The national team vs. club match exposes how difficult it is for the 2026 World Cup hosts to find games
Time is running out. Mexico has only a few more international windows to figure out its best lineup and its best playing style before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026.
So, it must take every game seriously. And what better preparation than … playing the 18th-ranked team in La Liga?
Mexico meets Valencia – yes, the La Liga club – in Puebla on Saturday in a game no one wants. Valencia fans have expressed their frustration on social media, wondering what benefit their club gets from going halfway around the world for an exhibition rather than staying at home and getting healthy after a 1W-5L-3D start to the season.
Mexico fans are similarly confused by the choice of opposition, and while the match against the the USMNT next Tuesday in Guadalajara sold out in minutes, ticket sales for the game in Puebla reportedly are lagging behind expectations.
Getty ImagesFINDING MATCHES
But, who else was Mexico going to play? The national team vs. club match exposes just how difficult it is for the North American hosts of the 2026 World Cup to find matches.
South American and Asian nations are playing World Cup qualification matches. European teams are playing Nations League contests – as are the other teams in the CONCACAF region. In Africa, it’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
That leaves only teams eliminated from the World Cup in Asia – The likes of Sri Lanka, Guam and Vietnam – teams from Oceania like September opponent New Zealand or getting creative like Mexico has done with the game against Valencia. And may have to do in the future.
“There some FIFA dates where there aren’t opponents when it comes to national teams – or we’d just be playing the United States and Canada over and over,” said Ivar Sisniega, president of the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF). “We’ve opened the door to look for clubs at a good level. We’re focusing on good European clubs and South American clubs.
"It has to be teams with tradition, obviously teams with a good sporting level and also teams that don’t lose a lot of players for the FIFA date. If we bring Real Madrid, Real Madrid is totally without players because even some of the reserves go into the U20 or U23 of their country. That’s the real complication we have. There will be dates in which we face other clubs.”
AdvertisementUSA TodayCANADA’S CHALLENGES
While Mexico has opted to play two matches, Canada will play just one. After playing both its fellow 2026 hosts in the September window, it booked a match with Panama, which, like the North American trio, earned an automatic qualification to November’s Nations League quarterfinals.
“It is a challenge finding opponents,” Canada manager Jesse Marsch said after his September window. “This is a big discussion every time we get together almost every week with updates almost, like, this time next year trying to solidify who our opponents are going to be.
“We’re only having one match against Panama … but we’re excited about getting back home, being in the community and continuing what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
The community involvement he nodded at was Canada’s answer to the issue that prompted Mexico to invite Valencia to play a match. Marsch took his team to Montreal for the week of training, including an open session.
The idea is to allow the team to still be in front of a crowd and to link with supporters who haven’t seen a men’s national team match in their city since 2017.
GettyNATIONS LEAGUE IN NOVEMBER
The USMNT, thus far, has been able to creatively manage the issue – though it means playing a rare friendly match in the Americas, but in Mexico. How long it will be able to keep finding suitable opponents -or if it will also have to resort to training sessions or matches with club teams – remains to be seen.
The good news for Mexico, Canada and the USMNT is that November brings official contests in the Nations League. If they win those home-and-home series, March will bring more matches, in the form of the Nations League Final Four.
Still, it’s a lot of games against the same teams, at a time when managers are seeking the stiffest competition possible to try and get their teams up to the level that will be needed to meet the expectations of home fans in 2026.
Getty ImagesGOLD CUP IN 2025
These teams will again see CONCACAF opposition in the 2025 Gold Cup in the U.S. before arriving back in this same type of conundrum during the FIFA dates in September 2025 and October 2025. There is a chance to play top opposition in the summer, though preparing for the Gold Cup may be a higher priority.
It’s a frustration federation leaders from all three World Cup hosts must wrestle with, and one that feels doubly important since they are looking to get the national team ready for what’s expected to be the most-watched World Cup of all time.
If a team succeeds or fails in the summer of 2026, no one will pin it on a game against Valencia here or a contest against a lackluster national team there. But the managers, players and staff may credit the directors who are able to find a way for the ramp-up for 2026 to push them to be better in challenging circumstances.
