With less than six months to go until the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Mexico national team is beginning to resemble a hospital, with captain Edson Álvarez becoming the latest to join the rapidly growing list of injured El Tri players whose availability for the tournament is in doubt.
Álvarez has been battling a nagging ankle injury for almost two months that sidelined him for six games as the calendar turned to 2026. He returned to action last week, but he aggravated the issue during his brief cameo for Fenerbahçe in their defeat to Aston Villa in the Europa League.
Mexico’s captain released a statement on social media over the weekend where he shed light on his injury status, causing serious concern for El Tri with the World Cup fast approaching.
“On Dec. 1, during the derby against Galatasaray, I took a strong knock in the ankle near the end of the game,” Álvarez wrote. “Thanks to the work from the medical staff, I was able to play the following matches, but the pain persisted which is why we made the decision to stop [playing].
“Since then, the rehabilitation and the work hasn’t stopped. The feeling was getting better to the point where I was able to play some minutes against Aston Villa in the Europa League.
“Unfortunately, the pain returned after that game. Because of this, and once again in coordination with the technical and medical staff, we’ve decided to stop again to reevaluate the situation and precisely determine the gravity of the injury.”
Further information regarding the timeline for Álvarez’s recovery after his latest injury setback is expected to surface in the coming days. However, there is fear that the injury could require potential surgery, seriously jeopardizing his status for the World Cup. It does not help matters that his situation eerily resembles that of fellow El Tri star Santiago Giménez.
The Injured El Tri Players at Risk of Missing 2026 World Cup
Like Álvarez, Giménez played through an ankle injury until it worsened to the point where he was forced to stop. After conservative treatment, the AC Milan striker had to go under the knife back in mid-December, and manager Massimiliano Allegri later revealed he’d miss “three to four months.”
If Álvarez’s ankle injury requires a similar surgery, then he’d face a worrying race against the clock to be ready in time for the World Cup.
But Mexico’s injury issues go much deeper than Álvarez and Giménez. Over the past eight months, players that were almost guaranteed to feature in Javier Aguirre’s World Cup roster have been dropping like flies.
First, it was midfielder Luis Chávez, who suffered an ACL tear during the 2025 Gold Cup and is still deep into his recovery process. Young and exciting right back Rodrigo Huescas suffered the same injury months later, all but completely dashing his World Cup hopes.
Center back Jesús Orozco suffered ligament damage after dislocating his ankle in early December and isn’t expected to recover in time for the summer. Alexis Vega, the best player in Liga MX in 2025, continues to battle knee issues that forced him to undergo surgery after playing just one game in the last four months.
Finally, both winger César Huerta and now wonderkid Gilberto Mora are undergoing treatment for Pubalgia. Both players are aiming to avoid surgery, but in Huerta’s case, he hasn’t played in four months—a concerning warning sign for Mora, who just started his own recovery process.
Injured Mexico National Team Players
| PlayerI | Injury |
|---|---|
| Edson Álvarez | Ankle injury |
| Santiago Giménez | Ankle Injury |
| Luis Chávez | Torn ACL |
| Rodrigo Huescas | Torn ACL |
| Jesús Orozco | Dislocated Ankle |
| Alexis Vega | Articular Knee Injury (Chronic issue) |
| César Huerta | Pubalgia |
| Gilberto Mora | Pubalgia |
Aguirre Reveals He ‘Will Wait’ for Injured Players
Mexico made its 2026 debut over the past week with two 1–0 wins against Panama and Bolivia. Following the clash against Bolivia on Sunday, Aguirre was asked about Álvarez’s injured specifically.
“We sent a physiotherapist to check-in on him [Álvarez] last week,” Aguirre revealed. “We knew he had an ankle issue.”
Aguirre’s revelation prompted a follow-up question regarding how willing he and El Tri are willing to wait on the number of injured players who are doubts for the World Cup.
“Every national team waits until FIFA requires you to submit the final list,” Aguirre said. “We’re about five months from the World Cup and what I’ve asked of them [players] is to be healthy and consistently playing.
“Then it will be our decision to consider—or not—those who are healthy and playing [for the World Cup roster]. It’s January, there’s still plenty of time remaining before the World Cup. On our radar we have Huescas, Huerta, Chávez, players that have had surgery and are in the recovery process, we are monitoring them.
“We have a person in Europe that is permanently moving to check-in on all of them and he informs us how the recovery is going. That’s the most we can do, be close to them, monitor them because they are important players for us.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Another Injury Blow for El Tri: Mexico Captain at Risk Of Missing World Cup.
