Mexico’s national team began its World Cup 2026 concentration on May 6 amid tensions with clubs. Javier Aguirre stated that no agreement was broken despite permission granted to Toluca to field two players in the Concachampions.
Following the initial call-up of 12 Liga MX players announced in late April, the Mexican Football Federation issued a statement on May 6 warning that Liga MX players called up who failed to report to the High Performance Center would be excluded from the World Cup. The measure followed Chivas owner Amaury Vergara’s order for his five selected players to report in Guadalajara after permission was granted to Toluca for Alexis Vega and Jesús Gallardo to play the Concachampions semifinal return leg against LAFC.
In a seven-minute press conference at the CAR, Aguirre thanked the clubs involved and confirmed the project remained on track. “The one who does not come will be out of the World Cup,” the coach stated, adding that concentration began with dinner at 8:00 p.m.
Hours later Chivas released a statement saying its players would report on time. Raúl Rangel, Armando González, Roberto Alvarado and Luis Romo left Verde Valle for Mexico City, while Brian Gutiérrez arrived separately from Chicago. Toluca released its two players after the match.
