At the age of 40, Ochoa will participate in his 6th World Cup in his career, thereby equaling the achievements of two world football superstars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Mexican national team is one of the three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup along with the US and Canada. Although it is the team that will play the opening match against South Africa on June 12th at the Azteca stadium, coach Javier Aguirre only announced the official list after the friendly win against Australia 1-0 and on time to register with FIFA.
Ochoa's appearance has received much attention as the goalkeeper has no longer regularly worn the national team jersey in recent years. However, the rich experience of the goalkeeper who participated in the 2006 World Cup is considered an important factor in coach Aguirre's plan.
Besides Ochoa, Mexico still brings to the tournament experienced pillars such as captain Edson Alvarez, striker Raul Jimenez or striker Santiago Gimenez.
The squad of "El Tri" also combines experience and youth. Midfielder Gilberto Mora became the youngest player of Mexico to participate in the World Cup when he was only 17 years old. Meanwhile, young talents such as Armando Gonzalez, Obed Vargas or Brian Gutierrez were also given opportunities at the biggest football festival on the planet.
In addition, coach Aguirre continues to place his trust in naturalized players such as Alvaro Fidalgo, born in Spain, and Julian Quinones, a Colombian-born player who has become an important factor of the Mexican national team in recent times.
Mexico once reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup when playing the host role. At this year's tournament, the representative of the CONCACAF region expects to take advantage of their home field to go deep.
This is also the third time coach Javier Aguirre has led Mexico to participate in the World Cup, after 2002 and 2010. Before entering the opening match against South Africa, Mexico will have a final friendly match with Serbia to complete preparations.
