As preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup continue, Mexico faces Turkey in an international friendly on Tuesday. This match serves as another key test as the one-year countdown to the tournament, which Mexico will co-host, officially begins.
El Tri, one of the three host nations for next year`s World Cup, are in the final stages of preparing for the Concacaf Gold Cup. This tournament represents a significant opportunity to secure silverware before the main event. Mexico recently celebrated winning their first-ever Concacaf Nations League title in March, marking a positive start to Javier Aguirre`s third stint as the national team`s head coach.
Tuesday`s game against Turkey is the second of two friendlies scheduled before the Gold Cup. Their first preparatory match resulted in a 4-2 loss to Switzerland. In that game, Santiago Gimenez scored his fifth goal for the national team, while veteran Angel Sepulveda added a second goal coming off the bench.
Meanwhile, Turkey has traveled to the U.S. for their final international window before their World Cup qualifying campaign commences in September. Turkey aims to reach the World Cup tournament for the first time since 2002. Their current international break began strongly with a 2-1 victory over the U.S. Men`s National Team on Saturday, with goals scored by Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu.
Match Details: How to Watch
- Date: Tuesday, June 10 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Kenan Stadium — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- TV: Univision | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Mexico +150; Draw +235; Turkey +170
Head-to-Head
This upcoming match will be the first encounter between the senior men`s national teams of Mexico and Turkey.
What Mexico is Saying
Despite being a friendly, a loss is never taken lightly in Mexico. The national team received considerable criticism following their defeat to Switzerland, a game where they seemed outperformed, especially in the attacking third. Although they held equal possession and nearly matched Switzerland in shots on target, Mexico`s 10 attempts only generated 1.11 expected goals.
Javier Aguirre, in his third spell as Mexico`s coach, accepted the criticism, stating on Monday, “It`s never good to lose. We didn`t play well. It was a game with a lot of takeaways – more negatives than positives. But what we can salvage is the effort from Santiago Giménez and Angel Sepulveda. We want people to criticize us – we`ll prove what we`re capable of at the Gold Cup. There will be rotations against Turkiye; that`s what these friendlies are for. We need to be fully prepared.”
What Turkey is Saying
Although World Cup qualifiers are still three months away, they are clearly a priority for Turkey`s head coach Vincenzo Montella as his team concludes their U.S. tour with the friendly against Mexico on Tuesday.
“We need to think of this match as the last match of the season for us,” Montella commented, as reported by beIN Sports Turkiye. “We came to the USA with our players who are at the end of the season, but they are in the middle of the season. Our opponent tomorrow is tough, they won the last Concacaf [Nations League]. We are facing a good opponent tomorrow, we want to finish this period well because we want to focus completely on September afterwards. September is very important for us.”
Montella also suggested that young players might feature, gaining valuable experience before the qualifiers begin. “We generally play friendly matches to improve ourselves,” he said. “We also have young players, two of our players played for the first time in the last match, and maybe we will have players who will play for the first time in this match. I think that there should not be too many changes in general, it should be done in a balanced way, if there is a game plan, I think it would be much better to develop it based on that and evaluate everyone.”
Predicted Lineups
- Mexico: Luis Malagon, Julian Araujo, Cesar Montes, Mateo Chavez, Emilio Lara, Gilberto Mora, Edson Alvarez, Orbelin Pineda, Alexis Vega, Santiago Gimenez, Raul Jimenez
- Turkey: Berke Ozer, Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Samet Akaydin, Yasin Ozcan, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Oguz Aydin, Arda Guler, Kerim Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu
Player to Watch
Santiago Gimenez, Mexico: Mexico`s attack has been a recent point of focus. Santiago Gimenez has earned a potential starting role based on his club performances in Europe. Last season, he scored 26 goals for Feyenoord and AC Milan, though this form hasn`t fully translated to the national team yet, with his goal against Switzerland being just his fifth international one. A strong showing this summer could transform Mexico`s attack from a perceived weakness into a strength.
Key Storyline: World Cup Aspirations
With the World Cup approximately one year away, it is firmly on the minds of national teams globally, even for Turkey who haven`t secured their spot yet. Both sides will likely use this friendly primarily for experimentation – refining tactics, testing personnel, and evaluating player readiness. The stakes are significant: Mexico aims to impress as a host nation and improve upon their group stage exit in 2022, while Turkey is focused on ending their wait and qualifying for the tournament for the first time since their impressive third-place finish in 2002.
Prediction
Given that both teams are likely to prioritize experimentation, predicting the exact outcome is challenging. However, Turkey`s attack appears slightly more potent currently, particularly if talents like Real Madrid`s Arda Guler are involved. This factor could potentially tip the scales in Turkey`s favor. Prediction: Mexico 1, Turkey 2
Dominic Ashworth