Mexico continues its build-up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by taking on Turkiye in a friendly match. This game serves as another important test as the one-year countdown to the tournament, co-hosted in North America, officially begins.
El Tri, one of the three host nations for next year`s World Cup, is currently in the final phase of preparation for the Concacaf Gold Cup. This tournament represents a significant opportunity to secure silverware before the global showpiece. Mexico recently achieved a milestone, winning their first-ever Concacaf Nations League title in March. This success marked a positive start to Javier Aguirre`s third tenure leading the national squad.
Tuesday`s fixture against Turkiye is Mexico`s second of two friendlies scheduled before the Gold Cup. Their initial warm-up resulted in a 4-2 defeat against Switzerland. In that match, Santiago Gimenez scored his fifth goal for the national team, while seasoned player Angel Sepulveda added a second goal coming off the bench.
Meanwhile, Turkiye traveled to the U.S. for their final international window before their World Cup qualifying campaign commences in September. They aim to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2002. Their stateside trip began strongly with a 2-1 victory over the U.S. men`s national team on Saturday, featuring goals from Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu.
Match Information: Mexico vs. Turkiye
- 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 inaugural meeting between the senior men`s national teams of Mexico and Turkiye.
Mexico`s Perspective
Although Saturday`s match was a friendly, a loss for El Tri always draws significant attention and criticism in Mexico. The national team faced considerable scrutiny following their defeat to Switzerland, a game where they were outplayed in certain aspects, particularly in attack. Despite matching Switzerland in possession and shots on target, Mexico generated only 1.11 expected goals from their ten attempts.
Javier Aguirre, in his third spell as head coach, acknowledged the criticism, stating on Monday, “It`s never good to lose. We didn`t play well. It was a game with many 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.”
Turkiye`s Perspective
While World Cup qualifiers are still three months away, they are a primary focus for Turkiye`s head coach Vincenzo Montella as his team concludes their U.S. visit with the friendly against Mexico.
According to beIN Sports Turkiye, Montella commented, “We need to think of this match as the last match of the season for us. We came to the USA with our players who are at the end of their 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.”
Preparation may involve giving minutes to younger players, allowing them to gain valuable experience before the World Cup qualifying campaign begins. Montella added, “We generally play friendly matches to improve ourselves. 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
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: The attacking department has been under scrutiny for Mexico for some time. Santiago Gimenez has earned a starting position based on his performances for European clubs, scoring 26 goals for Feyenoord and AC Milan last season. However, this form has not consistently translated to the national team, where he scored only his fifth international goal on Saturday. A strong run of form this summer could transform Mexico`s attack from a perceived weakness into a potential strength.
Storyline to Watch
World Cup Ambitions: With the World Cup approximately a year away – and Turkiye yet to secure their spot – the tournament is firmly on the minds of most national teams globally. Both sides will undoubtedly use this friendly to experiment with personnel and tactical approaches to ensure they are not only present at the World Cup but can deliver impressive performances. The stakes are significant for both teams: Mexico aims to perform well as a host nation and redeem their group stage exit in 2022, while Turkiye seeks their first appearance since their notable third-place finish in 2002.
Match Prediction
Given that both Mexico and Turkiye are likely prioritizing experimentation in this friendly, predicting the outcome is challenging. However, Turkiye`s attack appears potentially better equipped to score goals at this juncture, especially if Real Madrid`s Arda Guler is involved. Expect the match to lean in Turkiye`s favor in such a scenario.
Prediction: Mexico 1, Turkiye 2
