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Mexico national team manager Javier Aguirre has revealed his 55-man provisional roster for the 2026 World Cup, with San Diego FC winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano arguably the most notable omission from the list.
Headlined by Fulham’s Raul Jimenez, Fenerbahçe’s Edson Alvarez and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who is trying to appear in his sixth World Cup, Mexico’s roster will be narrowed to 26 players by June 1, the official FIFA deadline.
Mexico kicks off the tournament at home on June 11 against South Africa at Estadio Banorte.
Locker room issues in San Diego
Lozano’s suspension follows a period of inactivity and reported disciplinary tensions with San Diego FC.
Aguirre has previously stated that consistent playing time was a requirement for selection, a condition Lozano was unable to meet after falling out of favor with his club’s coaching staff earlier this year.
Lozano enjoyed a promising start to the club’s debut MLS season, but internal friction became public in October following reports of a dressing room altercation with head coach Mikey Varas.
His final appearance to date for the club came as a substitute during San Diego’s 3-1 playoff loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
(Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Roster depth and injury concerns
Rodrigo Huescas, a rising star in the Danish Superliga, will miss the tournament as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear sustained during a Champions League match at the end of 2025.
Other injury-related absences from Mexico’s preliminary roster include Cruz Azul defender Jesús ‘Chiquete’ Orozco and Club América goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón.
In contrast, Aguirre has included several players who have recently returned from injury layoffs, such as Dynamo Moscow’s Luis Chávez, RSC Anderlecht’s César Huerta and Celtic’s Julián Araujo.
The manager also opted to bolster his goalkeeping depth, calling up six goalkeepers in total, including José Antonio Rodríguez and Carlos Moreno.
Increase in naturalized players and dual-nationals
Continuing the trend of naturalized players and dual-nationals in the squad, the list features Inter Miami’s Germán Berterame, Al-Qadsiah’s Julián Quiñones and Real Betis’ Álvaro Fidalgo.
This trio represents a core of talent that has exported abroad after largely dominating Liga MX over the past several seasons, with Fidalgo in particular expected to take on an attacking role in midfield.
They are joined by several Mexican-American prospects, including Chivas’ Brian Gutiérrez and Richard Ledezma, as well as Atlético Madrid’s Obed Vargas.
(Photo: Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
Problems between Liga MX and the Mexican Football Confederation
While 12 Liga MX players have previously been confirmed as “locks” for the squad in an agreement with domestic clubs, players such as Tigres’ Diego Lainez, Toluca’s Marcel Ruiz and Club América’s Érick Sánchez were added to the provisional list, likely as contingency options should injuries arise before the final submission in June.
Last week, the Mexican Football Confederation threatened to exclude any Liga MX-based player from the World Cup roster if they fail to report for national team duty.
This happened after Aguirre exposed a 20-player squad to a pre-World Cup training camp where Toluca stars Jesús Gallardo and Alexis Vega remained with their club ahead of a Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final against LAFC instead of reporting to camp.
This led to the Mexican Football Federation releasing a statement and calling for a press conference on May 6 to deliver an ultimatum.
“As directed by the coaching staff, any player who does not participate in training camp today will be omitted from the World Cup roster,” the statement read.
(Photo by Jam Media/Getty Images)
Aguirre also addressed the media during a press conference the same day.
“Whoever doesn’t come will be out of the World Cup. That’s something we can’t be flexible about, not in the least,” Aguirre said.
By nightfall on May 6, all 20 players Aguirre called into camp were present.
Final preparations
Before the World Cup kicks off, Aguirre and his men will take part in exhibitions against Ghana on May 22, Australia on May 30 and Serbia on June 4.
Mexico begin the World Cup group stage against South Africa on June 11, before facing South Korea on June 18 and the Czech Republic on June 24.
