Mexico continues its preparations for the 2026 World Cup with an upcoming friendly match against Turkiye. This encounter marks another significant step as the one-year countdown to the tournament, which Mexico is co-hosting, officially begins.
As one of the three host nations for next year`s World Cup, El Tri is in the final stages of getting ready for the Concacaf Gold Cup. This tournament represents their last chance to secure a major trophy before the global event. Mexico recently achieved a milestone by winning their first-ever Concacaf Nations League title in March, signaling positive progress in the early months of Javier Aguirre`s third tenure as the national team coach.
Tuesday`s game against Turkiye is the second of two friendly matches for Mexico leading up to the Gold Cup. Their first friendly resulted in a 4-2 loss to Switzerland. In that match, Santiago Gimenez scored his fifth goal for the national team, and experienced player Angel Sepulveda also netted a goal after coming on as a substitute.
Meanwhile, Turkiye is currently in the U.S. as they prepare for their World Cup qualifying campaign set to begin in September. They are aiming to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2002. Their international window started successfully with a 2-1 victory over the U.S. men`s national team on Saturday, thanks to goals from Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu.
Match Details & Odds
- Date: Tuesday, June 10
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Kenan Stadium — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- TV: Univision
- Live stream: Fubo
- Odds: Mexico +150; Draw +235; Turkiye +170
Last Meeting
This upcoming match will be the first time the senior men`s national teams of Mexico and Turkiye face each other.
Mexico`s Perspective
Even though the match against Switzerland was a friendly, a loss for El Tri is always met with scrutiny in Mexico. The national team faced considerable criticism after their defeat, particularly concerning their offensive performance. Despite matching Switzerland in possession and shots on target, Mexico`s attack generated a relatively low expected goals figure.
Coach Javier Aguirre, in his third spell with the team, accepted the criticism.
“It`s never good to lose,” he commented on Monday. “We didn`t play well. It was a game with many lessons, mostly negative. But the effort shown by Santiago Giménez and Angel Sepulveda was positive. We welcome the criticism; we will demonstrate our capabilities at the Gold Cup. There will be player rotations against Turkiye, as these friendlies are for preparation. We need to be completely ready.”
Turkiye`s Perspective
Although World Cup qualifiers are still a few months away, Turkiye`s head coach, Vincenzo Montella, has those crucial matches at the forefront of his mind as his team concludes their trip to the U.S. with this friendly against Mexico.
“We should consider this match as the final game of our season,” Montella stated. “We brought players to the USA who are ending their season, while our opponents are in the middle of theirs. Tomorrow`s opponent is strong; they recently won the Concacaf Nations League. We are facing a good side, and we want to finish this period positively because our complete focus will shift to September afterward. September is very important for us.”
Montella also indicated that the preparation might involve giving minutes to younger players, offering them valuable experience before the World Cup qualifying campaign begins.
“Generally, we play friendly matches to improve ourselves,” Montella added. “We also have young players; two debuted in the last match, and potentially others will play for the first time in this game. I believe there shouldn`t be excessive changes; it needs to be balanced. If there`s a game plan, it`s 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
- Turkiye: 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 point of discussion, but Santiago Gimenez has earned a starting spot due to his strong club form in Europe, where he scored 26 goals last season across Feyenoord and AC Milan. However, this prolific scoring hasn`t always translated to the national team, with only five international goals to his name, including one against Switzerland. A successful run of form this summer could potentially transform Mexico`s attack from a perceived weakness into a significant strength.
Storyline to Watch
World Cup in Sight: While the World Cup is still a year away – and Turkiye`s participation isn`t yet guaranteed – the tournament is firmly on the minds of national teams worldwide. Both Mexico and Turkiye will undoubtedly use this friendly to experiment with players and tactics, ensuring they are not only prepared for the World Cup but also capable of delivering strong performances. The stakes are significant for both: Mexico aims to impress as a host nation and make up for their group stage exit in 2022, while Turkiye is focused on qualifying for the first time since their memorable third-place finish in 2002.
Prediction
With both teams likely to prioritize experimentation, predicting the exact outcome of this match is challenging. However, Turkiye`s attack, particularly if featuring talents like Real Madrid`s Arda Guler, might possess a slight advantage at this moment. Expect the game to lean slightly in Turkiye`s favor. Pick: Mexico 1, Turkiye 2
Dominic Ashworth