What’s next for Mexico after World Cup elimination? A coaching change | OneFootball

Mexico City woke up in silence on Monday. Overnight, what looked like it was going to be one endless party suddenly had the switch flipped off.

Everyone knew the match between Mexico and England would be the last of the 13 World Cup games hosted in the country. But Mexico’s defeat—one that, let’s be honest, many probably saw coming—hit millions of us like a truck. We had spent weeks dreaming with our eyes wide open, only to be reminded by reality this Monday: the World Cup in Mexico is over. Mexico’s World Cup is over. So… what exactly are we supposed to cling to now?

Monday felt like Mexico’s postmortem. From June 11, opening day, until Sunday, when El Tri fell 3-2 to England in the Round of 16, you could walk outside your house and count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 people wearing the green, white, or black Mexico jersey within seconds. Today, that’s over. The jerseys are headed back into the drawer, just like Javier Aguirre will probably be doing with his endless collection of suits.

Following El Tri’s elimination—a match that left many with the feeling that England could have been beaten—Aguirre announced he would step down as Mexico head coach. The decision follows the Mexican Football Federation’s long-term plan to clear the path for Rafael Márquez, Aguirre’s assistant, to become the new manager for the 2030 World Cup cycle, which will be hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will also host matches as part of the centennial celebration honoring the first World Cup, held in 1930.

“I know this is my last match as Mexico’s head coach at the Azteca, and I leave with tremendous pride. I spent a huge part of my football life here,” Aguirre said.

“Rafa is ready. I coached him as a player, worked alongside him, and I think he’s more than qualified. He’s a very valuable person, a great coach, and he’ll prove it. Hopefully he’ll do even better than we did,” he added.

And just like I was saying, yesterday “El Vasco” was Mexico’s manager. The leader. The man in charge. Today, he’s simply another citizen.

Yesterday, Mexicans felt invincible. Today, we’re eliminated.

Once again, in the Round of 16. The wall El Tri hasn’t been able to climb in 40 years.

While it’s yet to become official, Rafael Márquez—arguably one of the greatest players Mexico has ever produced thanks to his legendary career with Barcelona—is expected to become the new national team coach, likely with Andrés Guardado, Mexico’s all-time European appearance leader, as his assistant. We’ll see if the FMF actually follows through.

Before the 2030 World Cup arrives, Mexico will have several official competitions to navigate. The schedule over the next few years includes multiple editions of the Concacaf Nations League, along with Gold Cup campaigns.

Beyond those tournaments, Rafa Márquez’s biggest challenge will be World Cup qualifying. It’s worth remembering Mexico hasn’t played a qualifying campaign since the road to Qatar 2022, as El Tri automatically qualified for the 2026 tournament as one of the host nations alongside the United States and Canada.

Who is Rafa Márquez, Mexico’s new head coach?

Rafael Márquez is one of the greatest footballers in Mexican history and, beginning in 2026, the new head coach of the national team.

Born in Zamora, Michoacán, Márquez made his professional debut with Atlas before moving to Europe, where he played for Monaco and Barcelona.

It was at Barcelona where he reached the peak of his career. Under Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola, he won two UEFA Champions League titles, four LaLiga championships and a FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first Mexican player to lift Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.

With El Tri, Márquez appeared in five consecutive FIFA World Cups, from Korea/Japan 2002 through Russia 2018, a feat shared by only a handful of players for many years. He captained Mexico through multiple World Cup cycles and won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup as well as several Gold Cup titles.

After retiring in 2018, Márquez moved into coaching. He managed Barça Atlètic, Barcelona’s reserve side, helping develop several young prospects before joining Javier Aguirre’s staff as assistant coach during Mexico’s run to the 2026 World Cup.

What’s next for Mexico?

“It fills me with pride to be Mexican, to wear this jersey, to be part of this team, this family. We lost with honor. I’m not satisfied, but I am happy with what we accomplished. Today we planted a seed that we’ll remember tomorrow,” Erik Lira said following Mexico’s elimination.

And that’s probably the quote we’ll hold onto as the reason to keep believing.

By the next World Cup, Gilberto Mora will be just 21 years old. Obed Vargas will arrive as a far more mature player. Armando González should be an established striker in Europe. Erik Lira—who will almost certainly be among the first to make the jump overseas after this World Cup—looks destined to anchor Mexico’s midfield over the next four years.

The defeat hurt, but there’s no denying this generation should be entering its prime by the time the next World Cup comes around. That’s exciting.

Who stays? Who moves on?

Guillermo Ochoa, Raúl Jiménez, captain Edson Álvarez, Julián Quiñones, Orbelín Pineda, Luis Chávez, Jesús Gallardo and Alexis Vega may now pass the torch to the next generation.

With the exception of Ochoa—who played in his sixth World Cup and retires from football following Mexico’s elimination—the rest likely haven’t played their final game for the national team. Still, it’s hard to imagine many of them making it to the 2030 World Cup four years from now.

Who will lead the next generation?

The foundation is there. If everything develops the way Mexico hopes, this core will arrive at the next World Cup with far more experience—and perhaps right in the middle of the best years of their careers.

Mexico’s upcoming schedule

Following its elimination, Mexico will have several months without official competition before beginning the road toward the 2030 World Cup:

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