The start of the Liga MX Clausura 2026 season is only days away and for many players it represents the final chance to prove worthy of being included in Mexico’s 2026 World Cup roster.
Liga MX players will make up the bulk of Javier Aguirre’s 26-man Mexico national team roster next summer. Although the vast majority of El Tri’s squad seems to be set in stone already, there’s still vacancies up for grabs that a number of fringe players will be eager to fill.
Mexico will play three friendlies before the March international break with a roster exclusively built from Liga MX talent. Strong performances during the early portion of the Clausura 2026 will be paramount for players aiming to get an extended look from Aguirre in the upcoming camps, with the focus solely placed on the 2026 World Cup.
Here are five fringe players that could sneak into Mexico’s 2026 World Cup roster with strong performances during the upcoming campaign.
5. Kevin Álvarez
The devastating knee injury Rodrigo Huescas suffered back in October leaves a right back spot in Mexico’s roster open for the taking. Kevin Álvarez has struggled for consistency in recent times, but a good season could see him win the open competition for that vacant role.
Álvarez is a player with high peaks but perhaps even deeper lows. His breakout as an attacking-minded right back with Pachuca earned him a maiden World Cup appearance in Qatar 2022, but he’s been up and down since joining Club América shortly after.
The raw quality is there and there’s perhaps no player that could replicate Huescas’s profile and style better than Álvarez. If he’s able to become a more capable defender and returns to his attacking best, the 26-year-old has every chance of making a second World Cup appearance in 2026.
4. Elías Montiel
Few players in Liga MX have shown more potential in the past two years than 20-year-old Pachuca midfielder Elías Montiel. His stellar showing against Real Madrid in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup final earned him praise from then manager Carlo Ancelotti, but opportunities with El Tri have been few and far between.
Aguirre hasn’t shown faith in Montiel in the past, and an injury-ridden second half of 2025 made it impossible for him to prove his worth during El Tri’s most recent friendlies. Montiel has been linked with a move to Europe in recent windows, but all signs point to him staying put at Pachuca for the Clausura 2026.
At his best, the midfielder has what it takes to be a valuable alternative in midfield. Not only is he a great tempo-setter, but he also has every pass in the tool box—and the vision—to match.
It might seem like a long-shot right now, but if manager Esteban Solari hands Montiel the keys to Pachuca this season, the exciting youngster has talent worthy of El Tri’s World Cup roster.
3. Ramón Juárez
An argument could be made that not a single Mexican center back is better in the air than Club América’s Ramón Juárez, a trait that Aguirre is known to value significantly.
A gruesome injury all-but ended Jesús Orozco’s World Cup hopes, opening up a center back vacancy in Mexico’s World Cup roster. Juárez was more often than not included in El Tri’s 2025 rosters, but he failed to register significant minutes.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for Juárez to overcome is his subpar quality on the ball. He is at his best imposing his will in physical battles, and his great positional instincts allow him to make crucial interventions.
Locking down a regular starting role in André Jardine’s stacked América backline will be essential, but he’s proven to regularly take advantage of his opportunities. Jesús Angulo appears to be Orozco’s most natural replacement given he’s also left footed, but the Tigres man has also experienced his fair share of struggles in recent time.
If Juarez delivers in the coming months, his elite aerial game could tilt the balance in his favor.
2. Ángel Sepúlveda
🏡 WELCOME HOME, ANGEL! 🐐
— CHIVAS (@ChivasEN_) December 18, 2025
🇫🇷 Sepúlveda joins our squad ahead of CL26 and he's ready to wear la Rojiblanca with determination and pride! 😤
4️⃣0️⃣ MILLION CHIVAHERMANOS WILL FIGHT BY YOUR SIDE, 'CUATE'! 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Z7AOXAEIVH
Ángel Sepulveda’s sensational opening semester of 2025 made him a regular with El Tri. But injuries and a significant drop in form with former club Cruz Azul during the Apertura 2025 damaged his status at the worst possible time.
Now, the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup leading goalscorer has found a new home for 2026, returning for a second stint with Chivas. With Javier “Chicharito” Hernández leaving the club, he has a chance of carving himself a significant role in Gabrile Milito’s surging side.
Just six months ago, the veteran was at the peak of his powers. Even though he’ll turn 35 in February, Sepúlveda has aged like fine wine, maintaining his great finishing instincts but also becoming a valuable outlet to link-up with other attackers in the final third.
He’ll have to rediscover his form first, but fully recovered from a hamstring injury, Sepúlveda will get every chance to do just that. If the forward excels under Milito, then Chivas could supply two strikers to El Tri’s World Cup roster, with Sepúlveda joining Armando González on the list and potentially threatening the place of the struggling Santiago Giménez.
1. Álvaro Fidalgo
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better player in Liga MX over the past three years than Álvaro Fidalgo. And finally, the Real Madrid academy graduate has reportedly opened the door to represent Mexico instead of Spain at the international stage.
Fidalgo will be able to file his one-time switch with FIFA in March and every sign points toward him giving Aguirre the green light to consider him for the World Cup. The Spanish born midfielder was the heartbeat of a Club América team that conquered three consecutive Liga MX titles between 2023 and 2024.
Fidalgo is a prototypical Spanish midfielder—what he lacks in size and imposing physique he makes up with flawless technique and unparalleled soccer IQ. At his peak level, an argument could be made that he’d be the best midfielder at Aguirre’s disposal next summer.
Excitement surrounding Fidalgo potentially donning El Tri’s green shirt has been growing for some time. Now, it seems that what was once a pipe dream is closer now than ever before to becoming a reality. If the exciting midfielder maintains the level he’s consistently shown for the past five Liga MX seasons, it’s hard to envision Aguirre not jumping at the chance to utilize a player that could very well be a difference-maker at the World Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Liga MX Players Battling for a Spot on Mexico’s 2026 World Cup Roster—Ranked.
