Mexico’s 2026 World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 on Monday night, and with it the third spell of Javier Aguirre as head coach. The 3-2 defeat by England at the Estadio Azteca triggered the pre-announced resignation Aguirre had signalled before the tournament, and he used his post-match press conference to confirm the handover to his assistant, the former Barcelona defender Rafael Márquez. “I say goodbye to the national team, to the Azteca – it was my last match here,” Aguirre said, his voice thick with emotion. “I leave with enormous pride and feeling. I’ve lived a huge part of my footballing life with this team.” He described the night as “very painful because we dreamed, we got our hopes up, and to fall this way hurts a lot.”

The match turned on a burst of English precision and Mexican lapses. Jude Bellingham scored twice in 99 seconds late in the first half, first drifting unchecked into the area to meet a cross, then capitalising on a misplaced pass by Gilberto Mora that left the home defence exposed. Julián Quiñones pulled one back almost immediately, igniting the 80,000 crowd, and when England’s Jarell Quansah was sent off early in the second half, Mexico seemed poised to complete a comeback. Instead, a misjudged aerial challenge by Edson Álvarez on a long clearance allowed Anthony Gordon to race through and draw a foul from goalkeeper Raúl Rangel; Harry Kane converted the penalty. Raúl Jiménez replied from the spot for Mexico, but despite playing against ten men for nearly 50 minutes and registering 18 shots, the hosts could not force an equaliser.

Viewed from Mexico City, the exit was a cruel echo of history. The team had arrived at the knockout stage on the back of four consecutive victories without conceding a goal – a first in their World Cup history – and had topped their group with nine points. Yet this defeat extended a streak of eight successive round-of-16 eliminations dating back to 1986, the only time Mexico reached the quarter-finals. Captain Edson Álvarez said the squad “gave everything against a great team and never felt inferior”, while President Claudia Sheinbaum offered public encouragement, writing that “sometimes you win, sometimes you learn – the important thing is to keep moving forward and represent Mexico with pride.” Analysts in the Mexican press pointed to individual errors and substitutions that failed to alter the match’s momentum, but Aguirre refused to blame misfortune, noting simply that “our opponent didn’t make mistakes against us.”

Aguirre’s third stint in charge, which began in 2024, yielded 18 wins, five draws and four defeats across 27 matches, all without the pressure of World Cup qualifying as co-hosts. He leaves the post in the hands of Márquez, who has been his assistant since August 2024 and will now lead the team toward the 2030 cycle. “I gave Rafa a hug – he continues with this, and four very good years lie ahead with a solid base,” Aguirre said. England, meanwhile, advance to a quarter-final against Norway in Miami Gardens, where they will face Erling Haaland’s side for a place in the last four.