'We want Mexico to face Italy' - Federation president Mikel Arriola aims to schedule El Tri friendly vs four-time World Cup winners

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the Mexican national team is ramping up its preparations for a historic tournament that will be co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Mikel Arriola, executive president of Liga MX and commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), confirmed that efforts are underway to secure high-caliber international opponents for El Tri in the remaining year before the global event.

Speaking during a virtual appearance at an event held at the Mexican Embassy in Rome - marking the countdown to the World Cup - Arriola revealed that one of the FMF's main objectives is to arrange a friendly against four-time world champions Italy, ideally in 2026 as part of the final phase of preparation.

"We want Mexico to face Italy as part of our World Cup warm-up," Arriola stated. "It would be a key fixture in our roadmap toward the tournament."

Mexico is set to make history as the first nation to host the FIFA World Cup for a third time, and with that comes the ambition to raise the level of competition for the national team. The FMF is particularly focused on testing El Tri against teams with strong soccer traditions across Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Arriola also outlined the broader preparation strategy for the national team, emphasizing that Mexico will benefit from an extended pre-tournament training camp. The squad is expected to begin its final preparations six-plus weeks before kickoff - giving El Tri significantly more time than most other teams.

“This extended camp will give us a competitive edge,” Arriola said. “We’re also planning to play 50 percent more friendly matches than the average national team, with opponents from Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Ideally, Italy will be among them.”

Additionally, Arriola highlighted that should Mexico top its group in the World Cup, the national team could potentially play additional knockout-stage matches on home soil - allowing fans to continue supporting their team locally and creating a unique home-field advantage.

The last meeting between Mexico and Italy took place more than a decade ago at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. On that occasion, the Azzurri claimed a 2-1 victory with goals from Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli, while Javier "Chicharito" Hernández scored from the penalty spot for Mexico.

Mexico will kick off their Gold Cup campaign Saturday against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium. It will be a historic occasion, as this marks the first meeting between the two national teams in official competition.