Road to World Cup 2026: Mexico’s Five Best Players of the Week—Ranked

Many players fighting for a spot in El Tri’s World Cup roster have been phenomenal in the early days of 2026.

Germán Berterame has started 2026 at the peak level he showed to end 2025. | Sergio Mejia/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup is rapidly approaching and this week, many of the players that will represent the Mexico national team returned to action to start the year, with a number of standout performers.

The Liga MX Clausura 2026 season got off to a rapid start, with two matchweeks taking place in the span of six days. Although the season might still be in its infancy, a number of players have started the campaign on fire, eager to impress in the final sprint before the World Cup.

Javier Aguirre unveiled Mexico’s January roster that will travel to face Panama and Bolivia this week. The 27-man-squad is almost exclusively constructed with Liga MX players—minus Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas. Still, a number of Mexican players competing overseas also had fine performances over the past week.

With the competition for a spot in El Tri’s 2026 World Cup roster heating up, Sports Illustrated ranks the top five best performers of the past week from Mexico National team hopefuls.

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5. Johan Vásquez (Genoa)

Johan Vásquez helped Genoa surge in the Serie A standings. | Marco Canoniero/LightRocket/Getty Images

Positive results have been hard to come by for Genoa this Serie A season, but with Johan Vásquez commanding the backline, they collected two clean sheets over the past week to escape the relegation zone.

A 3–0 dismantling of Cagliari was followed up by a scoreless draw vs. Parma—with Vásquez on the pitch the entirety of both games—resulted in Genoa collecting four much-needed points to climb up to 16th in the Serie A standings.

Operating as the left center back in Genoa’s back three, Vásquez registered 20 defensive contributions across the two games and was only dribbled past once. The Genoa captain was stellar and guided his side to consecutive clean sheets for the first time this season.

Vásquez has become one of the best center backs in all of Serie A. No player has tallied more minutes for Genoa this term, and he’s second among all Serie A defenders in minutes played this term.

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4. Kevin Castañeda (Tijuana)

Kevin Castañeda helped Tijuana secure their first win of the season. | Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Teenage sensation Gilberto Mora has stolen much of the spotlight in Tijuana in recent months, but Kevin Castañeda has been quietly great for some time now, evidenced by his performance in his side’s victory against Querétaro.

The versatile attacker continues to feature predominantly as a left-sided No.10 in Sebastián Abreú’s system. But against Querétaro, with Mora given the night off, Castañeda operated as a left winger and absolutely stole the show, assisting Tijuana’s opener and scoring the second with a rocket of a hit into the top corner.

Castañeda has blossomed into a complete attacker that excels in every department, whether it be constructing attacks, finishing actions or helping out defensively with tireless effort. At 26 years old, he’s reached his full potential and it isn’t an exaggeration to say there’s no better striker of the ball in the division currently.

Aguirre included Castañeda in El Tri’s January roster, and his display against Querétaro was the latest in a long list of standout performances over the past year, which had many bewildered as to why Aguirre hadn’t granted him his international debut previously.

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3. Iker Fimbres (Monterrey)

Iker Fimbres continues to make a case to become an undisputed starter with Monterrey. | Sergio Mejia/Getty Images

Monterrey boast one of the strongest rosters in all of North América, but amid the long list of star names, academy graduate Iker Fimbres continues to be one of the best players on the team whenever manager Domènec Torrent grants him opportunities.

Fimbres scored twice over the past week, once in the victory against Necaxa—where he was named Player of the Match—and another after coming off the bench in the 5–1 thrashing of Mazatlán. Expensive signings Jorge Rodríguez and Oliver Torres have blocked Fimbres’s path to consistent minutes in the base of midfield, but evidence continues to mount showing Monterrey are at their best with the 20-year-old on the pitch.

Balance and control have been Monterrey’s kryptonite in recent playoff eliminations, with a star studded attacking side failing to find any cohesive structure. Yet, Fimbres excels in his positioning both on and off the ball, as well as organizing possessions in midfield, which was the case against Necaxa, where no amount of pressure was enough keep him from finding the open man.

Like Castañeda, Fimbres could very well make his senior El Tri debut this week, a reward for a player with a bright future that has European soccer written all over it.

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2. Germán Berterame (Monterrey)

Germán Berterame shined in what was likely his last Liga MX game for Monterrey. | Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images

What a week for Mexico center forward Germán Berterame, who started the season with two goals in as many games, in what was likely his swan song from Liga MX, with multiple reports indicating he’s bound to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.

Berterame showcased his stellar movement and positioning when he got behind his marker and then darted towards the heart of the penalty area to tap in Monterrey’s first in the 2–0 win vs. Necaxa. Three days later, he started an attack with perfect pass to Anthony Martial, who played it back to Berterame for him to bury a strike into the bottom corner.

Aguirre has praised Berterame for his versatility as an attacker given he operates in different areas and can hurt you in multiple ways, especially as a creator. Consistent finishing has always been the biggest gripe with Berterame, but he’s scored four goals in his last six Liga MX appearances dating back to last season.

Playing alongside Messi in the build-up to the World Cup could boost a player that appears to be reaching his peak level. His place in the final roster is almost a guarantee, but if he continues his current form he has every chance of playing a significant role in the summer.

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1. Julián Quiñones (Al Qadsiah)

Julián Quiñones (middle) is tearing up the Saudi Pro League. | Thomas Tang/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Julián Quiñones simply can’t stop scoring in the Saudi Pro League. In the two Al Qadsiah wins of the past week, Quiñones scored a hat trick in the first match and the bagged another against Al Hazem.

Quiñones has scored in five consecutive games and has six goals through four games in 2026. His prolific week in front of goal saw him climb to second in the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot race, just two goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo and tied on 13 goals with João Félix and Joshua King.

The vast majority of Quiñones’s opportunities with El Tri have come playing as a winger, but it’s clear as day that Quiñones is at his best when playing as a second striker, like at Al Qadsiah and like he did during his time with Atlas in Liga MX, where he was essential to back to back championship campaigns.

Aguirre must find a way to unlock Quiñones’s best, because he has qualities in the final third that the majority of El Tri’s other attacking options simply don’t, due to his physicality, hold-up play and wide array of finishes.

For now, though, Quiñones has reached 51 goal contributions in 48 games played in the Saudi Pro League. If he continues at this level, pressure will mount on Aguirre, because such a talent can’t be wasted on the bench come the World Cup.

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