The Mexico national football team, founded in 1927 and managed by the Mexican Football Association, is often referred to simply as "Mexico" (English: Mexico national football team).
In 1970, as the host nation, they reached the quarter-finals but were defeated 4-1 by Italy, the eventual runners-up. Sixteen years later, they again qualified for the quarter-finals as the host nation, but lost to West Germany, who went on to become the runners-up, in a penalty shootout.
In 1990, due to a violation of player eligibility rules, the team received a global ban. Mexico then began a period of stability, qualifying for the main tournament in eight consecutive World Cups. From 1994 to 2018, they were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage in seven consecutive tournaments, losing to Bulgaria, Germany, the United States, Argentina (twice), the Netherlands, and Brazil. In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, they dropped to fourth place and only narrowly continued their streak by defeating New Zealand in the play-off (aggregate score 9-3). In the knockout stage, they were even leading against the Netherlands but conceded a last-minute penalty goal.
In 2018, despite defeating the defending champion Germany to advance from the group stage, they were defeated by Brazil and stopped at the round of 16. In 2022, their journey in Qatar ended with them being eliminated in the group stage, ending a 28-year streak of reaching the round of 16. With the announcement that the 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this legendary team, which has hosted the World Cup three times, is about to embark on a new journey as the unprecedented host nation.