| Babil Tezcür
In the wake of opening wins for both the U.S. and Mexico in the 2026 World Cup, there is more scrutiny than ever on the rivalry between our two neighboring co-host nations. For much of its history, the U.S. team has been the little brother in terms of footballing success in comparison to Mexico. Mexico has been a mainstay in the international game, one of its perennial middle powers, featuring a strong footballing culture and a storied domestic league.
But in the three decades since the United States hosted its solo men’s World Cup, the U.S. has ascended within the footballing pyramid and now vies with Mexico for North American preeminence in the sport.
In evaluating the state of the rivalry, it’s interesting to look at each nation’s respective pathways for talent sourcing and development. The growing cosmopolitanism of U.S. soccer has been one of the factors that helped it catch up to, and at times surpass, Mexico. As far back as 2002, as seen on Chart A below, a dozen of the 23 players on the Team USA roster that shocked Mexico with its 2-0 quarterfinal win at the Korea-Japan World Cup played in European leagues, compared to only four of Mexico’s players.
Chart A: Mexico vs. U.S., players in international leagues
Paradoxically, this may be an example of American soccer benefiting from the relative underdevelopment of its domestic league. The MLS has always had strong youth academies that develop the likes of Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi and provide comfortable sinecures for aging international stars like David Beckham and Leo Messi, but its lower average salaries mean it’s a net exporter of the top American talent it develops. Liga MX, by contrast, is more of a destination league, with a stronger record of retaining its top domestic players, given its higher average salaries. It isn’t as ideally situated to fit into the supply chain of Europe’s top leagues.
Still, the roster of Mexico’s national teams also reflects the game’s increasing globalization. Only a dozen of Mexico’s 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup plays domestically, though that is still more than the 8 who play domestically for the United States. The more desirable demography of the U.S. team is more pronounced when you look at which foreign leagues its players are being called from. The U.S. contains more players (11) that play for the big 5 European leagues: the Premier League, Ligue 1, Serie A, La Liga, and Bundesliga. Mexico only has four. And over time this means more of the top U.S. players are competing against the world’s best on a weekly basis.
Chart B: Sourcing of 2026 U.S. men’s national team, by club
Much of the recent talk of an American “golden generation” has to do with the success and pedigree of players at English Premier League clubs and other titans of European football like AC Milan (Christian Pilusic), Juventus (McKennie), and Monaco (Balogun). Some of Mexico’s players overseas are in more obscure European leagues, such as in Cyprus or Russia.
Chart C: Sourcing of 2026 Mexico national team, by club
None of which is to say that a greater presence at Europe’s top clubs automatically translates into greater international success. Indeed, some of the talk of a U.S. “golden generation” has been a bit tongue-in-cheek, as it often can be. Following the 2022 World Cup, expectations for the U.S. team reached great hype. Despite the promise of players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Gio Reyna competing for top European clubs, the U.S. struggled heavily at the 2024 Copa America, crashing out at the group stage. Individual careers have also failed to progress as hoped at the European level. Gio Reyna was earning great minutes at Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 and was destined to become one of the world’s brightest talents. Yet, injuries and a lack of playing time have significantly slowed his development since. He has barely played for Borussia Monchenglabach this year.
But for U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and fans of the USMNT, the hope is that the 2026 World Cup is when the long-term dividends of the team’s cosmopolitanism will pay off, and that the Americans can claim the upper hand over their traditional North American rivals.