Hapoel Rishon LeZion · CONCACAF Gold Cup · Defender · #2 · Haiti · 28 yrs
On Sunday, Japan sealed a 2-2 draw against the higher-ranked Netherlands in their 2026 World Cup opener. Since qualifying for its first World Cup in 1998, Japan has reached every edition of the tournament and now sits 18th in the FIFA rankings. FRANCE 24's Adam Hancock, Alexis Bregere and Ayana Nishikawa travelled across Japan to uncover the secrets behind the remarkable rise of Japanese football.
Javier Aguirre said he has already finalized Mexico’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mexico will open the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they face South Africa in the tournament’s opening match on June 11 at Estadio Azteca. With that challenge in mind, head coach Javier Aguirre said he already has a clear picture of the squad selection. “Yes, I have them. I have the 26. They’ve gone through filters,” Aguirre said during a recent interview on the El Posscass de Compass podcast, hosted by former Mexican players Cuauhtemoc Blanco, German Villa, and Isaac Terrazas. Expanding on what those “filters” meant, the head coach explained that over the last few months he has gone through a careful evaluation process to better understand not only the players’ soccer abilities, but also their mental toughness: “I took them to Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, places where we are not the home team… and they have shown personality.” However, despite appearing confident in his choices, Aguirre predicted controversy surrounding the 26 selected players once the names are publicly announced. “Ever since I was a kid, every roster is missing Juan and has too much Pedro, and you’re never going to make everyone happy,” he said. Alexis Vega of Mexico. Mexican stars join the national team Since May 6, Javier Aguirre has been working in his home country alongside a group of players selected from Mexican clubs. That has given him plenty of time to evaluate them, as well as a considerable advantage over most other national teams, many of which only recently began preparations for the World Cup. Now that most leagues around the world have completed their official seasons, the group has started welcoming Mexico’s biggest stars, many of whom compete in European leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga. In recent days, the national team has shared social media updates on the arrival of those players, including Raul Jimenez, Cesar Huerta, Santiago Gimenez, Obed Vargas, Johan Vasquez, Alvaro Fidalgo, and Julian Quinones. Mexico have heavily prepared for the World Cup While most national teams participating in the World Cup have played only two matches in 2026 — those corresponding to the March FIFA break — Mexico have scheduled numerous friendlies to give the team competitive rhythm and allow Aguirre to draw conclusions. In January, Mexico faced Panama and Bolivia, while in February they played against Iceland. During the March international break, they were tested against European opponents such as Portugal and Belgium, while their most recent match came against Ghana last Saturday. They still have two more friendlies remaining: against Australia on May 30 and Serbia on June 4.
