In Mexico, plenty of billboards have gone up advertising goods and services by official sponsors, and products with World Cup motifs have cropped up in shops bearing the FIFA trademark. (I have a pen that reads Go Mexico! and bears the silhouette image of a player about to kick a ball; so no, not official. It doesn’t actually mention the World Cup but it writes rather well.)

Mexico isn’t exactly buzzing with excitement. Although judging the level of interest can be quite subjective, numerous surveys show that interest is lower this time than it was for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the 2018 tournament in Russia, or even the 2022 event in Qatar. But social media posts are wrong, says one writer, and once the games get going the tournament will be dominating conversations across the globe.

And to be fair, in 2002 when Korea and Japan hosted the cup, people in Mexico were getting up at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. to watch the games, and still making it into work. In 2022, when the tournament was held in November-December because of the summer heat in Qatar, we complained that it “wouldn’t be the same”—and ended up watching it to the bitter end anyway.

But right or wrong, different reasons are offered for the apparent lack of excitement just two weeks before the inaugural match: too many teams to keep track of (for the first time the tournament includes 48 teams in 12 groups); prohibitively high ticket prices; and the fact that the tournament is being shared by three countries.

Of the 104 matches, 78 will be played in the USA and 13 each in Mexico and Canada. In Mexico, five matches are to be played at the Azteca Stadium now renamed the Banorte Stadium, four at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, and four at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey. Venues with the number of games are here.

The inauguration and opening match is set for June 11 in Mexico City, with Mexico playing host to South Africa. When South Africa hosted the tournament in 2010, the opening match was against Mexico and they played to a 1-1 tie.

This is the third time that Mexico is hosting (co-hosting in this case) a World Cup. In 1970, the Brazil of Pelé won the tournament for the third time. In 1986, Argentina’s Diego Maradona dazzled opponents in leading his country to its second title.

The 2026 World Cup final will be played on July 19  in New Jersey, closing out what will be the USA’s second World Cup. The US hosted the tournament in 1994, where Brazil won its fourth title. For Canada, this World Cup is a first.

Learn more about sports and leisure in Mexico

Connect to more articles for insights and sports and other leisure pastimes.

• Latest articles about sports in Mexico
• Discover leisure experiences in Mexico
• Dining out in Mexico
• Festivals & Events in Mexico

Many local matches are shown on free-to-view broadcast channels, which include those of Televisa, TV Azteca and Imagen TV. But in recent years, a growing number of games are only available on cable or satellite TV systems—primarily Fox and ESPN.  Televisa also shows selected games only on its cable or streaming channel.

Likewise, if you want to watch teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United —to name a few— you’ll need to have a cable or satellite television subscription.

Mexico’s two annual soccer tournaments

The Mexican professional league has several divisions, although the focus is almost entirely on the first division, officially known as Liga MX, which currently has 18 teams.  As in some South American countries, Mexico holds two championships a year:

• Apertura or opening competition that runs from August to December; and
• Clausura or closing which starts in January and ends in May.

Each tournament is decided by playoffs. The top eight teams in the regular season enter the liguilla or little league, with quarter finals, semi-finals, and a final played over two matches. In recent years, the league has experimented with playoffs among some of the top 10 or top 12 teams to determine the final eight, but has now returned to the more straightforward top eight teams.

The fifth placed team plays the 12th, the sixth plays the 11th, and so on, with the higher-placed team having the home ground advantage.  That determines liguilla or little league, with quarter finals, semi-finals, and a final played over two matches—each team playing one of the games at home. game is drawn, it goes straight to a penalty shootout.

In the quarters and semis, the highest placed teams are matched with the lowest finishers in the regular season, i.e., 1-vs-8, 2-vs-7, 3-vs-6 and 4-vs-5.

Methods for breaking a tie in each of the rounds have varied over the years with changes made every once in a while depending, it would appear, on the mood of soccer authorities.

At present, the tie-breaking criterion for the quarter and semifinals is  the team that finished higher in the league. This rule is set aside in the final, when a tie after two matches leads to extra time, and then a series of penalty kicks.

