World Cup Corner

Mexico has a long history of qualifying for the World Cup finals from either the CONCACAF or Central, Caribbean and North American section of the qualification structure of FIFA. They have, however, run across a few problems along the way.

The first time Mexico’s problems reared their head was back in 1930. At this time, they lost all three of their World Cup tournament matches. Against France, they lost with a score of 4 to 1, while Argentina beat them with a score of 1 to 0 and Chile won with a 3 to 0 score. The loss against Argentina was particularly hard to accept because Argentinians went on to lose against the South Americans with a score of 4 to 2.

This devastating tournament was the first time Mexico was in the finals before the war. The team returned in 1950, however, and still couldn’t bring home the win. Rather, they lost against Brazil with a score of 4 to 0, to Yugoslavia 4 to 1, and to Switzerland with a score of 2 to 1.

It seemed as if losing out in the first round was becoming a regular habit for the Mexican team. In the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, Brazil won out with a score of 5 to 0 and France won with a score of 3 to 2. Ultimately, West Germany took the win after beating Hungary with a score of 3 to 2.

In 1958, Sweden beat Mexico with a score of 3 to 0 and Hungary to home the win with a score of 4 to 0. The one highlight for Mexico was the draw they managed to squeeze out against Wales, with a final score of 1 to 1. Ultimately, Brazil one its first of its five world titles in 1958 after beating Sweden with a score of 5 to 2.

Finally, Mexico managed its first win in 1962 while competing in Chile. The team wasn’t able to go to the next round, however, despite its 3 to 1 win over Czechoslovakia. Brazil once again knocked Mexico out of competition, with a score of 2 to 0. Brazil went on to win the title once more after beating Czechoslovakia with a score of 3 to 1.

Mexico’s run of bad luck continued in 1966, where the team once again did not make it past the first round. They did manage a 1 to 1 draw against France and a scoreless draw against Urugay, but then lost to England with a score of 2 to 0.

It wasn’t until Mexico hosted the games in 1970 that they finally broke the winless streak. This time, they experienced a 0 to 0 draw against Russia, but they won with a score of 4 to 0 against El Salvador and they also managed a 1 to 0 win against Belgium. Mexico lost its chances of triumph, however, when Italy won with a score of 4 to 1.

In 1974, Mexico failed to qualify after losing out to Haiti. In 1978, Mexico also lost with a score of 3 to 1 against Tunisia, as score of 6 to 0 against West Germany and a score of 3 to 1 against Poland.

Mexico failed to qualify for the tournament in 1982. After this disappointment, the team worked hard to try to improve its performance at the next tournament. Even after experiencing a devastating earthquake, Mexico managed to have a great performancein 1986 and qualified for the quarter-finals. They won over Belgium with a score of 2 to 1, over Iraq with a score of 1 to 1, and a draw against Paraguay. During the second round, they beat Bulgaria with a score of 2 to 0. They then went on to face West Germany, which resulted in a goalless draw and a West Germany victory based on penalties.

In 1986, Mexico managed to take home the trophy after winning with a 3 to 2 score against West Germany. Team Mexico was disqualified in 1990, however, after having an over-age player in a youth game. They did win again in 1994, however, in a Group E competition. Here, they lost against Norway with a score of 1 to 0, but won against the Irish with a score of 2 to 1 and won against Italy with a score of 1 to 1. Unfortunately, they went on to lose when Bulgaria won based on penalties.

During the 1998 tournament, Mexico won a Group E competition against South Korea with a score of 3 to 1. They then experienced a 2 to 2 draw against Belgium, but earned their way into the second round with a 2 to 2 draw against Holland. During the last 16, however, they were knocked out by Germany with a score of 2 to 1.

Mexico once again ran into problems in 2002, where they won Group G and faced the United States. Mexico lost with a score of 2 to 0.