Javier Aguirre’s Early Mexico Camp Echoes 1986 Tactics For Home World Cup

When Javier Aguirre was a player, he believed Mexico's grueling, year-long training camp ahead of the 1986 World Cup was the key to El Tri's run to the quarterfinals — matching its best result.

As coach of the national team, he is trying to replicate that vintage formula.

Unlike most competing nations, which must wait for domestic leagues to conclude before gathering their squads, Mexico began assembling its players more than a month before its opening World Cup match on June 11 against South Africa — pulling them away from their teams while the Liga MX was ongoing.

"This is a project, not a whim — it’s a project to try and make this a great World Cup," Aguirre says. "We concluded that being at home and having these magnificent facilities we needed to be well prepared in every way. This meant having them ready five weeks before the World Cup."

The 67-year-old manager, steering Mexico into the World Cup for a third time, was an integral part of the 1986 squad that beat Belgium and Bulgaria and lost to eventual finalist West Germany in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. 

The only other time El Tri reached that stage was in 1970, also on home soil.

"Being part of the national team and being able to play in a World Cup at home is priceless," Aguirre says of the 48-team tournament that Mexico is co-hosting with the U.S. and Canada.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MAY 20: Players of Mexico listen to their Head Coach Javier Aguirre (C) during a training session at CAR on May 20, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico.  (Photo by Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images)

Modern soccer presents challenges that didn’t exist in 1986. While that Mexico squad featured only one Europe-based star — Real Madrid icon Hugo Sánchez — the current pool boasts 14