Mexico and the “El Quinto Partido” curse”

Fútbol in Mexico is a must-see show. The games in the local league, especially the matches of the big four, Club America, Chivas, Pumas, and Cruz Azul, are a cultural phenomenon that gathers together people of all ages, shapes, genders, and backgrounds, to watch a game for 90 minutes, and forget about their problems for a long time. 

But the question that must be asked is why fútbol is so popular in Mexico, and the answer can be found in the history of it in the country. Fútbol was introduced to Mexican people by the British at the end of the 19th century, and very quickly got popular, due to its simplicity.

All you needed was a ball and goals, which could be made out of anything. The game was widespread across the country rapidly, and soon it gained the people’s hearts and legs. In addition to that, fútbol today in Mexico is a source of pride and unity for the people, and often teams represent a cultural aspect and heritage of the place they represent.

Moreover, despite the fact that modern soccer was invented in England, Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztecs and Mayans played a sacred ball game thousands of years earlier, which was in many ways similar to soccer, showing that the game has deep historical roots in Mexican culture. 

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Today, soccer is flourishing in Mexico. The Mexican League is ranked among the top 15 leagues in the world due to its financial stability, high competition, and vivid rivalries. Moreover, Mexico has been chosen to host the World Cup in 2026 (together with Canada and the USA), for the third time in their history, and became the first nation to do so. The first game of the tournament will be played in the infamous “Estadio Azteca”, between Mexico and South Africa.

As for the national team, Mexico is known to be a very strong and stable team, and has managed to create some big names over the years. Some examples include the likes of Hugo Sánchez, who was the striker of Real Madrid in the 1980’s and helped the team win five consecutive championships and one UEFA Cup.

During his time in Madrid, Sánchez won the Pichichi four times in a row, and the Golden Boot once, scoring 38 goals in the league in one season, all with the first touch. Another famous player was Rafael Marquez, who played as a defender for Barcelona, leading the team to two European titles, and by so became the first Mexican captain to win a champions league. Other notable names are Javier Hernández, Guillermo Ochoa, and Jorge Campos.

Achievement-wise, Mexico was very successful. The national team managed to win the Gold Cup ten times, the Confederations Cup once, and the Olympic gold medal of 2012. Yet, despite all the success, Mexico never managed to go pass the quarter finals of the World cup. From 1994 to 2018, Mexico got eliminated every time in the round of 16, creating what is known to be among the fans the “El Quinto Partido” curse, which translates to  “the curse of the fifth match”, meaning that the team cannot get to the fifth game of the tournament, which is the quarter finals.

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Some believe the reason for that is luck or psychology, while others believe that the reason is much deeper. The Mexican style of football is characterized with defensive football, focusing on ball control and short passes, attributes of reactive rather than active styles of fútbol. Also, the Mexican squad is usually based on local players from Mexico, because the nation struggles in creating superstars on a global scale, partially due to the local league.

The strong Mexican League managed to persuade players to stay in Mexico, and not move to Europe, limiting the development of the Mexican player to the local resources and levels of competition, which are inferior to the European competition and levels. The climax of the failure of the Mexican fútbol system was in the last World Cup, where the team failed to get past the group stage, finishing third in their group after Argentina and Poland, and before Saudi Arabia, showing struggle, weakness, and inability to create chances in all of their games. 

Besides the national team’s struggles, Mexico faces other issues within the country that put the hosting of the World Cup in question. Starting with the most obvious one, the cartels of Mexico, known to be harsh, violent and unforgivable, and going through the extreme poverty, social injustices, and corruption in Mexico, all of which make the experience of coming to Mexico and watching a match very unpleasant and dangerous.

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Issues of securing the safety of tourist and fans, and the infrastructure of the facilities within Mexico that were old and dysfunctional, are reasons that a lot of fans refuse to go to Mexico and watch the games of the World Cup. However, maybe a World Cup is the answer Mexico was looking for, both socially and competitively. Fútbol was always seen in Mexico as a route to escape the reality of the country, a source of pride and national unity, and a way to be happy even for a short time. The national team was always supported by the people through thick and thin.

In the past, Mexico leveraged the hosting of the World Cup in 1970 and 1986 to put Mexico on the map, and delivered great competitions with great games and atmosphere. Many claim that two of the best teams in history played in Mexico: Pele’s Brazil of 1970, which won that tournament with exceptional fútbol, and Maradona’s 1986 Argentina, in which Maradona scored the most iconic goals ever; the slalom and the “Hand of God” both against England. On top of that, the famous ‘Mexican Wave’  was introduced to the world during the 1986 tournament and was cemented in the halls of fame of cheering since then. 

As for the national team, there is always a prophecy that lifts the curse. In the case of the “El Quinto Partido” curse, maybe the Simpsons’ prophecy will help Mexico get to the fifth game. According to the Simpsons, Mexico will become the winner of the 2026 World Cup, and if one checks the record of Mexico, the only times that the team got past the round of 16 to the quarterfinals were in 1970 and 1986, the tournaments they hosted. So maybe the 2026 World Cup is the third time’s charm that Mexico needed?

By: Ronen Bangiev

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / NurPhoto