Mexico’s national football team has released its preliminary roster for the upcoming World Cup, a 55-player list that will eventually be trimmed to 26 for the tournament. The announcement comes after a turbulent week surrounding the call-ups of Liga MX players, which sparked controversy as some were unable to participate in their club’s Liguilla and CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal matches.
Javier Aguirre unveiled the provisional squad on Tuesday, fulfilling FIFA’s requirement for all participating nations to submit a preliminary list ahead of the summer tournament set to take place in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Among the notable absences, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has been left out. The 30-year-old, who scored a historic goal against Germany in the 2018 World Cup, has seen his career fade and will not get a chance to play in his third World Cup. Similarly, Rodrigo Huescas misses out after a difficult season. The Cruz Azul youth product moved to Copenhagen in Denmark but suffered a knee injury that derailed his momentum. However, the biggest surprise omission is Diego Campillo of Guadalajara, who has been a key player for Chivas this season. Despite his strong form, Aguirre and his staff deemed him not ready for a World Cup. Chivas leads the list with eight players called up.
Here is the full preliminary squad:
**Goalkeepers**
Alex Padilla – Athletic Club (Spain)
Antonio Rodríguez – Tijuana
Carlos Acevedo – Santos Laguna
Carlos Moreno – Pachuca
Guillermo Ochoa – AEL Limassol (Cyprus)
Raúl ‘Tala’ Rangel – Chivas
**Defenders**
Bryan González – Chivas
César Montes – FC Lokomotiv (Russia)
Edson Álvarez – Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Eduardo Águila – Atlético de San Luis
Everardo López – Toluca
Israel Reyes – América
Jesús Angulo – Tigres
Jesús Gallardo – Toluca
Jesús Gómez – Tijuana
Johan Vásquez – Genoa (Italy)
Jorge Sánchez – PAOK (Greece)
Julián Araujo – Celtic (Scotland)
Luis Rey – Puebla
Mateo Chávez – AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Ramón Juárez – América
Raúl Rangel – Chivas
Richard Ledezma – Chivas
Víctor Guzmán – Rayados
**Midfielders**
Alexei Domínguez – Pachuca
Alexis Gutiérrez – América
Álvaro Fidalgo – Real Betis (Spain)
Brian Gutiérrez – Chivas
Carlos Rodríguez – Cruz Azul
Denzell García – FC Juárez
Diego Lainez – Tigres
Efraín Álvarez – Chivas
Elías Montiel – Pachuca
Erick Sánchez – América
Erik Lira – Cruz Azul
Gilberto Mora – Tijuana
Isaías Violante – América
Jeremy Márquez – Cruz Azul
Jordan Carrillo – Pumas
Jorge Ruvalcaba – NY Red Bulls (USA)
Kevin Castañeda – Tijuana
Luis Chávez – Dinamo Moscow (Russia)
Luis Romo – Chivas
Marcel Ruiz – Toluca
Obed Vargas – Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
Orbelín Pineda – AEK Athens (Greece)
Ricardo Angulo – Toluca
**Forwards**
Alexis Vega – Toluca
Armando ‘Hormiga’ González – Chivas
César ‘Chino’ Huerta – Anderlecht (Belgium)
Germán Berterame – Inter Miami (USA)
Guillermo Martínez – Pumas
Julián Quiñones – Al-Qadisiyah (Saudi Arabia)
Raúl Jiménez – Fulham (England)
Roberto Alvarado – Chivas
Santiago Gimenez – AC Milan (Italy)