Veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will play in the World Cup for the sixth time in his career, like Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, after he was called up to the final squad of the Mexican national team, which is hosting the 23rd edition of the finals in partnership with the United States and Canada.
On Sunday, national team coach Javier Aguirre revealed the 26-player squad that included the 40-year-old Cypriot goalkeeper of AEL Limassol, along with Fulham’s English striker Raul Jimenez and Milan’s Italian striker Santiago Jimenez.
Ochoa’s debut in the World Finals was in 2006 in Germany.
Ochoa ranks third on the list of players who have played the most with the Mexican national team, with 152 matches, behind Andreas Guardado (180 from 2005 to 2024) and Claudio Soares (176 from 1992 to 2006).
The squad includes a total of 12 players who have previously played in the World Cup.
The list also includes two naturalized players: Alvaro Fidalgo of Spanish origin and Julian Quiñones, the Saudi Al-Qadisiyah scorer, while Gilberto Moura (17 years old) will be the youngest player.
Mexico begins its campaign in the opening match at the Asteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11 against South Africa, before facing South Korea and the Czech Republic on the 18th and 24th of that month in Group A.
The two times it hosted the World Cup, Mexico reached the quarter-finals, which makes it motivated to break this barrier when it hosts the next edition.
The Mexican national team is counting on the enthusiasm of 130 million people and on public support that may accompany it until the quarter-finals if it succeeds in finishing its first group on top, in a mission that seems achievable.
Mexico achieved its best results in the World Cup during the previous two tournaments, which were held on its soil in 1970 and 1986, when it reached the quarter-finals, before being eliminated by Italy (1-4) and West Germany (on penalties), respectively.
After being eliminated from the group stage in Qatar 2022, the team enters the tournament with the additional motivation of the possibility of playing its match in the eighth-final at the Asteka Stadium, where it has lost only twice in 60 years of official competitions.
In this second qualifying round after the round of 32, which was created as a result of raising the number of teams to 48 for the first time instead of 32, it may clash with the English team, champions of the 1966 World Cup.
List of Mexico
– Goalkeepers: Raul Rangel (Guadalajara), Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna)
Defense: Israel Reyes (America), Jorge Sanchez (PAOK, Greece), Cesar Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Johan Vazquez (Genoa, Italy), Jesus Gallardo (Toluca), Mateo Chaves (Alkmaar, Netherlands).
Midfielders: Edson Alvarez (West Ham, England), Brian Gutierrez, Luis Romo (Guadalajara), Obed Vargas (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens, Greece), Eric Lira (Cruz Asol), Gilberto Moura (Tijuana), Cesar Huerta (Anderlecht, Belgium), Alvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis, Spain), Luis Chaves (Dynamo Moscow, Russia)
Forward: Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Alexis Vega (Toluca), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah, Saudi Arabia), Santiago Jiménez (AC Milan, Italy), Guillermo Martinez (Pumas), Armando Gonçalez (Guadalajara), Raul Jiménez (Fulham, England)
