Co-host Mexico revamps training center and hopes to match its 1970 and 1986 World Cup performances

As a player, current Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was part of the national team that reached the quarterfinals in 1986, matching the country’s performance in the 1970 World Cup. Aguirre, with the revamped training center, will try to match at least that as a coach.

Mexico begins training at the High Performance Center on May 6, with players from the domestic league. Its first match in the World Cup is the tournament opener on June 11 against South Africa.

‘Building a foundation’

“This investment reflects our responsibility for the 2026 World Cup. We have built a facility that will provide the national team with the best possible conditions for preparation that are on a par with the world’s leading football powers,” said FMF president Mikel Arriola. “Hosting a World Cup demands that we raise all our standards, both on and off the field”.

The site has been the training headquarters for Mexico's national teams since 2003, during which time it gradually grew, but it had never previously had an update like this one.

“This project is also intended as a legacy. It’s not just about 2026, but about building a foundation that will impact the development of our national teams in the coming years,” Arriola said.

The senior team accommodation has been expanded from 20 to 45 rooms, in addition to entertainment areas. There is also a 29-room area for youth national teams.

The biggest change was the construction of a new building to house a new gym, which grew from 1,200 to 6,000 square meters. This building is also home to the medical area, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a sports intelligence area, and physiotherapy and hydrotherapy facilities.

“There used to be a small gym with a medical area, but all of that was demolished to build this new building,” said Daniel García, FMF real estate manager. “Everything here now, apart from two machines in the gym, is new.”

The dining room capacity has also increased from 70 to 210 people.

“The most complicated thing was coordinating all the areas because they all asked for a lot of things wanting to have the best in the world and that doesn’t always go with the budget, but I think we achieved a great result,” García said.

The training center already had five playing fields, three regulation size and two smaller ones. One of the fields has state-of-the-art hybrid technology like the one recently installed at the Azteca Stadium, which was renovated for the World Cup.

“We’ve had visits from FIFA staff who told us that this is the field in all of Mexico, and that’s why people from Azteca Stadium came to get some advice," Garcia said. "After all, we’re colleagues and brothers.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer