the opponents.

Mexico national team president Duilio Davino revealed that the teams selected for El Tri’s final “exams” meet the criteria manager Javier Aguirre desired. Aguirre specifically wanted to face those from the same Confederations as the team El Tri will play in the World Cup group stage.

With South Africa, South Korea and a yet to be confirmed UEFA opponent confirmed as Mexico’s group stage opponents, it was important for El Tri to finish its World Cup preparations against teams that shared similar continental traits.

With the announcement of the three international friendlies, El Tri’s calendar leading up to the 2026 World Cup is now set in stone.

---

Mexico Fixtures Before 2026 World Cup

Mexico started 2026 with two wins against Panama and Bolivia. | Arnulf Franco/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico have six games remaining before the start of the World Cup, with a friendly match against Iceland on Feb. 25 fast approaching.

El Tri will reconvene during the March international break for a pair games against elite opponents. Mexico will face Portugal on March 28 in the reopening of the Estadio Azteca and will then travel to the U.S. to face Belgium on March 31.

Then come the final three warm-up games announced on Wednesday. Mexico will face Ghana on May 22 at a yet to be confirmed location near Mexico City. Aguirre’s side will then face Australia in California on May 30, before returning to Mexican soil for a last friendly clash vs. Serbia on June. 4.

Date	Match	Venue
Feb. 25, 2026	Mexico vs. Iceland	Estadio Corregidora, Mexico
March 28, 2026	Mexico vs. Portugal	Estadio Azteca, Mexico
March 31, 2026	Mexico vs. Belgium	Soldier Field, U.S.
May 22, 2026	Mexico vs. Ghana	TBD, Mexico
May 30, 2026	Mexico vs. Australia	Rose Bowl, U.S.
June 4, 2026	Mexico vs. Serbia	TBD, Mexico

---

Mexico NT Announce Start Date of 2026 World Cup Camp

Liga MX players will report to El Tri’s World Cup camp in early May. | Arnufo Franco/AFP/Getty Images

Aside from announcing Mexico’s rivals for its final three games ahead of the World Cup, Davino also confirmed that El Tri’s roster will begin training together under Aguirre’s order on May 6.

Initially, Mexico’s World Cup camp will only include the Liga MX players that Aguirre selects in his preliminary tournament list. Said players will play for their respective clubs until the final match of the Clausura 2026 regular season and will then take a mandatory one-week vacation before reporting with El Tri.

No Mexican player competing in Liga MX that is called-up by Aguirre will be able to feature for their clubs in the Liga MX Clausura 2026 playoffs. Furthermore, if a Mexican club makes the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, they’ll be forced to make do without their selected World Cup players from the second leg of the tie all the way to an eventual final.

Players on Aguirre’s roster competing overseas will report to El Tri’s camp at the conclusion of their club season and after their mandatory week off. FIFA’s deadline for teams to confirm their final World Cup roster is June 1.

---