Mexico is back in action with a friendly match against Colombia on Saturday night in its home away from home at AT&T Stadium.
El Tri settled for two draws against Japan and South Korea last month in its most recent two matches. The results weren’t overly positive but Mexico competed admirably against two of Asia’s best teams, continuing what’s unquestionably been a successful 2025.
Néstor Lorenzo’s Colombia booked its tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with wins against Bolivia and Venezuela. The 2024 Copa América finalists struggled for a bit in the qualifiers, but Los Cafetaleros remain a very dangerous side full of quality players.
Javier Aguirre faces a tough challenge, considering Mexico has lost its last four games against Colombia. Nevertheless, it’s a massive opportunity for a number of players to square-up against European caliber opponents and impress, with a home World Cup only nine months away.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to Mexico vs. Colombia.
What Time Does Mexico vs. Colombia Kick-Off?
- Location: Arlington, Texas
- Stadium: AT&T Stadium
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 11
- Kick-off Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Mexico vs. Colombia Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Mexico: 1 win
- Colombia: 4 wins
- Draws: 0
- Last Meeting: Colombia 3–2 Mexico (Dec. 16, 2023) - International Friendlies
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Mexico vs. Colombia on TV and Live Stream
Mexico Team News
Aguirre will be without the two most important players of his process so far, with both skipper Edson Álvarez and leading goalscorer Raúl Jiménez staying in Europe to recover from injury.
This opens the door for Santiago Giménez to rediscover his form as El Tri’s striker and for Erik Lira to continue establishing himself as a valuable alternative, covering for Álvarez in midfield.
Elsewhere, Hirving Lozano is putting the finishing touches on a fantastic debut season in MLS with San Diego FC. Although he’s usually deployed on the left for his club, his best minutes for El Tri have come playing on the right wing.
Alexis Vega has continued to make his case for best player in Liga MX status and should occupy his usual place on the left wing. With Rodrigo Huescas two weeks removed from tearing his ACL, Cruz Azul’s Jorge Sánchez is the favorite to get the nod at right back.
Regardless of Aguirre’s roster being compromised by injuries, he’ll be able to deploy his preferred center back partnership of César Montes and Johan Vásquez.
Mexico Predicted Lineup vs. Colombia
Mexico predicted lineup vs. Colombia (4-3-3): Malagón; Sánchez, Montes, Vásquez, Gallardo; Ruíz, Lira, Rodríguez; Lozano, Gimenez, Vega.
Colombia Team News
Colombia is bringing a powerful squad to U.S. soil for its October friendlies and a bulk of its stars are expected to play against Mexico.
Luis Díaz has had a stellar start to his Bayern Munich career and will look to carry over that form to the national team. Richard Rios, Kevin Castaño and Jefferson Lerma form one of the most dynamic and complete midfields in all of South America and will likely be deployed against El Tri.
Sporting CP’s Luis Suárez scored four goals last time out for Colombia and has scored that exact amount in his last four games at the club level. Although former MLS star Juan “Cucho” Hernández is also tearing it up for Real Betis, Suárez is the favorite to start on Saturday.
Three Liga MX players could see action against Mexico: Goalkeeper Kevin Mier, left back Álvaro Angúlo and, of course, Colombia legend James Rodríguez.
Colombia Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico
Colombia predicted lineup vs. Mexico (4-3-3): Mier; Muñoz, Mosquera, Lucumi, Angulo; Rios, Lerma, Castaño; Rodríguez, Suárez, Díaz.
Mexico vs. Colombia Score Prediction
Mexico has developed somewhat of a Jiménez dependency in 2025. Without him, El Tri has struggled to generate much danger in front of goal.
Gimenez will need to take advantage of his opportunity and Vega will be expected to finally translate his Toluca form to El Tri.
Still, Colombia’s electric side could very well overwhelm Mexico, especially in midfield. Aguirre’s team is comfortable relinquishing possession, but it’ll face a tough challenge against Colombia’s in-form forwards.
It will be a close affair, but in the end, the injuries will be a factor and Mexico will lose its first game since early June.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mexico vs. Colombia: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
