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

Mexico host Serbia on Thursday night in the final preparation match El Tri will play before making its 2026 World Cup debut.

It’s officially crunch time for Javier Aguirre’s side, who beat Australia 1–0 at the weekend to make it two wins from two since the start of El Tri’s World Cup camp. The win also saw Mexico extend its unbeaten run to seven games since the calendar turned to 2026.

Less than a day after the win against the Socceroos, Aguirre finally announced Mexico’s 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup. With El Tri’s troops ready, a win against Serbia on home soil is a must to keep up the positive momentum and continue rekindling the team’s bond with Mexican supporters ahead of the tournament opener at the Estadio Azteca.

Former Liga MX manager Veljko Paunović leads a Serbia side that’s fully in rebuild mode after failing to qualify for this summer’s showpiece event. With a roster almost exclusively built of young, unproven talents, avoiding a lopsided defeat and continuing to assess players that will gain prominence in the next World Cup cycle seems like Serbia’s main objective.

The time for experimentation and analysis has come and gone, it's time for Mexico to showcase its World Cup credentials. In the final warm-up match before the start of the tournament, all eyes will be on El Tri, who must deliver an inspiring performance exactly a week before its highly anticipated clash with South Africa on June 11.

Mexico vs. Serbia Score Prediction

El Tri Aces Final World Cup Dress Rehearsal

The level of performances have been varied but El Tri's recent form is undeniable, Aguirre’s side has managed to deliver the goods in 2026 and a continuation of that form should be expected in the match against Serbia.

Everything is working in Mexico’s favor on Thursday. The home crowd, altitude, recent form and a makeshift Serbian side—all of these factors make El Tri the overwhelming favorite to capture a result and further boost the confidence of the team ahead of the tournament.

With the roster set and after weeks training together, Mexico will grow stronger at its fortress in Toluca, producing its best performance of the year on the eve of the 2026 World Cup.

Serbia Devoid of its Big Stars: Key Serbia players such as Dušan Vlahović, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Nikola Milenković, Mile Svilar and Filip Kostić—to name a few—are all absent from the team’s trip to Mexico given the team won’t feature in the World Cup.
Contrasting Form: Mexico is undefeated through seven games in 2026 and has conceded just one goal in that stretch. Serbia, meanwhile, hasn’t kept a clean sheet in its last eight matches and lost 3–0 to Cape Verde last time out.
Toluca’s Suffocating Altitude: Located at 8,727 feet above sea level, the Estadio Nemesio Diez in the Mexican city of Toluca is often unforgiving for visiting rivals. Mexico has won its last 13 games at the ground, with its last defeat coming against Italy in the 1970 World Cup quarterfinals.

Prediction: Mexico 3–0 Serbia

Mexico Predicted Lineup vs. Serbia

Mexico lineup — Mexico’s lineup could be very similar to the one Aguirre will deploy on June 11 vs. South Africa. | FotMob

Following Mexico's victory over Australia, Aguirre hinted at deploying an XI against Serbia very similar to the one he’ll use in Mexico’s opening game of the World Cup.

Johan Vásquez scored the winner and is Mexico’s most in-form player heading into the summer. His long-time partner César Montes will complete the center back partnership that will start ahead of goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, who seems to have the edge over Guillermo Ochoa entering the tournament.

Erik Lira has all but usurped the starting role from El Tri captain Edson Álvarez as the midfield anchor. The talented duo of Álvaro Fidalgo and Gilberto Mora, who will be the youngest player in the World Cup this summer, will complete Mexico’s midfield three.

Raúl Jiménez will lead the line with Roberto Alvarado to his right and Saudi Pro League Golden Boot winner Julián Quiñones on the left, with the latter getting his chance to win the starting job.

Mexico predicted lineup vs. Serbia (4-3-3): Rangel; Reyes, Montes, Vásquez, Gallardo; Fidalgo, Lira, Mora; Alvarado, Jiménez, Quiñones.

Serbia Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico

Serbia lineup. — Serbia’s lineup is full of U-23 talents. | FotMob

Wholesale changes are expected for Serbia following the humbling defeat at the hands of Cape Verde.

Paunović will know better than most how difficult it is for visiting teams to escape the Nemesio Diez with a positive result, so even without key stars that aren’t part of Serbia’s traveling roster, he’ll send out his best XI available to try and avoid another performance like the one at the weekend.

AC Milan’s Strahinja Pavlović will command the backline, with young Aston Villa right back Kosta Nedeljković patrolling the right flank. Millwall center forward Mihailo Ivanović could beat Lecce striker Nikola Štulić for the starting striker spot on Thursday.

Club Brugge’s Aleksandar Stanković stands out as the midfield leader despite being just 20 years old.

Serbia predicted lineup vs. Mexico (4-2-3-1): Stanković; Nedeljković, Simić, Pavlović, Đurđević; Dragojević, Stanković; Lučić, Zukić, Birmančević; Ivanović.

What Time Does Mexico vs. Serbia Kick Off?

Location: Toluca, Mexico
Stadium: Estadio Nemesio Diez
Date: Thursday, June 4
Kick-off Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

How to Watch Mexico vs. Serbia on TV, Live Stream

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

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

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