The tension and excitement tends to increase as the playoffs approach the final rounds of each tournament during December and May, respectively.

Promotion and relegation on hold

As in some other countries, Mexico refers to its lower divisions somewhat euphemistically—the second division here was known as Ascenso, meaning ascent or promotion.

But because of financial difficulties faced by Ascenso teams, exacerbated by the Coronavirus event, the Mexican professional soccer league decided in April 2020 to cancel promotion and relegation to and from the first division for at least five seasons. The Ascenso league became the Expansión league. A euphemism for the euphemism.

There has been talk of resuming promotion and relegation beginning in 2024. Relegation would be determined by the top flight teams’ performance over four tournaments—two years, which would still help the bigger teams to avoid relegation after a “freak” bad season.

Despite talk of resuming promotion and relegation beginning in 2024, that hasn’t happened and club owners recently agreed not to return to that system. The only change in teams would be through the buying or selling of franchises.

Some of Mexico’s popular soccer teams

Here’s a summary of the most popular professional soccer teams in Mexico:

While these teams mentioned above are probably the best known, Mexico’s league is quite competitive and it isn’t that unusual for others to surprise.  Tijuana, León, and Querétaro have all either won a championship or come fairly close to it.  Others are Puebla and Atlas—another team from Guadalajara.

A final note about the Spanish word ‘Futbol’

In South America football is pronounced futbol and spelled with an accent on the “u” — fútbol.  In Mexico (and Central America) it’s pronounced futbol and therefore has no accent.  Both are correct, says the Spanish Royal Academy.

Tables, fixtures, and results for the Mexican league can be found online at: https://ligamx.net

Learn more about sports and leisure in Mexico

Connect to more articles for insights and sports and other leisure pastimes.

• Latest articles about sports in Mexico
• Discover leisure experiences in Mexico
• Eating out in Mexico
• Festivals & Events in Mexico

September, the Mes de la Patria because of the Independence Day, brings chiles en nogada, hot green peppers filled with walnuts and raisins, covered with cream and sprinkled with pomegranate; and pozole, a broth with large grains of corn, red or green chili, chicken or pork, radish, and other trimmings.

October is when bakeries bring out the Pan de Muerto bread for the All Souls Day celebrations, although some stores, particularly supermarkets, start selling it during late August, presumably to maximize their sales opportunity.

Christmas dishes include bacalao, specially prepared codfish; romeritos, dried shrimp and rosemary sprigs in mole; and the Rosca de Reyes cake is cut at Epiphany (Three Kings Day) on January 6th.

Tamales, a traditional (and ancient) food made using corn dough steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf, and flavored with savory or sweet fillings are eaten all year round, but traditionally at Candlemas, on February 2nd. Also by tradition, if your slice of Rosca de Reyes contains a baby doll figurine (baked into the mix of every cake), you are obliged to host a party on this date to serve the tamales to family and friends.

For newcomers to Mexico, some local dishes, particularly spicy ones, take a while to get used to, and some people at first turn their noses up at the different tastes and smells. Quite understandably, many Mexicans are astounded someone wouldn’t like pozole, or mole, or some other dish that people here get excited about, and they assume you haven’t tried it. If you say you have, then obviously “no has probado el que hace mi tía“—you haven’t tried the one my aunt makes.

Perhaps one of the most acquired tastes in Mexican food is mole. This sauce is made from dried and ground chile peppers mixed with other spices and ingredients—famously chocolate used in making mole poblano (from Puebla) or black mole of Oaxaca. There are many kinds of mole, which are usually mixed with meat, rice, chicken, or vegetables.  Mole recipes vary and local restaurants renowned for their mole often keep the precise recipe (moreover, the proportions of the ingredients) a closely-guarded secret.

Reenacting the search for an inn

A local Posada begins with a ritual that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn on their way to Bethlehem.

Traditionally, this manifests as a local street procession, and other times the ritual will take place outside of the house (or event center) where the party is to be held; with some guests waiting outside playing the role of the pilgrims asking for accommodation, and other guests inside, playing the role of the hosts.

