In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, Mexico and Japan negotiating a September friendly

The Mexican and Japanese national teams have begun negotiations to face each other in a friendly during the September FIFA dates in the United States. Both federations see the match favorably as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

The Japanese became the first team to qualify for the World Cup this week after defeating Bahrain 2-0. Both Japan's head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, and Mexico's coach, Javier Aguirre, have expressed interest in making this match happen, so the federations of both countries are working on it.

The "Vasco" knows the Japanese national team well, as he coached them from 2014-15. Japan has been recognized as one of the countries with the greatest development in football, having established a competitive league.

The Mexican national team aims to arrive in top form for the 2026 World Cup, where they will be one of the host nations. With the matches against Switzerland and Turkey confirmed for the June FIFA dates as preparation for the 2025 Gold Cup, the Federation is now working to finalize a friendly match against Japan.

"Playing against higher-ranked opponents is essential for the growth of the players," Japan manager Hajme Moriyasu said.

Currently, Japan is ranked 15th in the world, while Mexico 19th, surpassed by countries such as Iran, Senegal, the United States, and Morocco.

Mexico and Japan have faced each other five times, with the first encounter in 1998 and the most recent in 2020. On all occasions, El Tri has defeated the Asian side, scoring a total of nine goals and conceding only three.

In the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Japan defeated Mexico for third place, while in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, El Tri won 3-1 to claim the bronze medal.