Rafael Márquez takes charge of Mexico's men's national team for the first time this Saturday, September 26, when El Tri hosts Colombia at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. As TUDN has confirmed, the former defender's debut formally kicks off Mexico's build-up to the 2030 World Cup, arriving after two years as an assistant to Javier Aguirre, a cycle that ended with Mexico's elimination in the round of 16 at this year's World Cup.
This international window brings an unusually packed schedule: four matches on US soil before the first week of October is out. After the Baltimore opener, the squad heads to Harrison, New Jersey, to face Peru on September 29 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The third match comes on October 3, when Mexico visits State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to take on the United States. The tour closes on October 6 against Chile at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Where to Watch
All four matches will get wide coverage inside Mexico: Canal 5 and Azteca 7 on broadcast television, TUDN on pay TV, plus the digital feeds of ViX and Claro Sports, per a rundown from FOX Sports México. Joining that lineup for the first time is Amazon Prime Video, which will launch its coverage of the national team with the Colombia match, part of a four-year, 38-game home-match deal signed with the Mexican Football Federation through 2030.
The Roster: Familiar Faces, a Few Surprises
Of the 30 players Márquez called in for this window, 17 were part of the squad that competed at this year's World Cup, including center backs Johan Vásquez, now with Italy's Genoa, and César Montes, who plays for Lokomotiv Moscow, according to a breakdown from Proceso. In midfield, Real Betis's Álvaro Fidalgo keeps his place, and up front Santiago Giménez returns after joining Portugal's Porto on loan from AC Milan this season.
Among the headline additions is the return of Hirving Lozano, now with LA Galaxy, who hadn't been called up since before the World Cup, along with naturalized forward Germán Berterame of Inter Miami. Goalkeeper Álex Padilla, of Athletic Bilbao, also reappears after more than a year off the national-team radar, according to Mediotiempo.
The Absences: Injuries and Lack of Minutes
Not every expected name made the cut. Edson Álvarez was left out due to limited playing time at West Ham United, while Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones were held back because both are managing physical issues the coaching staff chose not to push, as explained by Cooperativa.cl. That caution isn't incidental: these four friendlies also double as a testing ground ahead of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, set for November, which Mexico has already secured a spot in as the confederation's top-ranked team, according to Concacaf's official site.
Chivas Leads Club Representation
Guadalajara supplies more players than any other club to this first roster — six in total: goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, midfielder Luis Romo, forward Roberto Alvarado, and youngsters Diego Campillo, Santiago Sandoval and Hugo Camberos, per a count from Récord. Four of them won't join camp until after Liga MX's Matchday 10, meaning they'll miss the Colombia opener.
The call-up list changed hours before the first training session: midfielder Alan Cervantes of Club América was withdrawn with a muscle issue and replaced by teammate Isaías Violante, according to Infobae. The overall squad size stayed at 30. Márquez ran his first session at Mexico's High Performance Center with just 17 players on hand — the rest trickled in from clubs in Europe and MLS — already working alongside Andrés Guardado, part of his coaching staff, per Telemundo.
What Comes After the Tour
Beyond the result against Colombia, Márquez faces a dual challenge: establishing a recognizable playing identity in barely four weeks while keeping his squad healthy enough to peak in November, when Mexico takes on the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Before then, the swing through Baltimore, Harrison, Glendale and Los Angeles will also test the reach of Mexican and Mexican American communities across the United States, a factor the federation has increasingly built into its World Cup preparation tours.