On street processions, participants carry lighted candles along a prescribed route around a local neighborhood asking, through means of a special posada song, for ‘room at the inn’—knocking on doors along the way, or knocking on the door where the party is arranged.  The protagonists of the nativity story are most often portrayed in costume by local children.

Neighbors along the route may open their doors and purposefully refuse Mary and Joseph (in song) until, at the end of the route, a designated house (or sometimes a local church or village hall) allows Mary and Joseph to pass, and a Christmas posada party ensues there.

The posada song

The posada song is organized into two groups of singers: the pilgrims (asking for room at the inn) and the hosts.  You can read the lyrics in order here. The lyrics are sung in turn, with the pilgrims making pleas for accommodation, and the hosts rejecting those pleas—until the end, when the hosts accept to accommodate Mary and Joseph.

If a street procession doesn’t precede a party, the song will most likely be sung at some point during the party itself, with all the guests assigned a ‘role’ as either the pilgrims (asking for room at the inn), or the hosts, and they sing accordingly. Song sheets and candles are handed out to aid the participants’ reenactment.

The posada party

The party, or posada as it’s referred to, often features villancicos (Christmas carols) and a piñata—a colorful papier-mâché figurine which is strung up on a rope and, when broken-open by party goers hitting at it blindfolded with a stick until it eventually pours out with fruit and confections which the children scurry to collect.

There is usually at least one street posada taking place in a neighborhood of every town on every night between the 16th and 24th of December, and some people also host private posadas for friends and family to attend.

Some host posadas every year as part of their annual Christmas festivities, and if you’re living in Mexico, there might be more than one to attend if you’re invited; and one for you to host if you choose to open your home and invite others to a posada.

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Enjoying Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

Mexico’s political holidays

The other three political holidays: marking the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution (in February); the birth of 19th century president Benito Juárez (in March); and the start of the 1910-1917 Revolution (in November) pale in comparison with the September independence holiday. Those three have all been moved, since 2006, to the nearest Monday, as part of an initiative to create long holiday weekends, similar to Bank Holidays in the UK, which stimulate tourism.

Not so ‘El Grito‘ which is always held on the night of September 15, and followed by a national day-off on the 16th. Legislators considered that the Independence holiday, like the May 1 international Labor Day, was too significant to be tampered with for the sake of convenience or economics.

One of Mexico’s most important national holidays

September 16 competes with other national holidays in a number of ways.

Like Christmas, it’s a time for lighting up public places with decorations in the green, white and red national colors, including images in neon of the country’s Independence heroes: Miguel Hidalgo, the priest who rang the bell on September 16, 1810, in the town of Dolores, and set the independence movement from Spain in motion; and José María Morelos, the priest who continued the revolutionary work of Hidalgo, making a name for himself as one of the most able of Mexico’s military commanders.

Like New Year, it involves people getting together for an evening meal or party, and waiting to 11 p.m. (instead of midnight) when political leaders from the president down to local mayors re-enact Hidalgo’s call to arms from the balcony of the National Palace, or from countless state and municipal buildings across the nation. These hundreds of simultaneous “gritos” of “Viva México!” are followed by bombardments of fireworks.

Traditional foods, and Mexican flags

These gatherings also have their typical foods, and an Independence Day fiesta is incomplete without pozole, a tasty and nutritious broth made with white corn, pork or chicken broth (vegetarian pozole is also available in some places), and served with radishes, oregano, and other spices.

Flags abound, and entertainments include the military parade in Mexico City, with planes flying in formation over the capital.

The ideal month to buy a Mexican flag

Ambulant vendors selling Mexican flags are everywhere during the first half of September.  If you’re looking for a Mexican flag, this is the easiest time of year to acquire one, as almost every major street corner has someone selling them, from the small plastic flags which attach to a car or window, to colossal flags of monumental proportions—and everything in between.

200 years of El Grito

September 16th is Mexico’s official Independence Day and a national holiday, marking the events that led to the creation of the Mexican Republic following three centuries of Spanish colonial rule.

