FIFA World Cup 2026: Mexico threatens ban for no-show players

Mexico’s football chiefs have vowed to exclude domestic club players from the country’s World Cup squad if they do not report for a training camp for the tournament scheduled for later Wednesday.

In a bizarre twist to Mexico’s World Cup preparations, with the opening match just five weeks away, the federation said players who skipped the meeting risked being excluded from the squad.

“As instructed by the coaching staff, any player who does not report to the training camp today will be left out of the World Cup squad,” the national team said in a press release.

The impasse emerged this week after several internationals indicated they might not be able to join the camp, which takes place outside the FIFA-designated international window.

They include two Mexican internationals playing for Liga-MX side Toluca, who will face Los Angeles FC later Wednesday in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals. The match starts half an hour before the formal start of Mexico coach Javier Aguirre’s pre-World Cup meeting.

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The absence of the two Toluca players, Alexis Vega and Jesus Gallardo, has angered Liga-MX side Chivas de Guadalajara, who initially released five internationals for the national team despite currently preparing for a crucial play-off quarter-final this weekend.

Chivas president Amaury Vergara then recalled national team players Raul Rangel, Luis Romo, Brian Gutierrez, Roberto Alvarado and Armando Gonzalez.

Mexico coach Aguirre called up 20 players for the training camp – all of whom play in the Mexican national league – which will be held at the Mexican Football Federation’s High Performance Center in Mexico City.

In February, the clubs agreed to release their players after the end of the domestic regular season and after the first leg of the CONCACAF semi-finals.

However, according to reports in Mexico, Toluca duo Gallardo and Vega – both called up by Aguirre – trained with their club on Tuesday.

Toluca head coach Antonio Mohamed is reportedly planning to take them on in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals later Wednesday.

“Agreements are only valid if all parties respect them,” Guadalajara President Vergara said on X.

Mexico’s training camp takes place ahead of the World Cup warm-up matches against Ghana (May 22), Australia (May 30) and Serbia (June 4).

Mexico kicks off the World Cup on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca with a Group A match against South Africa.

Published on May 6, 2026