Soccer runs deep in Mexico's blood. The sport arrived in the late 1800s and never left. Today, Mexico's professional league ranks among the world's richest and most-watched. Every weekend, millions pack stadiums across the country.

Soccer's simple beauty helped it conquer Mexico and the world. You don't need expensive gear or fancy facilities. A ball and open space are enough. This accessibility turned dusty streets and backyard patches into training grounds for future stars.

The best Mexican soccer teams have managed to capture global attention in the past. Mexico has qualified for every World Cup since 1994—a staggering streak that confirms them as a global leader in the game.

From Mexico City's massive stadiums to the smallest village squares, the game thrives everywhere. This deep-rooted passion has produced generations of Mexican talent, with today's stars carrying on the legacy of those who came before them.

Hirving Lozano

Lozano emerged from the Mexican club Pachuca, one of the best Mexican soccer teams, in 2014. PSV Eindhoven signed him three years later, where his speed and scoring touch caught Europe's attention. His success in the Netherlands led to a record move to Italy. Napoli paid $42 million for him in 2019, the most they'd ever spent on a player.

Now, Lozano is preparing to make his U.S. debut. In the summer of 2024 it was announced that he would join the rapidly expanding MLS, signing with the Sandiego SC.

Hirving Lozano is known affectionately by fans and teammates as “Chucky,” based on the Child’s Play film series. He reportedly received the nickname in youth soccer when would hide under teammates’ beds to scare them.

Edson Álvarez

Edson Alvarez grew up just north of Mexico City. Growing up, he helped out at his family business manufacturing “football kits,” for local clubs—an activity that Alvarex says sparked his initial fixation with the game.

Despite his enthusiasm for the sport, Edson nearly left the game behind when, at ten years old, his small frame put him at a disadvantage. His parents encouraged him to stick with it, and obviously time has proven them right.

In 2019, he had a big break in the form of a rumored $17 million deal with the Dutch club, Ajax.

By the end of his second season, Alvarez was nominated for the leagues’ player of the year.

He currently plays for West Ham, having signed a $35 million five-year contract in 2023.

Guillermo Ochoa

At 39, Guillermo Ochoa is comfortably in the latter stage of his career. It’s been a successful one. Ochoa has the distinction of being the “most capped player,” in league history. He made his professional debut more than twenty years ago at Club America in 2004.

Ochoa is perhaps best known for his five World Cup appearances. Though he only actually played in three of those outings, his presence on five squads is record-tying. 

Despite the fact that Ochoa is approaching forty, he remains an important component of the Portuguese Primeira Liga club AVS. His two-decade-long career has firmly established him as a treasured star in the world of Mexican sports.

American’s Debt to Mexican Soccer

Mexico’s presence in the global soccer scene is difficult to overstate. Not only has the country factored frequently in competitions at the highest level but it also serves as a sort of North American anchor to a sport that has thrived in virtually every other corner of the planet.

The United States has only recently begun to make significant headway with soccer. Interest in the American MLS league took off in a big way during the pandemic for a variety of reasons. One—people had a lot of time on their hands. The other—they had the opportunity to experience soccer in a way never previously available.

Peacock, a well-known entertainment platform, gained the streaming rights to the Premier League. All of a sudden, millions of Americans could watch soccer being played at the highest level. And they watched it. Interest spread like wildfire and soccer began to proliferate in a country that had never taken it very seriously in the past.

Any person in the United States who is currently enjoying high levels of access to soccer at its best should take a moment to appreciate the way the game has developed beneath the southern border.

Compared to Mexico, U.S. soccer is still very much in its startup phase. American fans owe a lot to the Mexican superstars who have paved the way to bringing the game where it is today. Both the athletes described in this article and the hundreds more who make Mexico the global soccer powerhouse that it has been for decades.