Match Preview: Mexico vs CommBank Socceroos | International Friendly
The CommBank Socceroos will take on Mexico in their penultimate friendly before the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
- READ MORE: Our history vs Mexico
It is a last chance for players to impress Head Coach Tony Popovic as he and his coaching staff look to select the final 26-player squad by 1 June ahead of the tournament. It is also an opportunity for the team to solidify their football principles before the global finals.
The game will be held at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and first meeting between the two nations since a 2-2 friendly draw in Arlington, Texas in September 2023.
The Squad
There are 30 players who are currently in Sarasota, Florida as part of the train-on squad ahead of the global finals. Popovic and the CommBank Socceroos coaching staff are using the Sarasota camp to assess a wider pool of players in the train-on squad before finalising their selection.
Recent additions to the squad include uncapped Tete Yengi and Cristian Volpato, as well as youngsters Lucas Herrington and Paul Okon-Engstler.
Captain Mat Ryan and key defender Alessandro Circati have also joined the squad.
"We took the difficult route when we qualified in June to try and expand the group as big as we could," Popovic said earlier this month.
"That was a conscious decision we made with every friendly game to expose players, to test players, not wait until after the World Cup. That's made the group larger, which is a great headache for us to have. It won't be pleasant when you've got to tell players that they haven't made the squad, but it's a wonderful headache, because we see that the pool is getting bigger.
"When you look at these young boys like Lucas Herrington coming through, whether it's now or in the future, that should be exciting."
Popovic confirmed that every member of the 30-player squad will be fit and ready to play against Mexico.
Last Window
The CommBank Socceroos had a positive FIFA Series 2026™, a late goal to Jordy Bos helping them to a 1-0 victory over Cameroon before sweeping aside Curacao 5-1.
"We know what we want to see in the process and preparation we are doing," Popovic said after those games in March.
"Winning is always great, and winning gives more confidence and more belief, but overall we wanted to see certain things on the park, expose some players, try some new players.
"We are very happy with the progress, and the wins are fantastic. Everyone should go back to their clubs confident... and have as many players available and healthy for selection come June 1."
The Opponent
Co-hosts Mexico sense a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Ranked No.15 in the world, Mexico have consistently reached the Round of 16 at the global finals in recent years, only failing to do so in 2022. There are well-founded hopes that, buoyed by a home crowd, they could go deep in the 2026 edition of the tournament.
Coach Javier Aguirre is expected to play a high-intensity, high-pressing style that suits the players at his disposal. The former Mexican international has been at the helm since 2024 in what is his third stint as boss, and has been tasked with maintaining competitive tension within the squad without the difficulties of a long qualifying campaign.
Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez is their highest profile player. The 35-year-old will not only be a vital source of goals for Mexico, he will also be an experienced head as they navigate the pressure of expectation ahead of the World Cup.
23-year-old Armando González is another player to watch. The young striker has reportedly been watched by some of the biggest clubs in European football after bursting onto the scene in Liga MX this season. He will be hoping for a breakout World Cup campaign.
FIFA World Rankings
Australia: 27
Mexico: 15
Head-to-head
Played: 6
Wins: 2
Draws: 3
Losses: 1
Form Guide
Australia form guide: W-W-L-L-L
Mexico form guide: W-D-D-W-W
What They Said
Tony Popovic
Playing the host a nation, Mexico, 70,000 plus people... It will really feel like we're here for the World Cup now. We've had players in at various times in the last three weeks. We're working on our game, we're delighted we have such a top opponent to showcase ourselves tomorrow and see how we have progressed so far, and what room we still have left to improve before we play Turkey. Players are fit, so everyone that's here is fit, and I look forward to seeing what the boys can do tomorrow.
We chose a path that we felt will help us in terms of having a training camp early, and then deciding late in terms of the 26 players that will go towards the World Cup. That's something that we decided a long time ago in our planning, we're comfortable with that. It's never nice for a coach in terms of what's coming up in telling some players that they won't be here, but that's when we started the journey and the process.
We knew that we would come to this point, and the more players that we could bring into our squad, into our environment, we believe that we can make the squad better. Now we also have another player that's coming in very late that also gives us an opportunity to improve the squad and make it stronger, so I'm happy with the process we have. I'm really looking forward to the game tomorrow. I can't wait for the match, and then we need to make some decisions, and then we go to our base camp.
Harry Souttar
It's just a really exciting time. I'm really looking forward to the game tomorrow, and it just makes it feel a little bit more real, a little bit more closer to the squad getting announced, and these two friendly games coming up against two really tough opponents. I think it's just one that we're all looking forward to.
Alessandro Circati
It's great to hear there's a lot of people [over 70,000 tickets sold at the Rose Bowl]. It's always good fun. I think we played against Mexico maybe three years back in Texas, and there was like 95 to 100,000 people there. The more people the better, and that stadium I know is a bit iconic, so even better to play in another iconic stadium.
Match Details
Mexico vs Australia
Date: Saturday, 30 May 2026
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Kick-off: 7:00pm local / 12:00pm AEST (Sunday, 31 May)
Tickets: : www.SomosLocales.com
Broadcast: Paramount+