Mexico national team manager Javier Aguirre has revealed his 55-man preliminary roster for the 2026 World Cup, with San Diego FC winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano arguably being the most notable omission from the list.
Headlined by Fulhams Raul Jimenez, Fenerbahçes Edson Alvarez, and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who is attempting to appear in his sixth World Cup, Mexicos roster will be narrowed down to 26 players by June 1, the official FIFA deadline.Â
Mexico is set to kick off the tournament on home soil on June 11 against South Africa at the Estadio Banorte.
Lozanos exclusion follows a period of inactivity and reported disciplinary tension with San Diego FC.Â
Aguirre previously stated that consistent playing time was a requirement for selection, a condition Lozano was unable to meet after falling out of favor with his club’s coaching staff earlier this year.
Lozano enjoyed a promising start to the club’s debut MLS season, but internal friction became public in October following reports of a locker room altercation with head coach Mikey Varas.
His final appearance to date for the club came as a substitute during San Diego’s 3-1 playoff loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Rodrigo Huescas, a rising star in the Danish Superliga, will miss the tournament as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear suffered during a Champions League match in late 2025.Â
Other injury-related absences from Mexicos preliminary list include Cruz Azul defender Jesús Chiquete Orozco and Club América goalkeeper Luis Ãngel Malagón.
In contrast, Aguirre has included several players recently returning from injury layoffs, such as Dynamo Moscow’s Luis Chávez, R.S.C. Anderlecht’s César Huerta, and Celtic’s Julián Araujo.Â
The manager also opted to bolster his goalkeeping depth, calling up six keepers in total, including José Antonio RodrÃguez and Carlos Moreno.
Continuing the trend of naturalized players and dual-nationals in the squad, the roster features Inter Miami’s Germán Berterame, Al-Qadsiahs Julián Quiñones, and Real Betis’ Ãlvaro Fidalgo.Â
This trio represents a core of talent that has exported abroad after largely dominating Liga MX over the past several seasons, with Fidalgo in particular expected to take on an attacking role in the midfield.
They are joined by several Mexican-American prospects, including Chivas’ Brian Gutiérrez and Richard Ledezma, as well as Atlético Madrid’s Obed Vargas.
While 12 Liga MX players were previously confirmed as “locks” for the squad in an agreement with domestic clubs, players like Tigres’ Diego Lainez, Toluca’s Marcel Ruiz, and Club América’s Ãrick Sánchez were added to the preliminary list, likely as contingency options should injuries occur before the final submission in June.
Last week, the Mexican Football Federation threatened to exclude any Liga MX-based player from the World Cup roster if they fail to report for national team duty.
This came after Aguirre revealed a 20-player squad for a pre-World Cup training camp, when Toluca stars Jesús Gallardo and Alexis Vega remained with their club ahead of a Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against LAFC rather than reporting to camp.
This led to the Mexican Football Federation releasing a statement and calling for a press conference on May 6 to deliver an ultimatum.
“As instructed by the coaching staff, any player who does not attend the training camp today will be left off the World
