USMNT and Mexico Meet for the 80th Time Saturday in Arizona

The 92-year-old series resumes at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with Mexico leading 38-24-17 and the U.S. winning five of the last nine meetings.

The United States men's national team meets Mexico on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in the 80th meeting between the neighboring countries. The match is officially a friendly, with no trophy or World Cup qualifying points attached. The series itself dates back 92 years, to a 1934 World Cup qualifier in Rome.

The rivalry grew from proximity and shared prizes. Both countries play in Concacaf, the confederation covering North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and they collide regularly in the Gold Cup, the Nations League and World Cup qualifying. Mexico owned the series' early decades; as American soccer improved, the fixture became a regular fight for control of the region. Mexico also enjoys heavy support among fans living in the United States, so American venues do not automatically hand the hosts a crowd advantage.

Mexico leads the all-time series 38-24-17 even after the American rise. The U.S. has taken five of the last nine meetings, a stretch that includes the 2021 and 2024 Concacaf Nations League finals and the 2021 Gold Cup final. Mexico's biggest recent win in the rivalry came in the 2025 Gold Cup final, a 2-1 defeat of the United States.

One scoreline runs through all of it. "Dos a Cero" — Spanish for two-nil — is a chant and a celebration for U.S. fans, honoring a result that has decided a striking number of American wins. The tradition grew in Columbus, Ohio, where the U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 in four straight home World Cup qualifiers, in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013. That same score decided the 2002 World Cup meeting, a 2021 qualifier in Cincinnati and the 2024 Nations League final.

The Columbus streak began on Feb. 28, 2001, with a qualifier so cold it became known as the "Cold War." Josh Wolff, who entered after Brian McBride was hurt, scored the opener and set up Earnie Stewart for the second. The only World Cup meeting between the teams followed in 2002: McBride struck in the eighth minute and Landon Donovan headed in another after the break as the Americans won 2-0 in South Korea, ousting Mexico and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Gold Cup finals have produced some of the series' best games. In 2007, Mexico led at halftime before Landon Donovan equalized from the penalty spot and Benny Feilhaber won it for the U.S. with a volley from outside the penalty area, a goal still remembered as one of the finest in team history. In 2011, the Americans scored twice inside the opening 23 minutes before Mexico answered with a 4-2 comeback built on two Pablo Barrera goals, an Andrés Guardado equalizer and a Giovani dos Santos chip from a tight angle.

The 2015 Rose Bowl meeting put a 2017 Confederations Cup place at stake. Goals came at both ends through regulation and extra time: Bobby Wood pulled the U.S. level in the 108th minute, and Paul Aguilar answered with a volley in the 118th to give Mexico a 3-2 win and the tournament berth.

Two finals in the summer of 2021 went the Americans' way. In the inaugural Concacaf Nations League final on June 6, the U.S. recovered from two deficits, Christian Pulisic converted an extra-time penalty and substitute goalkeeper Ethan Horvath denied Andrés Guardado from the spot in the dying moments of a 3-2 win that handed a new generation of Americans its first trophy. On Aug. 1, in the Gold Cup final, a Miles Robinson header off a Kellyn Acosta free kick in the 117th minute settled a 1-0 win over a Mexico side that could not find the net.

Mexico visits the United States on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10 p.m. EDT at State Farm Stadium. English-language coverage airs on TNT and HBO Max; Spanish-language broadcasts are on Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.