Ex-player Cuellar backs Mexico to break 'fifth-game' curse, warns of immigration hurdles

## Summary
Advertisement Sport Ex-player Cuellar backs Mexico to break 'fifth-game' curse, warns of immigration hurdles Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST MEXICO CITY, April 5 : Former international Leonardo Cuellar, who wore Mexico's green jersey at the 1978 World Cup, says this is the year his country may finally break its long-standing "fifth-game" curse, with the tournament coming to home soil in the summer. "My heart says so, and so does part of my head," the 73-year-old former midfielder told Reuters. "I think this time we're going to make it." Mexico is to hold the global showdown for the third time, co-hosting the soccer extravaganza with Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

## Article Content
Advertisement
Sport
Ex-player Cuellar backs Mexico to break 'fifth-game' curse, warns of immigration hurdles
Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha
Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha
Fans line up outside Azteca Stadium, officially renamed Estadio Banorte, on the day of a friendly match between the national teams of Mexico and Portugal held to mark the stadium's inauguration, as Mexico prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, March 28, 2026. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha
06 Apr 2026 12:02AM
Bookmark
Bookmark
Share
WhatsApp
Telegram
Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn
Set CNA as your preferred source on Google
Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
MEXICO CITY, April 5 : Former international Leonardo Cuellar, who wore Mexico's green jersey at the 1978 World Cup, says this is the year his country may finally break its long-standing "fifth-game" curse, with the tournament coming to home soil in the summer.
"My heart says so, and so does part of my head," the 73-year-old former midfielder told Reuters. "I think this time we're going to make it."
Mexico is to hold the global showdown for the third time, co-hosting the soccer extravaganza with Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19.
The curse of the fifth game — Mexico's notorious inability to advance past the round of 16 — has haunted the nation for decades. In an expanded 48-team tournament, even reaching that stage now requires winning a round-of-32 match first, raising the stakes considerably.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Cuellar, who also represented Mexico at the 1972 Munich Olympics, urged the current squad not to get ahead of themselves.
"If you're already thinking about the fifth game, you might get stuck before that and not even have the opportunity," he said. "They need to concentrate on game by game, let their moment build."
The veteran expressed confidence in the experienced head coach Javier Aguirre, in his third stint at the helm of "El Tri," alongside assistant and former player Rafael Marquez.
He also pointed to Mexico's Europe-based players — among them Edson Alvarez, Raul Jimenez and Julian Araujo — as a potential catalyst, but warned that simply being on a European roster is not enough.
OFF-PITCH CONCERNS CLOUD WORLD CUP
Cuellar also expressed disagreement over FIFA's dynamic ticket pricing, which he said has effectively priced out the most loyal Mexican fans.
"Now the prices have been set very, very far above the means of our society ... that die-hard fan ... the one who is always there supporting, will now have to settle for a big screen."
He mentioned problems that could arise under President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown on Mexican fans living in the U.S., saying those with permanent resident status or temporary visas could face legal complications — a reality many will have to weigh before deciding to attend.
"Those in the U.S. with green cards or temporary visas could find themselves caught up in legal proceedings," Cuellar said.
Amnesty International said last month that large-scale arrests and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies had torn communities apart, and could spill over into World Cup celebrations.
Source: Reuters
Newsletter
Recommended Read
Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read
A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Subscribe here
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Download here
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Join here
Advertisement
Also worth reading
Content is loading...
Advertisement
Expand to read the full story
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Cuellar, who also represented Mexico at the 1972 Munich Olympics, urged the current squad not to get ahead of themselves. "If you're already thinking about the fifth game, you might get stuck before that and not even have the opportunity," he said. "They need to concentrate on game by game, let their moment build." The veteran expressed confidence in the experienced head coach Javier Aguirre, in his third stint at the helm of "El Tri," alongside assistant and former player Rafael Marquez.

### Implications
- Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST MEXICO CITY, April 5 : Former international Leonardo Cuellar, who wore Mexico's green jersey at the 1978 World Cup, says this is the year his country may finally break its long-standing "fifth-game" curse, with the tournament coming to home soil in the summer. "My heart says so, and so does part of my head," the 73-year-old former midfielder told Reuters. "I think this time we're going to make it." Mexico is to hold the global showdown for the third time, co-hosting the soccer extravaganza with Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19.
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Cuellar, who also represented Mexico at the 1972 Munich Olympics, urged the current squad not to get ahead of themselves. "If you're already thinking about the fifth game, you might get stuck before that and not even have the opportunity," he said. "They need to concentrate on game by game, let their moment build." The veteran expressed confidence in the experienced head coach Javier Aguirre, in his third stint at the helm of "El Tri," alongside assistant and former player Rafael Marquez.
- OFF-PITCH CONCERNS CLOUD WORLD CUP Cuellar also expressed disagreement over FIFA's dynamic ticket pricing, which he said has effectively priced out the most loyal Mexican fans. "Now the prices have been set very, very far above the means of our society ... that die-hard fan ... the one who is always there supporting, will now have to settle for a big screen." He mentioned problems that could arise under President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown on Mexican fans living in the U.S., saying those with permanent resident status or temporary visas could face legal complications — a reality many will have to weigh before deciding to attend. "Those in the U.S. with green cards or temporary visas could find themselves caught up in legal proceedings," Cuellar said.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies had torn communities apart, and could spill over into World Cup celebrations.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers mexico, fast, game topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 835.