On the night of September 15th, state officials in towns and cities across the country re-enact Miguel Hidalgo’s pre-dawn grito de independencia (cry of independence), which originally took place in the small town of Dolores Hidalgo, near San Miguel de Allende, in 1810.

Key provincial cities where independence is celebrated

The most popular provincial cities to attend for Independence Day celebrations are San Miguel de Allende and nearby Dolores Hidalgo—the ‘cradle towns’ of the independence movement.  Other popular provincial cities where lively celebrations take place include Guanajuato, Querétaro, Oaxaca, and Puebla, although celebrations are national and every town and city will mark the occasion in its town square.

The capital’s zócalo — focal point for the national festivities

In Mexico City, the capital’s zócalo (main square) traditionally swells with thousands of people who attend to hear the country’s President re-enact the grito from the balcony of the National Palace.

Traditionally, egg-shells filled with confetti are thrown and crushed on people during the celebrations, so we also recommend that leave your ‘Sunday best’ clothes in the wardrobe if you attend a local fiesta—at the town square, or elsewhere.

Marianne Carlson founded an art festival that seeks to raise awareness for genuine Mexican art and the Master Artisans who bring it into being. Feria Maestros del Arte, now in its fifteenth year, has become an important stage for genuine Mexican art.

Mexican art has a long and rich history that stretches back to pre-Hispanic times, with artists applying techniques and styles to their works which have been handed-down through countless generations: these are the works which retain and reflect an authenticity that only hand-made original art can convey.

Marianne and her team scout all of Mexico seeking the best art and artisans, and invite them to Feria Maestros del Arte. The artists have their expenses covered by the organization, and are not charged any fees for attendance, so they keep every peso in income from the sales they make at the fair.

The fair is unique. This is an art market where you’ll find a carefully curated collection of Mexican art works, crafted and sold in-person by the country’s finest living artisans, and where you can be assured that the art you purchase is hand-made in Mexico, and authentic in every sense.

Over 100 artisans will be present this year, offering an abundance of high quality and diverse art pieces for buyers to choose from, including:

Panama hats, the classic and timeless hat, made in Bécal, in the state of Campeche on Mexico’s Gulf coast

Handmade footwear, including fashionable ethnic shoes from Oaxaca

Kitchen utensils, including knives from the famous José Ojeda family

Wooden art works, including Alebrijes which are hand-carved wooden animals, individually painted and every one unique

Catrinas, skeleton dolls, hand-made in plaster and individually painted. They are one of the most traditional artwork displays for celebrations around Day of the Dead

An abundance of ceramics, including barro betus, barro canelo, barro bruñido, black ceramics, and high-fire ceramic

Unique Mexican jewelry, including silver Yalalag crosses, pieces made from recycled aluminum, cloth, and other materials

Woven art including beautiful rebozos, huipiles, blouses, and more

Straw art, including papier-mâché, hand-made paper amate, and hand-made hammocks using traditional materials

Furniture made of chuspata (a type of reed), and equipales (traditional Mexican furniture)

See Also: Tips for Spotting Genuine Mexican Artwork

Image above shows two artisan women from the San Mateo del Mar cooperative in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The 2018 World Cup played in Russia started out auspiciously for Mexico with a surprise 1-0 win against Germany and, after a 2-1 defeat of South Korea, Mexico appeared set to win the toughest group in the tournament.

Alas! As predisposed as Mexico is to surprise its fans with unexpected victories, the national team is equally prone to turning-in a dreadful performance. This time it was in the shape of a 3-0 loss to Sweden, which meant the team scraped through with Germany’s unexpected 2-0 loss to the South Koreans: a result which put the defending champions out of the tournament and left Mexico in second place to face none other than five-time World Cup champions Brazil on Monday July 2 in knockout Round of 16.

At first blush, that sounded like the end of the road and Mexico’s chances of reaching the quarter finals for the first time since 1986—the last year it hosted the tournament.  By the time the two teams met again in Russia, Mexico and Brazil had played each other 40 times in total, with Brazil winning 23 games, Mexico 10, and seven match draws. Monday’s match was their fifth meeting in World Cups, and the history wasn’t too encouraging for Mexico: three losses and a draw, with Brazil scoring 11 goals and Mexico none.  In other words, Mexico had never scored against Brazil in a World Cup.

