Soccer - The Number One Sport In Mexico

The food, beaches and music of Mexico may be the first things that come to mind when one thinks about the country, but to many in this amazing country soccer is the alpha and omega of their existence. Forget all the delicious Mexican food, forget the music and forget sipping margaritas on the beach. Soccer is what matters most to the majority of Mexicans.

Without any doubt, the premier sport in Mexico is soccer. Fans of Mexican soccer revel in the games with a certain religious fervor. Mexico formed its Football Association (FA) over 100 years ago in 1907. Since then, the Mexican Men's national football team has consistently appeared in the World Cup finals more often than only four other nations in the world. With fourteen appearances under their belts, only Argentina (fifteen appearances), Italy (seventeen appearances), Germany (seventeen appearances) and Brazil (19 appearances) have made it to the World Cup finals more often. As is evident, Mexico keeps some pretty exclusive company when it comes to international soccer.

The jewel in the crown of Mexican soccer is the Azteca Stadium. This 110, 000 seat venue was built between the years of 1961 and 1966. The stadium is somewhat intimidating as stadiums throughout the world go, especially for visiting players. The Azteca sits at a breath taking 2,240 meters (7350 ft) above sea level. The stadium is the choice pick for World Cup qualifiers, as the air at this high altitude is extremely thin, and difficult for opponents to get used to. It's a difficult venue in which to perform as an athlete, due to the extreme heat and altitude. Visiting teams are at such a disadvantage that the Mexican team has only ever lost one World Cup qualifying game there.

Even though Mexico has yet to win the World Cup, their program has been producing better players and teams over the past two decades. Some feel that the only reason they have never raised the World Cup trophy is a lack of confidence when the pressure is on. All that seems to be behind them now, thankfully, as can be witnessed by recent performances. There was a time when the Mexican national team was not to be feared if they were drawn in one's group in the World Cup. It's typical for Mexico to finish in the top two in their group in recent years, and they continue to show improvement. In the past, they were only able to manage such placings when they hosted the tournament and held their group games at the Azteca.

Even though Mexico has held the World Cup on two occasions they failed to win the Cup. The heat and altitude helped them in both tournaments they hosted to make it to the quarter finals, where both times they were beaten by eventual finalists. In 1970, Italy was their downfall. In 1986, Germany was only able to dispatch them after a penalty shoot-out. The 1986 game against Germany was especially tough to swallow as it was a game they could have easily won.

As the Mexican team continues to improve it is only a matter of time before they will hoist sports biggest trophy - the World Cup. To be in Mexico when that happens would be to experience a party of unparalleled magnitude. As it stands now, whenever Mexico plays even a group game in the World Cup, the country shuts down. And if they happen to win the game, the next day becomes an unofficial holiday. In 1994, Mexico won its opening round group and the president had to come onto national T.V. three days later and beg the people to return to work. Imagine what will happen when they win it all.

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