This is how the matches of the Mexican national team in the United States work

Unlike most soccer teams, the Mexico national team does not play at home. Mexican team He usually plays more home games in the United States than in his home regionmainly due to an agreement with a company that guarantees a large economic income to the Mexican Football Federation, to the extent that it In some aspects, it usually leaves better profits than the World Cup itself.

The Mexican national team plays in Mexico only in official matches. that by organization it shall be within the territory, that CONCACAF Nations League duels and World Cup qualifiers are played in national stadiums.

However, El Tri plays several friendlies in the United States, several times against teams from the same Concacaf region, such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras, as well as Conmebol teams, such as Paraguay, Ecuador, and Chile; You rarely get to play against powers like Argentina and Brazil.

Why does the Mexican national team play in the United States more than in Mexico?

El Tri and the Mexican Football FederationHe has been criticized for many years for playing more “cool” games, As “Toca” Ferretti qualifies, with the convenience of the United States, against European rivals, as a visitor to the old continent, this is due to Contract with Mexico with Soccer United Marketing (SUM).

SUM is a company dedicated to organizing friendlies in the United States with headquarters in New York. He has worked directly with the Mexico national team since 2003 And for 20 years he has also worked with the US national team, which since 2023 prefers to act independently for the 2026 World Cup.

Instead, it is The Mexican national team renewed his six-year contract. which includes friendlies in the United States through 2028. By 2022, the year of the World Cup, El Tri has played 17 matches, of which 14 are home matches… Well, in theory, well, actually Seven were in the United States, two were in Spain, and five were in Mexico, the last by regulation.

In this way, the farewell match took place before El Tri traveled to Europe to finish his preparations in Girona, in California in the United States against Colombia. In 2022, the last time Mexico played in Mexico, in the month of June, Against Suriname, in Torreon, and with a team made up of players eliminated from the World Cup, such as Marcelo Flores, David Pizarro, Sebastian Cordova, Diego Lainez, Santiago Jimenez and Carlos Acevedo.

Select A, made up of World Cup players, played for the last time that year in Mexico in a month March against El Salvador.

As for Femexfut, it is better to play it in the United States than in Mexico, because it represents it Income almost tripled the income earned by playing in national stadiums, which was difficult to fill under “Tata” Martino.

Work friendly matches in the United States

According to data from The EconomistThe Mexican national team has brought more than four million fans to its matches in the United States because it works in tandem with SUM. Stadiums in the United States tend to get full because The trio’s fan base is 60 million, according to Femexfutalthough not all of them are necessarily Mexican, but Latino.

according to Data from the Mexican government in 2018And More than 38 million Mexicans live in the United States, Although the number grew in 2022 with the embodiment of the Mexican Constitution, which Recognizes as the descendants of citizens of persons born in Mexico and living in the United States or other countries (Before, only children were identified).

These numbers explain why American stadiums appear full every time Mexico plays, and here’s why The trio carries a sense of belonging Which also makes it a profitable product.

per match, SUM generates approximately nine million dollarsOf which It included two million dollars for the Mexican Football Federation, Which, meanwhile, is obliged to play five matches a year in the United States, not counting the official duels of tournaments such as the Gold Cup or the League of Nations, which, although they are played in the United States, are organized by CONCACAF.

In this way, by fulfilling the five games commitment, a ticket 10 million dollars annually. In 2022, after the failure in the Qatar World Cup, Femexfut entered nine million in its three matches in the group stage, that is, in terms of income, Friendly matches in the United States were much more profitable than the World Cup itself.

Friendly matches, according to Yon de Luisa, represent little More than a third of the annual budget of the Mexican Football Association.

Why friendly matches outside the history of FIFA?

In the match against the United States in 2023, the new contract was launched, which Guarantees $60 million to Femexfut for a six-year contractwith which you can partially finance the organization of the 2026 World Cup.

However, to comply with the five annual games, the calendar had to be maneuvered and extended. In 2023, Mexico will have official competitions in the Nations League and the Gold Cup during the summerSo the remaining calendar for 2023 is limited to the FIFA dates of September, October and November, and it is said that at least In October the trio may face Germany And maybe another competitor in Europe, as well These duels will not be conducted by SUM.

That is why the new agreement for the men’s national team was launched outside the FIFA dates, against the United States, without active players in Europe, In order to comply with the agreement of five annual duels.

The women’s national team will also go to the United States

This new agreement now includes the women’s national team, which in FIFA history in April played two matches in the United States against clubs, in which we see not only the men’s hat-trick, but also Now to the women’s team to play matches outside of Mexico.

first matches Tri Women will be held in 2023 in Chicago, against the Chicago Red Stars And in Houston, against the Houston Dynamo. All this makes the Mexican Football Federation one of the most powerful economic associations in the world, overtaking the English Federation for several years.