No surprise then that Brazil’s odds at the bookmakers were 1/2 to beat Mexico, meaning the South American giants were given a 67% chance of winning.  Mexico’s odds at kick-off were trading at around 6/1 which translates into a 14% chance of winning.

The great thing about sports, and soccer especially, is that past performances don’t determine the outcome of a game. There’s always hope. After all, Mexico’s record against Germany in World Cups before the present tournament was two losses and one draw (which Mexico lost on penalties), and it included a 6-0 drubbing in 1978.

In the event, Mexico delivered a solid performance in the first half of the game against Brazil and missed a serendipitous opening which would have given the team a crucial lead at the beginning of the second half.  Brazil immediately took back the initiative and scored, taking the lead 1-0 in the 51^st minute of the game.  With 88 minutes played, the Brazilian team scored again, and even with 6 minutes of injury time added, Mexico were unable to pull a goal back, ending the team’s participation in this tournament, and leaving Mexico with the job of scoring a World Cup goal against Brazil to some future match.

For those who don’t follow soccer but were wondering, the U.S. team failed to qualify for the Russia World Cup when it lost its final qualifying game against Trinidad and Tobago last year.

The value of any art work is, ultimately, in the eye of the beholder: how we perceive art, and how we respond in the presence of any art piece presented to us is a very personal matter.  Genuine art works you purchase in Mexico will carry a woven narrative that describes the elements which brought the work into being — for example, the materials employed, the artisan’s technique, the traditions, its history and symbolic meaning — and all these formed through the hands of an individual artist who acts as a conduit between the elements.  Art that means something to you personally is the kind of art you will never tire of enjoying.

When you’re purchasing art works in Mexico, it makes good sense to be forearmed with some knowledge about how to spot genuine Mexican art, so that you will take home something that embodies the elements of a true art piece and not a mass-produced reproduction masquerading as true Mexican art.

Ask questions that reveal provenance

When you’re in the market to purchase Mexican art works, ask questions about how the pieces you are offered came into being, and who the artist is. If the artist is not the seller, ask about how the seller is connected to the artist and listen carefully to the response you’re given. In some cases it could be a friend, fellow artisan, or family member.  True art has a narrative that leads back to the elements, described above, which made it so.  Imitations and mass-production faux art lacks this narrative.

Look for a signature

Check the piece for a signature, which is a form of branding in the Mexican art world. Note though, that the piece may not actually have been made by the person who signed it. Juana Gómez Ramírez, famous for her jaguars (pictured above), is the maestra in her family and even though she does not read or write she has her own signature. She may also sign the work of her brother, husband, and others in her family whose work meets her stringent requirements. This is a very common practice among families who work together, or in talleres (workshops) where there is a maestro teaching his techniques and designs to the apprentices.  The signature is only one part of the overall revision process and should not be taken in isolation, because, for example, there are unscrupulous artists out there who sign Juana’s name to their copies.

Buy from the source, if you can

If you purchase direct from the artist’s home, you can be pretty certain that the work will be genuinely theirs. If it’s not signed, ask them to sign it. If an artist will not sign the piece it could be because they don’t write or because they didn’t actually make it. When you purchase art works at Feria Maestros del Arte, you can be almost certain that the work being sold has been made by the artist represented. The Feria is very strict when selecting its artists and if an artisan is discovered not selling their own work, he or she is dropped from the program.

A note about pottery

When pottery is manufactured in bulk, a process known as slip-casting is used—to learn more about the tell-tale signs of slip-casting, read this article. The sought-after thin-walled pottery of Mata Ortiz is all hand-coiled; if a pot offered to you in her name has been slip-cast, it is not an original Mata Ortiz pot. Collectors of Mexican pottery might not purchase pots with colored pigment because those pigments are a fairly recent addition; earth tones were used centuries ago when the pottery was first made by the Paquimé Indians. Some artists stay true to the old way, some decide to add a contemporary feel with some additional color.

See Also: Buying Handicrafts in Mexico