Mexico National Team Roster Announced for Friendlies in South America

Luis Romo (Left) and Jesús Gallardo (right) are two of the few experienced El Tri players on the roster for the upcoming friendlies. | IMAGO/Agencia-MexSport

Javier Aguirre announced Mexico's 23 man roster that will travel to South America for friendlies against two clubs from Brazil and Argentina: SC Internacional and River Plate.

Rumors about both matches began to circulate since early December. Finally, El Tri confirmed their trip south to play Inter on Jan. 16, at the Estadio Beira-Rio and River on Jan. 21, at the Estadio Monumental.

The traveling squad is made up entirely of Liga MX players. Since this isn't a traditional FIFA international break, players in Europe were immediately discarded. However, reports indicate that even Liga MX sides were hesitant to let go of some of their most important players given the Clausura 2025 season will already be underway.

Only eight players that featured in Aguirre's 27 man call up for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in November were included on this list. Many young players that have recently broken into their senior sides in Liga MX will get their first taste of El Tri, including Tijuana's 16-year-old talent, Gilberto Mora.

This youthful version of El Tri will experience two of the most hostile environments in the entire continent, making it a valuable test for players to impress and begin to make a name for themselves with the 2026 FIFA World Cup only 18 months away.

Here's the full roster for El Tri's friendly matches vs. SC Internacional and River Plate.