The 2026 World Cup is getting closer, and the Mexican national team will soon begin another set of friendly matches to prepare for the tournament.
With not a lot of time left, Mexican national team head coach Javier Aguirre will look to define the players he considers to be essential for the Mexico World Cup roster.
Mexico will play against Iceland, Portugal, Belgium, Ghana, Australia, and Serbia in the next few months to prepare for the World Cup.
Aguire has called up another set of Mexican players for the friendly match against Iceland next week, but will call up players in Europe for the other friendly matches. One of the names that comes to mind is Obed Vargas, who is now at Atletico Madrid in Spain following his time at Seattle Sounders in the MLS.
Vargas has impressed fans and coaches during his time with the Seattle Sounders. The 20-year-old midfielder earned a call-up for the Mexican national team while playing in the MLS, but Aguirre now admits that the player would've likely missed out on the World Cup if he stayed in the U.S.
Javier Aguirre on Obed Vargas and the World Cup
In an interview with Jorge El Burro Van Rankin on the N Estado Burreco Podcast, Javier Aguirre spoke on the Mexican national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Aguirre spoke about the players he has picked for the national team over the past friendly matches and admitted that some players were not considered for the World Cup.
Surprisingly, Aguirre revealed that Obed Vargas was at risk of not getting called up for the Mexican national team World Cup roster.
"I was sure that Obed Vargas wasn’t going to go to the World Cup, but now that he moved from Seattle to Atletico Madrid... I automatically have to bring him and look at him."Javier Aguirre
“I was SURE that Obed Vargas wasn’t going to go to the World Cup, but now that he moved from Seattle to Atletico Madrid, I AUTOMATICALLY have to bring him and look at him”. 🇪🇸🎙️
— All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 (@AllFutbolMX) February 20, 2026
– Javier Aguirre. 🤯🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZL5ZG7A6Ru
Obed Vargas has played three games for Atletico Madrid since he joined the Spanish club a few weeks ago.
What are your thoughts on Javier Aguirre admitting that Obed Vargas was close to missing out on the national team based on the team he played for? Let us know your thoughts.