Mexico vs. Switzerland: Time and where to watch the friendly match LIVE prior to the 2025 Gold Cup
With the Gold Cup just around the corner and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the Mexican national soccer team will face Switzerland in a warm-up match on Saturday, the first European sparring match in Javier Aguirre 's third stint as coach.
In ten months under the command of "Vasco" Aguirre , El Tri has played just four official competition matches in the Concacaf Nations League and five friendlies.
In preparation matches, Mexico has faced Canada and the United States, teams from its region, and New Zealand.
He also played two matches with an alternate lineup made up of young players from the Mexican league against the South American clubs Internacional de Porto Alegre and River Plate.
"I asked for Asian, South American, and even African opponents, but it's not easy. Because of the FIFA dates, the opponents are busy," Aguirre admitted.
However, Mexico already has two challenging friendlies lined up against Switzerland (on Saturday) and Turkey (on Tuesday), European rivals that will help prepare for its Gold Cup title defense.
"They're very tough opponents," Aguirre said. "I want to put the players under tremendous pressure."
The squad for these matches and the Gold Cup is made up mostly of European legionaries and players from Cruz Azul , the newly crowned 2025 Concacaf Champions League champion.
Among them, Aguirre has opted for Mateo Chávez, a 21-year-old left-back recently signed by Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
"I had to look for an opportunity to grow… I want to be in the World Cup," Chávez said of his move to Europe.
Switzerland boasts versatilityMexico is ranked 17th and Switzerland 20th in the FIFA national team rankings .
The Swiss national team has completed three years and 10 months of experience under coach Murat Yakin, during which they reached the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup and the quarterfinals of Euro 2024.
"We've become more versatile. We're comfortable playing with various formations and can change things up in different ways during matches," Yakin says of his tactical work.
The Swiss coach is managing a generational change after the talented attacking midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri retired from the national team.
Yakin failed to convince him to rejoin for the team's North American tour, which includes games against Mexico and the United States.
In any case, he will also have the emblematic Granit Xhaka, a skillful and tough midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Swiss squad includes Johan Manzambi, a 19-year-old midfielder from Freiburg in Germany. He rose through the youth teams between 2023 and 2025 before reaching the senior team.
"I'm a little surprised myself because everything happened so quickly until I got to the first team, but I worked hard for it," the youth player commented.
Switzerland has agreed to these warm-up matches in the United States to face two countries that will host next year's World Cup.
Mexico vs. Switzerland: Time and where to watch the matchMexico vs. Switzerland will be played in Salt Lake, Utah, starting at 2:00 PM at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which has a capacity of 51,444 spectators. It will be broadcast on Channel 7, Azteca 7, and TUDN.
In six matches between the Aztecs and the Swiss, the record favors Switzerland with four wins, one draw, and one loss.
On Tuesday, Mexico will have its next friendly against Türkiye at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
That same day, Switzerland will face the United States at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
Probable lineups:
- Mexico: Angel Malagon - Israel Reyes, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, Jesus Gallardo - Edson Alvarez, Luis Romo, Roberto Alvarado, Cesar Huerta - Raul Jimenez, Santiago Gimenez. Coach Javier Aguirre.
- Switzerland: Gregor Kobel – Miro Muheim, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodríguez - Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria - Remo Freuler, Michel Aebischer, Fabian Rieder - Breel Embolo. DT Murat Yakin.
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