Mexico has announced the three friendlies to start 2026 in three non FIFA dates. Mexico will face off against Panama and Bolivia in January before facing off in February against Iceland. The games will be the matches prior to the March FIFA Date where Mexico will face off against Portugal and Belgium. The matches will only consist of Liga MX players with the first two being away matches while the Iceland match will take place in Queretaro.
Mexico will start their 2026 by traveling to Central America
where they will face off against Panama in the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City on January 22nd. Panama is the only Central American team to have qualified to the 2026 World Cup and will be preparing for the tournament. Like Mexico, they will have only local league players. Mexico will then travel to face off against Bolivia on January 25th in Estadio Ramon Tahuichi Aguilar in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Unlike both Mexico and Panama, Bolivia is in preparation for the FIFA World Cup playoffs which it has to play in March as they look for their spot in the World Cup. Bolivia will also have a side made of local players although they will be preparing for the playoff with three FIFA friendlies in January, with the Mexico side being their second. As they will play the playoffs in Monterrey, where there is a lot less altitude than Mexico City and Guadalajara, the matches will take place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and not in the altitude in La Paz.
A month after the matches, Mexico will play against Iceland in the Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro on February 25th. Iceland, like other Nordic nations, has their league off in winter and it only runs from April until September. This allows Iceland to have an all local league side for early winter friendlies which teams like Mexico and the United States have taken part in before. The match will be the last of the Non FIFA date friendlies.
Mexico had already announced their more important friendly matches in March. On March 28th, Mexico will face off against Portugal in the reopening of Estadio Azteca, which is under renovations. Mexico will then travel to the United States where they will face off against Belgium on March 31st in Soldier Field, Chicago. The matches will be key for Mexico’s preparation with two very strong rival and with the Portugal match having the visit of Cristiano Ronaldo (all tickets for the match released so far have been sold out). Mexico is then expected to have two friendlies in May and one in June before the tournament but no word yet on the dates of the games or the rivals they will face in those matches.
