NEW YORK — Despite the noise from across the border, Mexico have so far managed to pull off the most politicised World Cup in history without incident.
Unlike in the US, Mexico is primarily a football nation. They welcome England in the last-16 of the tournament knowing they have every chance of humbling them – not only because of the conditions, the altitude, or the heat.
The Three Lions have staggered to get here, saved by Harry Kane against DR Congo and uninspiring against Ghana and Panama. They head next to Estadio Azteca and a cauldron the like of which they will have never seen before.
“We have that in the blood,” tourism minister Michelle Fridman tells The i Paper. “Everyone in Mexico just loves football. I would say it’s an integrator of society. We’ll have fun – we’ll celebrate with lots of tequila and mariachi music.”
Given the geopolitical tensions in the build-up, Mexico were determined that this World Cup should be a chance to “show Mexico to the world”. They have invested $12bn on hosting matches in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first female President, began the tournament by giving away her ticket to the opening ceremony to an indigenous woman. Every aspect of the World Cup is charged with symbolism – not least because of their unlikely co-hosts.
Mexico’s unlikely co-hosts
The US government has tried to paint a very different picture, one of a dark underbelly in Mexico’s cities which threatened to derail the entire World Cup project. Sheinbaum has repeatedly accused the US of political interference, suggesting American far-right groups are working alongside Mexican counterparts to undermine her administration.
In January, Donald Trump threatened to send troops over the border, purportedly to tackle the cartels. The killing of drug kingpin “El Mencho” in a military operation led to a spate of violence just as Mexico was finalising its preparations to welcome a million visitors.
But that is an unjust depiction, for several reasons. Tourism to Mexico is at an all-time high. The US, by contrast, is a global outlier – its own tourism industry experienced a sharp decline in 2025. In Guadalajara, homicide is down by 40 per cent and wider crime by more than 20 per cent.
“I’ve seen how unfair this image of Mexico has been to our country,” Fridman says.
“It’s not a surprise that the United States has been facing, let’s say, a challenging time – whether it’s migration politics that has affected the tourism industry overall, not only with Mexico, but with the rest of the world. There are less tourists arriving to the United States and less tourists leaving the United States.
“What we’ve been doing is to keep saying to the Americans that we’re open to receiving them, we want them. There are many Americans that are still visiting us.”
A party atmosphere has settled on the host cities. Guadalajara, Fridman describes as “traditionally modern”, keeping its “history, tradition, and traditional food” alive, while evolving into a city ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The raicilla – a 400-year-old tropical spirit, second only to tequila for popularity – is flowing. The elephants and capybaras at Jalisco zoo have been asked to predict results by selecting boxes of food bearing different flags. All seemed to believe Mexico will win.
Pure emotion for Raul Jimenez
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 11, 2026
The Mexican scores his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal at the age of 35! pic.twitter.com/B6YhrWJoF9
What England can expect
Mexico arrived at this World Cup on an eight-game unbeaten run, and have an added advantage in temperatures set to soar beyond 32°C during matches. In Mexico City, players will have to run in high altitudes 7,2,20 feet above sea level.
Javier Aguirre, the head coach, is Mexico’s answer to Gareth Southgate, prioritising pragmatism over flair.
“The passion for the game is woven into everyday life here,” Citlalli Medina, a Mexican football expert at Mural, tells The i Paper.
“Aguirre’s greatest strengths as a manager are not necessarily tactical. Instead they lie in his vast experience, leadership and ability to motivate players. He is also uniquely placed to help the squad understand what it means to represent Mexico at a home World Cup, having done so himself during the 1986 tournament.
“There are certainly concerns about the side’s overall performances and style of play. El Tri do not appear to have a clearly established playing identity at the moment, which means they often rely heavily on moments of individual quality rather than a well-defined collective system.”
Mexico are still dependent on 35-year-old Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, who has more goals against Jordan Pickford than any other goalkeeper in Europe. There has been huge excitement over 17-year-old Gilberto Mora of Tijuana, the youngest player at the tournament.
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Fifa insisted that during the World Cup, “three countries and an entire continent” would come together.
Along the Texan border, it has not always felt that way, the US military closing airspace over El Paso and investing in lasers to shoot down drones suspected of drug trafficking. Tensions between the US and Mexico are not new but have been inflamed since Trump’s second term began.
In Mexico, the mood is defiant. However many eyes are trained above the border, they are already delivering its share of the bargain.
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