MEXICO CITY (AP) — Javier Aguirre He spent his life as Mexican soccer’s ultimate firefighter, hired midway through to save the national team from crisis after crisis.
as the 67-year-old leads his third and final race. world cup His big challenge to making the 2026 team isn’t a qualifying emergency. It could be the ghost of his own past tactical failures.
Aguirre, 67, coached El Tri in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups and will return for the home tournament, which will be co-hosted with the United States and Canada. In all three cases, he was hired mid-cycle to help a struggling team.
In 2001, he was appointed as Enrique Mesa’s replacement after Mexico’s qualification to play was in doubt following a crushing defeat against Honduras. In 2009, Aguirre repeated the feat again, replacing Sven-Goran Eriksson, once again salvaging a difficult qualifying campaign.
“Javier was very smart because he knew how to get the most out of a group,” said former national team striker and current ESPN analyst Jared Borghetti.
lingering ghost
Despite helping his team qualify for the World Cup twice and reaching the last 16 both times, Mexican fans still resent his tactical failings.
“We changed the system of play and we failed,” Aguirre recently said in an interview with influential Jorge van Rankin about Mexico’s infamous 2-0 loss to the United States in 2002. “I was nervous…my lack of experience showed.”
Similar criticism continued in 2010, when Mexico lost to Argentina in the round of 16. In this game, coach Aguirre caused controversy by starting the ineligible Adolfo Bautista against Cuauhtemoc Blanco, one of the best players in Mexico’s history.
“I was a little annoyed with Javier because he was going to put me in, but he changed and put ‘Bofo’ in my place. I thought he would put me in in the second half. I kept peeking at Javier to see me and let him in, but he didn’t,” Blanco said. “I was really excited to play against Argentina, but he didn’t give me a chance.”
2026 Mission: Healing Wounded Teams
In this third stint (which he has made clear will be his last), Aguirre took over a team that was once again in turmoil. He replaced Jaime Lozano, who was sacked after Mexico’s disappointing group stage exit at the 2024 Copa America.
But unlike previous reliefs, Aguirre did not have to endure a grueling qualifying campaign as Mexico automatically secured a spot as co-hosts. A different kind of pressure awaited. Aguirre’s main mission was not to fight for points, but to regroup and revitalize a team still reeling from a group-stage collapse for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I want players who take pride in competing, players who give everything for their country on the pitch,” Aguirre said. “If they can play well and show their versatility, even better. But above all, they have to be really enthusiastic about representing Mexico.”
Aguirre inspires as a ‘true warrior’
There’s a reason Aguirre demands such fierce dedication from his players. That’s exactly how he carved his own path to the First Division and eventually to the 1986 World Cup.
“He was a great leader and a loyal friend. During his playing days, he was a true warrior who never gave up,” said legendary former Mexican national team midfielder Manuel Negrete, who shared a locker room with Aguirre in 1986.
The son of Spanish immigrants who came to Mexico fleeing the Spanish Civil War, Aguirre began to rise to prominence in the soccer world, not because of his perfect technique, but because he always ran the hardest and fought the hardest.
That grit defines his coaching style. In Spain’s La Liga, he developed a reputation for leading relegation-threatened teams such as Osasuna and Mallorca to fierce competition. While he has adapted tactically, the basic 4-2-3-1 formation prioritizes defensive organization, high pressing and lethal, quick transitions.
“I don’t like the way his team plays,” said Miguel Herrera, who coached Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. “But I love him as a coach because he has a clear belief in what he’s doing and his teams perfectly know what they’re doing on the field.”
Helping to turn the tide again in Mexico
A third stint with El Tri got off to a shaky start, but Aguirre gradually recruited players better suited to his demanding approach. The results continued in 2025, when Mexico won both the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup.
Mexico heads into their first World Cup match against South Africa riding on the momentum of an eight-game unbeaten streak.
“He’s like a father figure to me and everyone else, he makes us feel loved and admired,” midfielder Eric Lira said. “He gives you a lot of confidence, and it shows on the field.”
Group and Media Management Master
Off the field, Aguirre has often said that his biggest motivator is his wife, Sylvia Carrion, with whom he has three sons, Andre, Mikel and Iñaki. He regularly mentions her in press conferences, jokingly stating, “I wanted to retire as a coach at 50, but Sylvia told me I still needed to buy some things, so I turned 67.”
Aguirre said he does not yet know what he will do after the 2026 World Cup, but he plans to discuss next steps with her.
Another characteristic of the veteran coach is his professional handling of the media. At press conferences, regular reporters are called by name and playful jokes are commonplace. When they are comfortable, they often drop profanity and use their charisma to avoid direct and difficult questions.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who was with Aguirre in 2010 and will return to the team in 2026, said: “Javier knows everything. He is a coach who knows how to manage groups, press and pressure. He has a thick skin. We all believe in him and that is very important.”
Those who have known the coach the longest recognize how much he has grown and learned from setbacks.
“I met him 22 years ago when he was just starting out as a coach, and over the years his work ethic has evolved into a relentless pursuit of excellence,” Borgetti said. “He still speaks and acts with that unique passion, but has definitely refined his approach. He has all the tools to make this national team play well and help us achieve something historic.”
After all, that historic breakthrough is exactly what millions of Mexicans want.
___ AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
