USA and Mexico Meet in Arizona Friendly, Not a UEFA Nations League Match

The United States and Mexico renewed one of international soccer's oldest rivalries on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with kickoff at 10 p.m. ET. U.S. Soccer and Goal.com both listed the fixture as a men's international friendly, broadcast in the United States on TNT, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.

An International Friendly, Not a Nations League Match

The United States and Mexico both compete in CONCACAF, not UEFA, so neither has ever played in the UEFA Nations League, a competition reserved for European national teams. U.S. Soccer's own announcement described the Glendale game as one of four fall 'international matches' — against Peru on September 26 in Orlando, Chile on September 29 in St. Louis, Mexico on October 3 in Glendale and Canada on October 6 in St. Paul — opening a new cycle toward the 2030 World Cup under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who had recently signed a contract extension through that tournament.

Goal.com's preview noted that the two teams' last five meetings had actually included two CONCACAF Nations League matches, which the USA won 3-0 and 2-0, plus Mexico's 2-1 win in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. The October 3 game in Arizona was not part of either competition; it was a standalone friendly.

Both Teams Arrived in Transition

The USA came into the match three months removed from a 4-1 Round-of-16 loss to Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, according to Fox Sports, which listed Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice and Romelu Lukaku adding a late goal, with Malik Tillman scoring the USA's only reply in the 31st minute. Fox Sports noted the exit matched the USA's Round-of-16 ceiling in every World Cup since 2002 except for the quarterfinal run that year.

Mexico, for its part, was playing just its third match since the World Cup under new head coach Rafael Márquez, following 1-1 draws with Colombia and Peru, per World Today News. Ahead of the Glendale game, Márquez told reporters, as quoted by ESPN, 'Obviously, we all know what it means to face the United States, so it is sure to be a very competitive match.'

Sullivan Starts, Mora Left Out of the Confirmed XI

Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan started for the USA at 17 years and five days old, becoming the youngest USMNT player ever to start against Mexico, according to U.S. Soccer's official lineup notes. Tyler Adams captained the side for the 15th time, his first as captain under Pochettino, and goalkeeper Diego Kochen made his first start after debuting as a substitute against Peru.

On the Mexican side, 17-year-old Gilberto Mora had been a doubt after an ankle scare in training that week. Márquez said Mora was 'eligible' for the match and 'recovering quite well,' per ESPN. However, the starting lineup confirmed on ESPN's match page for kickoff did not include Mora among Mexico's eleven.

• USA starting XI (per ESPN): Diego Kochen; Chris Richards, Auston Trusty, Antonee Robinson, Alex Freeman; Tyler Adams (C), Sebastian Berhalter, Cavan Sullivan, Gio Reyna; Julian Hall, Malik Tillman.
• Mexico starting XI (per ESPN): Raul Rangel; Diego Campillo, Johan Vásquez, Israel Reyes, Jesús Gallardo; Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Roberto Alvarado, Orbelin Pineda; Santiago Sandoval, Santiago Gimenez.

Rivalry by the Numbers

Wikipedia's rivalry page put Mexico ahead 38 wins to 24, with 17 draws across 79 meetings, and a 149-93 edge in goals scored before the October 2026 game. U.S. Soccer's own history piece on the venue recalled an earlier 'Duel in the Desert': a February 7, 2007 match at the same Glendale site, then named University of Phoenix Stadium, in which Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan scored to give the USA a 2-0 win in front of 62,462 fans.

What's Next

Mexico was scheduled to play Chile on October 6, according to World Today News, while the USA was set to host Canada the same day at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, closing out the four-match fall window U.S. Soccer announced in August.