The reasons why Mexico has not won a FIFA World Cup

Why is it that in a country as invested in football as Mexico, the possibility of one day lifting the World Cup seems distant?

Every four years, the fans of the most popular sport in the world live the euphoria of the FIFA World Cup celebration; 32 teams compete for the highest trophy in football and although many fans from different countries come to the host country to enjoy the party, there is a group of fans that stands out from the rest, for their euphoria, celebration and joy: the Mexicans.

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Just as it has become a tradition for dozens of Mexican fans to go to the World Cup to support the Mexican National Team, it has become customary to say that the national team always falls far short of the expectations (and the expense) that the fans create for themselves, which always leads us to the same question.

Why can Mexico never transcend in the World Cup?

The answers to this question vary, and the most common one always appeals to the national team's bad luck. It is enough to mention cases like the 1986 World Cup where a legitimate goal was disallowed, or in 1994 when Hugo Sánchez never entered the game despite the fans' demand for him to do so. Or the sadly famous “No era penal” (It was not a penalty) in 2014. However, these statements do not reflect in depth what happens in Mexican soccer, which exposes the lack of both planning and ambition.

In Mexico, money is more important than sport

Although many experts agree that Mexican players have a lot of talent, they also affirm that it is often held back by the large number of foreigners that invade Liga Mx and reduce the possibilities for young players to make their debut; this is due to the fact that club owners are more interested in their economy and that of their club than in the development of the youth squads.

Another reason why few Mexican players make the leap in quality and become export material is their high price; national team player Rodolfo Pizarro mentioned that if Mexico does not have more players in Europe, it is due to their excessive price, because just as it happens with the previous point, the owners bet more on their economic interests and truncate the careers of some players.

This point can be explained by comparing the price of a young player in any South American country or even in the United States, where it is up to five times lower than in Mexico, therefore, Europeans opt for South American players.

Lack of ambition of Mexican players

Another point, and perhaps the most important, is the lack of ambition of the players; there have been many cases of players who stand out in their youth, being champions with the lower categories of their clubs or even world champions. As Mexico holds two titles and two runner-up positions in the U-17 category, but very few players stand out at a higher level.

The excess, the very early fame and their successes at a young age, make them lose their ground and cause their names to fade out of the scene.

Low level of competition in CONCACAF

Another issue for the Mexican National Team is very poor level of competition they face in CONCACAF. Apart from the US, Canada and a few Central-American countries the opposition they face in the qualification stages of the World Cup is extremely poor. Consequently, the team can play at a very poor level and still qualify for the World Cup without a problem.

This has set the standard and expectation of the national team at a level where they simply cannot compete with the international teams from Europe and South America, where the level of competition is much more challenging.

These are just a few points to highlight to show that Mexico is very far from the super-powers, perhaps not in level of play or facilities, but in mentality and capacity to put together a project that aspires to win it all.

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