Overview
There is always special attention around Portugal's matches when Cristiano Ronaldo takes the field. However, the striker who has won the Golden Ball 5 times - and is also the greatest scorer in the history of the men's national team with 143 goals - will not participate in the next match due to a hamstring injury.
The 41-year-old player is in his own recovery process and is assessed as progressing positively, but his absence has greatly affected the attractiveness of the match against Mexico. Ticket prices on the market are said to have dropped sharply when Ronaldo cannot play.
However, CR7 still played an important role in Portugal's journey to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, with 5 goals after 5 matches. Roberto Martinez's team tops Group F with 13 points, ranked above opponents such as the Republic of Ireland, Hungary and Armenia.
Even without Ronaldo due to suspension in the final qualifying match, Portugal still showed its strength with a 9-1 win over Armenia in Porto, in which Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks.
Ranked 6th in the world according to FIFA and one of the top candidates for the World Cup championship, Portugal also maintains an impressive head-to-head record when they have never lost to Mexico in previous encounters.
On the Mexican side, this team will be honored to host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup on June 11. Estadio Azteca (used under another official name in the tournament) will become the first stadium in history to host 3 World Cup opening matches, after the 1970s and 1986s.
As co-hosts with the US and Canada, Mexico did not have to play in the qualifiers and has not played any official matches since winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July 2025 after winning against the US.
Since then, Javier Aguirre's team has played many international friendly matches. After a series of 6 unbeaten matches (4 draws, 2 losses), including a 0-4 defeat to Colombia, they have improved their form with three consecutive wins against Panama, Bolivia and Iceland.
Notably, Mexico has only lost one of their last five encounters with European teams since the 2022 World Cup (2 wins, 2 draws). However, the history of confrontations with Portugal does not favor them, as they have lost 3 of their last 4 encounters, including a 1-2 defeat in extra time at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Personnel situation
The Mexican national team will not have the services of Edson Alvarez, Marcel Ruiz and 17-year-old talent Gilberto Mora - who used to start in midfield in last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup final. In addition, Hirving Lozano and Julian Araujo are also notable absences.
However, veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has returned to the national team for the first time since May 2025. With 151 appearances for the national team, he aims to impress to participate in the 2026 World Cup.
Spanish-born midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo - who moved from Club America to Real Betis in February - is ready to make his national team debut at the age of 28. Meanwhile, players such as Raul Jimenez, Jesus Gallardo and Orbelin Pineda will also compete for a starting spot.
On the Portuguese side, Ronaldo, along with number one goalkeeper Diogo Costa, striker Rafael Leao and young talent Rodrigo Mora are all absent. In addition, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Palhinha are also absent due to fitness issues.
Expected lineup:
Mexico: Rangel, Ledezma, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo, Gutierrez, Fidalgo, Pineda, Alvarado, Jimenez, Vega.
Portugal: Sa, Cancelo, A. Silva, Inacio, Mendes, J. Neves, R. Neves, B. Fernandes, Neto, Ramos, Felix.
The match between Mexico and Portugal takes place at 8:00 AM on March 29 (Vietnam time).
