Mexico national team players at World Cup 2022: Roster projection for official 26-man squad and release list for Qatar

Mexico national team manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino has been promising that there will not be many surprises in the list of players he names to the final roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The intrigue with El Tri will come in the form of injuries, especially among the forwards. Scoring issues have plagued Mexico over the last year, with the best Mexican attackers struggling for fitness and form in recent months, and it’s unclear whether some of them will be able to recover in time.

Mexico will announce their preliminary roster for the World Cup on October 26 ahead of a pair of November 9 friendly against Iraq in Spain to help Martino decide the 26 players to take to Qatar.

El Tri will set up camp in Girona, Spain before departing for Qatar. They will play matches against Iraq on November 9 and Sweden on November 16, before kicking off Group C play against Poland on Tuesday, November 22.

Here is a projected preliminary list and final World Cup squad for Mexico, based on Martino’s call-ups and lineup decisions over recent months.

MORE: Closer look at Mexico’s group opponents at the FIFA World Cup

Mexico World Cup squad 2022

Manager Tata Martino has until Friday, October 21 to submit to FIFA an official preliminary list of 35-55 players, from which he will select his final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14.

The preliminary list was officially unveiled on October 26 by the Mexican federation. Below is the list of players.

Those that didn’t make the list include Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez who has been frozen out of the national team since 2019 by Martino. Chicharito’s exclusion is unsurprising given Martino’s continued stance on the player, but remains controversial considering his good club form this season for LA Galaxy and Mexico’s recent attacking woes.

Also not included were Chicharito’s LA Galaxy teammate Julian Araujo, Monterrey playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro, and Chivas midfielder Fernando Beltran. Pizarro is a well-known figure, but has not been involved heavily with the national team since 2020, while Beltran has been a fringe player over the past six months.

Final 26-man Mexico World Cup roster

Martino will use the friendly against Iraq in Girona, Spain to determine his final 26-player roster. From the 31-man preliminary roster released in late October, he will need to make just five cuts. Here’s a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, assuming all players are fit and ready.

There’s no way Martino will take four center forwards. It’s likely only one between Rogelio Funes Mori and Raul Jimenez will make it, and it will come down to which one is fittest. It’s also hard to see how Tecatito Corona will return in time from breaking his leg despite Tata Martino’s hopeful words in recent weeks.

Mexico national team stars, strengths & weaknesses

Mexico has been a regular in the knockout stage of the World Cup for the last seven editions, reaching the Round of 16 on each occasion. 

But that’s where the road has ended, with seven straight defeats in the Round of 16 to the likes of Brazil (2018), Argentina (2006 & 2010), Netherlands (2014), Germany (1998), Bulgaria (1994), and rivals USA (2002).

El Tri hired Argentine manager Tata Martino to help guide them to the dreamed of Quinto Partido (“Fifth Game,” or a quarterfinal appearance). 

Stars

If they’re going to reach their stated goal or even go further, they are going to need Napoli winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano to be a difference-maker and inspire them in attack. He has the skills to send opposing defenders into scramble mode and open up spaces for his teammates. 

Strengths

Mexico’s squad is technically and tactically sound, with players who are savvy at keeping possession and managing a game. The question is whether they can hurt the opposition with it?

That’s where Chucky Lozano comes in.

Along with Alexis Vega and Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona — if he can make it back in time from his broken left fibula and ligament damage to his left ankle suffered in practice with Sevilla — the wingers are essentially the team’s playmakers. If opposing teams can shut them down, Mexico will have a tough time threatening.

Weaknesses

It’s goalscoring and set-piece defending, which don’t make for a terribly promising combination.

Much is made of Mexico’s revolving door at the forward positions, but the problem is less about their finishing ability and more about lack of service. As mentioned above, if the wingers aren’t cooking, there’s little chance creation coming from anywhere else. 

When healthy, Wolves forward Raul Jimenez is the incumbent starter, and Santiago Gimenez is his backup. But there’s an argument to be made for Henry Martin, a hard-working forward who is unselfish and comes back to help with the attacking buildup. On some days, Mexico need that extra help in midfield.

Interestingly, Martino has held firm to his exclusion of Chicharito Hernandez despite the veteran’s great season with LA Galaxy. The 34-year-old has not made an international appearance since 2019. While it’s not surprising that Martino has stuck to his guns on this occasion, it’s still notable that an in-form an experienced international striker was passed over during a time when the Mexican attack has suffered through a lengthy dry spell.

MORE: Complete FIFA World Cup 2022 match schedule, dates & times

Mexico World Cup group

El Tri, No. 13 in the FIFA world rankings, were drawn into Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Only the top two teams in each group will advance.

Mexico will hope to have mustered enough points from their first two matches, against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland and Lionel Messi’s Argentina, to be in position to advance on the final matchday against Saudi Arabia. 

Mexico vs. Poland squad, lineup

The assumption would be that Martino would opt for the tried-and-tested Monterrey pairing of Cesar Montes and Hector Moreno against Lewandowski. Ajax right-back Jorge Sanchez and Genk left-back Gerardo Arteaga would be the first choice fullbacks to join them in the four-man backline.

Ajax’s Edson Alvarez is a fixture for Mexico at the deep holding midfield position. It’ll be either veteran Andres Guardado or livewire Luis Chavez to his left, and PSV Eindhoven’s Erick Gutierrez or ex-Atletico Madrid man Hector Herrera to his right.

In addition to Chucky Lozano, the speedy Uriel Antuna would provide a real weapon at the other winger position. If Raul Jimenez is not yet match fit, Feyenoord target man Santi Gimenez projects to be the next best option to bang bodies with the Polish center-backs.

Mexico projected starting XI vs Poland

GK: Guillermo Ochoa

DFs: Jorge Sanchez — Cesar Montes — Hector Moreno — Gerardo Arteaga

MFs: Erick Gutierrez — Edson Alvarez — Andres Guardado

FWs: Uriel Antuna — Santiago Gimenez — Hirving Lozano

Can Mexico replace players on World Cup roster?

Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.

According to the official tournament rules (page 32), “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”

The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines “the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup” then the replacement will be allowed. 

The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.