By Janina Nuno Rios and Ian Ransom
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is set to become the first Mexican player to feature at six World Cups after the 40-year-old was named in Javier Aguirre’s squad for the tournament on Sunday.
Ochoa, who made his World Cup debut in Germany in 2006, has seen limited action for the national team in recent years but has been called up as Aguirre combines experience and youth in his 26-man squad.
Mexico play the opening game of the tournament against Bafana Bafana at the Azteca in Mexico City. The game is a rematch of the 1-1 opening draw when South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.
Ochoa was on the bench that day and Aguirre in charge of Mexico in his previous, then second, stint with their national team.
Captain Edson Alvarez and striker Raul Jimenez also bring experience in Aguirre’s squad, while emerging talents such as Guadalajara forward Armando Gonzalez and teenage midfielder Gilberto Mora.
At 17, Mora is set to become the youngest player to represent Mexico at a World Cup, while US-developed dual nationals Obed Vargas and Brian Gutierrez are among the younger players in the squad.
Aguirre has also picked Spain-born midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo and Colombia-born forward Julian Quinones, two naturalised players who have become regulars of the national team setup.
Mexico, who reached the quarterfinals when they last hosted the World Cup in 1986, are co-hosting the June 11 to July 19 tournament with the US and Canada.
Aguirre will lead the national team at the World Cup for a third time after leading them at the 2002 and 2010 editions.
Mexico beat Australia 1-0 in a friendly at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday.
They play a final warmup against Serbia on Thursday.
Mexico savoured a confidence-building win over the Socceroos in front of a mammoth crowd, a result that left both sides’ coaches with hard choices as they prepare to name their squads for the tournament.
A Johan Vasquez header from a set-piece gave Mexico the lead in the 28th minute, and the much-changed team held on successfully despite a better second half from the Socceroos following a shaky start.
Aguirre made nine changes from the starting 11 that beat Ghana 2-0 in a friendly in Puebla last week.
There was much to like about the performance of the fringe line-up, barring a howling mistake in defence that should have cost an equalising goal in added time before the main interval.
Mexico piled on the early pressure, which told as Vega swung in a corner kick and Vasquez soared over Aiden O’Neill to thump in a header off the left post.
Simulating World Cup conditions, the friendly included mid-half drinks breaks, but their timing — the first in the 32nd minute and the second in the 79th — appeared confusingly ad hoc.
The teams were also permitted 11 substitutions for the friendly — compared with six for a regular World Cup match — and they made liberal use of the quota.
To the delight of Mexican fans, Aguirre replaced Rangel with 40-year-old stopper Guillermo Ochoa for the second half, then triggered five substitutions on the hour-mark, including teen attacker Mora.
Australia defender Harry Souttar, a hero of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, played his first international since 2024 after prolonged Achilles injury trouble, but attacker Cristian Volpato missed out on a Socceroos debut, following his surprise switch from Italy.
Mexico’s World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Raul Rangel, Guillermo Ochoa, Carlos Acevedo
Defenders: Jorge Sanchez, Israel Reyes, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, Jesus Gallardo, Mateo Chavez
Midfielders: Erik Lira, Orbelin Pineda, Alvaro Fidalgo, Brian Gutierrez, Luis Romo, Edson Alvarez, Obed Vargas, Gilberto Mora, Luis Chavez
Forwards: Roberto Alvarado, Cesar Huerta, Alexis Vega, Julian Quinones, Guillermo Martinez, Armando Gonzalez, Santiago Gimenez, Raul Jimenez
