Information on Mexican Soccer

Soccer is the most popular sport in Mexico. The national league has four divisions comprised of 359 teams, although many of the teams in the lower divisions are not professional. Mexico’s Football Association, the national governing body, was formed in 1927, and it has been a member of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the world soccer governing body, since 1929.

  1. Domestic Clubs

    • Mexico’s most successful soccer club is C.D Guadaljara, more commonly known as Las Chivas (The Goats). It holds the record for having the best start to a season, with seven consecutive wins, scoring 17 goals, in the 2010 season. Los Angeles-based Chivas USA is named after its Mexican counterparts. Las Chivas only fields Mexican-born players. Club América is C.D Guadalajar’s main rival and is Mexico’s second most successful club in terms of league wins. Other successful Mexican teams include Deportivo Toluca, Atlante F.C and Cruz Azul.

    National team

    • Mexico’s national soccer team is governed by the Mexican Football Association, which is in charge of appointing the team’s manager. The national team uniform, or kit, as it is commonly called, is always green, red and white. The kit takes its colors from the country’s national flag. When Mexico plays a team with a similar-looking kit, the visiting team wears its second-choice kit.

    International Success

    • The farthest Mexico has progressed in the FIFA World Cup is the quarterfinal stage, in 1970 and 1986. The team won the FIFA Confederations Cup once, winning the final game against Brazil in 1999.

    World Cup Hosts

    • Mexico has hosted the World Cup twice: in 1970 and 1986. Mexico recorded its two best performances when hosting the tournament.

    Famous players

    • There are many famous Mexican footballers, both domestically and internationally. Jared Borgetti holds the record for most international goals, with 46. Claudio Suarez, who played for Chivas USA, has played for Mexico more times than anyone else. He also holds the record for most international appearances, with 177 FIFA games.

    The Future

    • Mexico is steadily becoming a more dominant force. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the team was eliminated by Argentina in the final 16 stage. Mexico’s only goal in that game was scored by Javier Hernández Balcázar, who joined British team Manchester United in 2010. Manchester United is one of the world’s most successful soccer teams, and Balcázar is the first Mexican player to play for them.