Mexico eyes full support from home crowd against Czechia
Reyes pressed Mexico to stay sharp and keep the crowd loud, even after the 1-0 win over Korea made it the first Group A team through.
Mexico had already booked its place in the round of 32, but Israel Reyes still asked for more. After Mexico’s 1-0 win over Korea Republic on June 18 at Estadio Guadalajara made the Tri the first team through from Group A, Reyes said the side must deliver full intensity in front of its own supporters and keep that energy for all 90 minutes against Czechia.
That message carried extra weight because Mexico’s final Group A match on June 24 at Mexico City Stadium was not a dead rubber. FIFA said qualification to the round of 32 was on the line when Mexico met Czechia, and the result also mattered for the host nation’s path through the tournament. Mexico, co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada, is staging the tournament for a third time, and a top finish in the group keeps the team at home for the next round.
Reyes has become part of that calculation because of where he can play. The Club América defender has been used as a central defender, even though he is naturally a right back, and he has called that flexibility a “plus” in the race to make the World Cup squad. That versatility matters as Javier Aguirre sorts through defensive options and tries to keep competition alive inside a team that has already advanced. Reyes also made his view of selection clear in January, when he said the national team should take “los mejores” and not “sus amigos.”
Mexico’s run has given that argument a real test. The win over Korea Republic came after a tightly managed performance in Guadalajara, and it also continued a World Cup pattern between the two sides. Mexico had already beaten Korea Republic at France 1998 and Russia 2018, and the latest result again showed how little margin there is in a group that the Tri finished at the top.
Now the burden shifts from qualifying early to proving the performance level can hold. Reyes’s call for sustained pressure and a loud home crowd was not just pre-match talk. It was a reminder that Mexico has advanced, but still has to show that it can play with the same edge when the bracket, the rotation and the internal fight for places all get sharper.
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