Cristiano Ronaldo will be missing from Mexico’s grandest stage.
Portugal, without Cristiano Ronaldo, is set to play against Mexico on Saturday in the inaugural match at Estadio Azteca, following its extensive refurbishment for the 2026 World Cup.
This weekend will witness the formal inauguration of the venue for the opening fixture of this summer’s enlarged 48-team World Cup, and Mexico aims to commemorate the event impressively.
Mexico is scheduled to welcome South Africa at the Azteca, a location that has witnessed some of the most iconic instances in the tournament’s extensive past, during the initial encounter on June 11.
Placed in a cohort that will also include South Korea and either Denmark or the Czech Republic, Javier Aguirre’s squad considers Portugal’s arrival a valuable assessment of their current standing, with less than three months remaining until the World Cup.
Nevertheless, they will contend with this match while as many as 12 key players are absent from the roster, including their captain, Edson Alvarez.
Still, Portugal’s star player, Ronaldo, will represent the most notable absence from the match.
The Al-Nassr icon is out of action due to a thigh injury, thereby preventing him from the opportunity to augment his extraordinary count of 143 goals
Portugal is scheduled to confront the United States on Tuesday in their last warm-up game before Roberto Martinez announces his roster for the World Cup, where they will compete against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and either DR Congo or Jamaica.
Not one of Portugal’s Group K games will be held in Mexico; they will only participate in an elimination match in the nation if, in the improbable scenario, they advance as the third-place team in their group and subsequently triumph in a last-32 encounter against the victors of Group L, which comprises England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
Under that situation, Portugal might encounter Mexico in a round of 16 game at the Azteca. They have previously faced each other on a single occasion at the World Cup, with Portugal emerging victorious 2-1 during the 2006 World Cup group stage.
Nevertheless, Martinez still considers a game against a team he regards as a challenger for the championship to be valuable readiness for the tournament.
“Mexico is consistently a team that capitalizes effectively on playing at their own venue,” Martinez informed TUDN. “When you examine Mexico in the World Cups, they typically fail to advance past the initial round, but in the two World Cups hosted in Mexico, they progressed to the quarter-finals.
“We are discussing a team that, performing on their own turf at the Azteca, must be considered one of the favourites.
“Having the opportunity to perform at the Azteca provides the optimal readiness for the World Cup. I am aware the players have already begun conversing… everyone possesses their personal recollections, and the Azteca stands as a stadium that is a standard in World Cups.”
After this match with Portugal, Mexico will journey to Chicago to compete against Belgium on Tuesday.
Aguirre also emphasized that the quantity of missing players will likely have a significant effect on their performances, as Mexico will be lacking numerous key individuals who assisted them in achieving CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup triumph in 2025.
“Half of the squad that secured two championships, with whom you established a strong camaraderie and a commitment, and who raised silverware today, are unavailable to you,” Aguirre stated during a press conference.
“This is certainly not a justification, as other Mexican players are appearing in similar roles, and they will endeavor.”
“It’s accurate that among these 12 injured players, two or three are certainly unavailable, not by my decision, but for health considerations; however, there might be positive updates for the remaining ones.”
“We will feel their absence, that’s accurate, but we cannot rely upon anyone. We have not done so up to this point.”
Squad updates for Mexico v Portugal
Captain Alvarez leads Mexico’s extensive roster of unavailable players, which also features forward Santiago Gimenez, midfielders Luis Chavez and Cesar Huerta, and defender Rodrigo Huescas.
Teenage midfielder Gilberto Mora and defender Julian Araujo are additionally sidelined due to ailments. Goalkeeper Luis Malagon and midfielder Marcel Ruiz are suffering from protracted ailments that will prevent them from participating in the World Cup.
Besides Ronaldo, goalkeeper Diogo Costa, AC Milan’s prominent player Rafael Leao, and 18-year-old attacker Rodrigo Mora are all unavailable for Portugal.
Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and Joao Palhinha have been excluded from the roster owing to physical condition worries.
Anticipated formations for Mexico v Portugal
Mexico: Rangel; J. Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo; E. Sanchez, Vargas, Pineda; Alvarado, Jimenez, Vega.
Portugal: Sa; Dalot, Inacio, Silva, Mendes; J. Neves, Fernandes, Vitinha; Conceico, Ramos, Felix.
Viewing information for Mexico v Portugal: Broadcast and digital platforms
Mexico versus Portugal commences at 2:00am on Sunday UK time. It is not broadcastable via television or online platforms.
Statistics for Mexico v Portugal
- Portugal remain undefeated in four matches against Mexico (W2, D2).
- Martinez’s squad prevented goals in only two of their 10 fixtures in 2025.
- This will be Portugal’s inaugural match at Estadio Azteca. Not one of their three World Cup games in 1986 occurred in Mexico City.
- Mexico is currently on a three-match streak of not losing, having triumphed in three exhibition matches this year with a combined total score of 6-0.
- El Tri have competed in four encounters against UEFA adversaries since the 2022 World Cup, suffering only a single defeat (W2, D1).
- Raul Jimenez has recorded four scores in his last six appearances for Mexico.
Forecast for Mexico v Portugal
The elevation at Estadio Azteca might act as somewhat of a balancing factor, yet the disparity in skill is considerable in this encounter, and Portugal is expected to demonstrate their superiority.
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