Santiago Giménez reveals his ideal starting XI for Mexico’s 2026 World Cup opener - and boldly includes himself

Santiago Giménez has made it clear who he wants to line up with when Mexico kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign. In a recent video interview with “El Escorpión Dorado,” the AC Milan striker named his ideal starting XI - and included himself up top alongside Raúl Jiménez.

Giménez, who has fallen behind Jiménez in the pecking order under Javier Aguirre, still envisions himself playing a key role. Rather than choosing between the two, he embraced the idea of a dual-striker system, something Aguirre briefly experimented with during the Nations League - and with some success. However, that setup was scrapped at the Gold Cup, where Raúl earned the starting job as the lone striker.

Giménez also backed 16-year-old sensation Gilberto Mora, who has taken Mexican football by storm and secured a place in Aguirre’s starting lineup for major matches. Giménez praised the teenager’s rapid rise and expressed confidence in his ability to contribute on the sport’s biggest stage.

Despite scoring just five goals in 42 matches for El Tri, Giménez remains hopeful he can earn a leading role when Mexico opens the World Cup on home soil.

Goalkeeper: Luis Ángel Malagón (Club América)
Full-backs: Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Rodrigo Huescas (Copenhagen)
Center-backs: Johan Vásquez (Genoa), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Midfielders: Alexis Vega (Toluca), Gilberto Mora (Tijuana), Edson Álvarez (West Ham), César Huerta (Anderlecht)
Forwards: Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Santiago Giménez (AC Milan)

Aguirre’s Mexico will be back in action during the next international break, with friendlies against Japan on Sept. 6 and South Korea on Sept. 9. Both matches are set to be played in the United States.