A pair of polls indicate that not only are Mexicans bullish on their team’s chances of advancing at next year’s World Cup, they also believe their country will feature the best environment of the tournament’s three hosts.
The newspaper Reforma asked 320 adults from across the country how far they think El Tri will advance in the 2026 World Cup and 83% said Mexico will be one of the two national teams to advance out of Group A. Nearly half of those polled (49%) think Mexico will win its Round of 32 match to reach the Round of 16.
(Victoria Valltierra/Cuartoscuro.com)
Should Mexico reach the Round of 16 it would mark just the second time in El Tri’s 17 World Cup appearances that it played a fifth match. In 1986 — the last time Mexico hosted the global soccer tournament — El Tri reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual finalist West Germany.
Nearly two-thirds of those polled by Reforma see Mexico defeating South Africa in the inaugural match in Mexico City and 83% think El Tri will either win or draw vs South Korea in its second group-stage match. The final member of Group A will be determined in March.
Whereas participants in the Reforma survey indicated mild confidence in Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre (50% said they trust him, 45% said they don’t), another poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Mitofsky found that only 33% voiced satisfaction with Aguirre.
El Tri ended the year on a six-game winless streak (0 wins, four draws, two losses), prompting 70% of those asked to voice discontent with the team’s performance.
The polls also asked about conditions in Mexico for the World Cup (Mexico will host 13 matches in three cities: Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara).
The Reforma poll found that roughly three-quarters think security will be more than adequate (76% — safe for teams; 74% — safe for foreign fans; 72% — safe for tourists in general).
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Reforma respondents said they believe Mexico will most benefit economically from playing host to the World Cup, while 23% said the biggest beneficiary will be Mexico’s reputation as a great country to visit.
The Mitofsky poll found that a whopping 70% believe Mexico will provide the best environment for World Cup fans (7.8% said the U.S., 1.7% said Canada). However, the survey also found that respondents believe the U.S. has the more attractive stadiums and is likely to be better organized.
With regard to which inaugural game will be the most spectacular, nearly 39% told Mitofsky that the game at Mexico City Stadium on June 11 will be the best. Nearly 29% said the inaugural match in the U.S. on June 12 at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles will be the most spectacular, while only 6% think the June 12 match at Toronto Stadium will be the best.
