Brian Gutierrez’s growing role, Raul Rangel’s No. 1 case, and Edson Alvarez’s fitness are among the key storylines as Mexico face Ghana in Puebla on Friday. GOAL looks at five keys to watch in El Tri’s first pre-World Cup friendly.
Puebla knows what a World Cup countdown feels like.
Estadio Cuauhtemoc was part of the story in 1970 and 1986, a venue touched by two tournaments that shaped Mexico’s football memory. Now, four decades after it last staged World Cup matches, Puebla becomes the next stop in El Tri’s final stretch toward 2026.
Mexico face Ghana on Friday in their first pre-World Cup friendly since Javier Aguirre opened an early camp that has already revealed the urgency around this team. It will not be a full-strength version of El Tri. Several Europe-based players are still being integrated, while others remain on modified timelines. But the picture is starting to look more complete: Mateo Chavez, Guillermo Ochoa, Jorge Sanchez, Julian Araujo, Cesar Montes, Luis Chavez, and Edson Alvarez have already reported to camp, giving Aguirre more pieces to test before the final decisions arrive.
This fine-tuning period will happen away from Mexico City, but not too far from it. Puebla offers a different kind of stage: close enough to feel connected to the pressure of the World Cup opener at Estadio Azteca, but distant enough to give Mexico the possibility of an emotional reset. The city is also scheduled to host Spain in the coming days, turning Estadio Cuauhtemoc into a meaningful checkpoint in the final days before the tournament.
El Tri has not lost in 2026 after five friendlies, and the results against Portugal and Belgium gave Aguirre reason to believe the team is arriving in great form.
Here are GOAL’s five keys to watch as Mexico host Ghana in Puebla.
