The Mexican team faces the final stretch of its preparation for the 2026 World Cup with the presence of veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, midfielder Marcel Ruiz, forward Diego Lainez and the confirmed absence of attacker ‘Chucky’ Lozano in the pre-list of those called up for the next World Cup tournament where the “Tricolor” will be one of the hosts.
“El Memo” Ochoa, a 40-year-old veteran, completed his first day of work on Tuesday at the concentration of the Mexican soccer team led by Javier “Vasco” Aguirre. The goalkeeper, who could be in his sixth World Cup, was the 21st player in this early call-up, in which the players who are in European teams are still missing.
Ochoa is the commercial anchor in the current Mexican team. Proof of this is his participation, as the only national, in a commercial advertisement for a beer brand that was launched earlier, alongside stars such as Lionel Messi, Christian Pulisic, Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson and Alex Morgan, a piece that included a brief appearance by Ronaldo, world champion with Brazil in 2002.
The Mexican Football Federation reported that Ochoa is the first element to join the concentration of the 7 who are expected to be part of the final list that will attend the World Cup that Mexico will open on June 11 against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium.
«The first player to join the concentration at the High Performance Center is the AEL Limassol goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa. The goalkeeper is the first of 7 players from the European leagues who will join the national team in the next two weeks for the preparation games,” the organization reported in a statement.
«Today my last concentration begins, but this time I look at it differently. With a fuller heart, with more scars, more memories and the same enthusiasm of that child who one day dreamed of defending this shield,” said goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, goalkeeper of AEL Limassol of Cyprus, through a message on his Instagram account. In the publication, “El Memo” appears with the shirt of the Mexican team.
The goalkeeper assured that he is already focused with the group of 20 players with whom coach Aguirre has been working since last Thursday and said he is prepared for his last World Cup tournament.
“Am at home. I am with my team and as long as there is an opportunity to fight for this country, my soul will be there first. Maybe football measures years, but passion never learned to count time. Heading to the 2026 World Cup,” wrote the forty-year-old goalkeeper.
Ochoa has been selected nationally for the 2006 Germany and 2010 South Africa World Cups, in which he did not see action, in addition to Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, in which he started.
Throughout his career, which began in Mexican America, the goalkeeper had an extensive international career that began with French Ajaccio, continued with the Spanish Málaga and Granada, the Belgian Standard Liege, the Italian Salernitana, the Portuguese AVS Futebol and now with the Cypriot AEL Limassol.
Ochoa stressed the pride he has for wearing the green shirt again in the greatest world football event. «Putting on this shirt again was never routine, it was a privilege. I have lived impossible nights, eternal stadiums, anthems that still shake me and moments that changed my life forever and yet every time Mexico calls, something inside me begins again,” he concluded.
Although the favorite to be the starter in the next World Cup is Raúl Rangel, goalkeeper of Guadalajara, “El Memo” Ochoa will compete for the position with him and with Carlos Acevedo, from Santos, who is also included in the call.
Before its debut in the World Cup, the “Vasco” Aguirre team will have 3 friendly matches. In the first, they will face Ghana next Friday, May 22 (3 pm ET) at the Cuauhtémoc stadium in Puebla, in the central east of Mexico.
Then, on Saturday, May 30 (9 pm ET), they will collide with Australia at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California; and the “Tricolor” will close its preparation against Serbia, on Thursday, June 4 (4 pm ET) at the Nemesio Díez stadium in Toluca, State of Mexico.
55 summoned
Midfielders Marcel Ruiz, from Toluca, and Diego Lainez, from Tigres UANL, stand out in the short list of 55 called up for Mexico announced by coach Javier ‘Vasco’ Aguirre. This list will be reduced to the 26 who will attend the World Cup no later than June 1.
Marcel Ruiz is one of the surprises after it seemed he would be left out due to the partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last March, an injury for which he decided not to have surgery and opt for conservative treatment to have the opportunity to attend the World Cup.
In the case of Diego Lainez, who had been deleted in Aguirre’s previous calls due to alleged indiscipline, he appeared in this call of 55 footballers.
On the contrary, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, a player who has been eliminated from San Diego in the MLS, has no chance of going to the World Cup as he is left out of this pre-list.
– Goalkeepers:
Alex Padilla (Athletic Club), Antonio Rodríguez, (Tijuana) Carlos Acevedo (Santos); Carlos Moreno (Pachuca); Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol); and Raúl Rangel (Guadalajara).
– Defenses:
Bryan González (Guadalajara); César Montes (Lokomotiv); Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahce); Eduardo Águila (San Luis); Everardo López (Toluca); Israel Reyes (America); Jesús Angulo (Tigres UANL); Jesús Gallardo (Toluca); Jesús Gómez (Tijuana); Johan Vázquez (Genoa); Jorge Sánchez (Paok); Julián Araujo (Celtic); Luis Rey (Puebla); Mateo Chávez (AZ Alkmaar); Ramón Juárez (America); Richard Ledezma (Guadalajara); Victor Guzmán (Monterrey).
– Midfielders:
Alexei Domínguez (Pachuca); Alexis Gutiérrez (America); Álvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis); Brian Gutiérrez (Guadalajara); Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul); Denzell García (Juárez); Diego Lainez (Tigres UANL); Efraín Álvarez (Guadalajara); Elías Montiel (Pachuca); Erick Sánchez (America); Erik Lira (Blue Cross); Gilberto Mora (Tijuana); Isaías Violante (America); Jordan Carrillo (Pumas UNAM); Kevin Castañeda (Tijuana); Luis Chávez (Dinamo Moscow); Luis Romo (Guadalajara); Marcel Ruiz (Toluca); Obed Vargas (Atletico de Madrid); Orbelín Pineda (AEK Atenas); Ricardo Angulo (Toluca).
– Forwards:
Alexis Vega (Toluca); Armando González (Guadalajara); César Huerta (Anderlecht); Germán Berterame (Inter Miami); Guillermo Martínez (Pumas UNAM); Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah); Raúl Jiménez (Fulham); Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara); Santiago Giménez (Milan).
