U.S., Mexico soccer to play qualifier at Azteca, possibly for last time
MEXICO CITY — There is no more difficult place for the U.S. national team to play than Estadio Azteca, Mexico’s iconic fortress home and the largest soccer stadium in Latin America.
If the heat, the altitude and the passionate Mexican fans don’t get you, the smog will.
“The last time we played, we had players very ill after the game,” said Bruce Arena, who coached the U.S. in three World Cup qualifiers at Azteca without winning a game. “I remember walking out in the tunnel and Kellyn Acosta was doubled over puking.
“It’s, uh, challenging.”
It’s also why the U.S.-Mexico rivalry is among the most intense in international sports, one that turns especially bitter when the stakes are high as they will be Thursday when the teams play in Azteca with a World Cup berth up for grabs.
The duel could soon lose some of its luster if that game proves to be the last one the teams play in Mexico City during World Cup qualifying.
Both countries, along with Canada, are expected to get automatic berths in the 2026 tournament since they’re hosting it, precluding a qualifying tournament. And by 2030, with the World Cup field at 48 teams and the number of guaranteed CONCACAF entrants doubling to six, the current qualifying format will have to change.
What form that will take, nobody knows.
“At this point,” a U.S. Soccer spokesman said, “the World Cup qualifying process after 2026 has not been determined.”
But it will be different, with one likely scenario requiring separate qualifying groups similar to the format currently in place in Europe. And as long as Mexico and the U.S. remain the region’s top two teams in the FIFA world rankings, they would head different groups for the final round, meaning they would not play one another.
“It will certainly impact the rivalry,” said Landon Donovan, who played in 40 World Cup qualifiers, including two in Mexico where he was once pelted by Coca-Cola cups that contained … well, let’s just say it wasn’t a soft drink. “Mostly it hurts the fans on both sides’ ability to talk about who’s the best team in CONCACAF. When you play each other, there’s a barometer. When you don’t, [it’s] more subjective.
“It’s too bad because those games are, on both sides, some of the most memorable games, moments, etc. It’s disappointing.”
A change in the qualifying format wouldn’t stop the U.S. and Mexico from playing in other circumstances. The rivalry would continue in the biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Nations League and with regular friendlies. But the stakes in those games are much lower than a World Cup qualifier. And most, if not all, of them would be played in the U.S., where Mexico has a lucrative promotional deal with Soccer United Marketing.
That’s why the U.S. has played just one game in Mexico that wasn’t a qualifier in the last 22 years.
“It’s a special because it’s unique,” Gerardo Torrado, sporting director for the Mexican soccer federation and a veteran of three World Cups, said of the quadrennial Mexico City qualifier.
“Qualifying for a World Cup always, it’s something special. But having the chance to qualify against your rival makes it more special.”
If Thursday’s game does prove to be the final qualifier in Azteca, at least the series is ending with a bang. Both teams come into the match with 21 points and trailing Canada in the eight-team table with three games remaining. Only three CONCACAF teams are promised spots in this fall’s World Cup in Qatar, and with Panama and Costa Rica still in the hunt, this game is one neither Mexico nor the U.S. can afford to lose.