As co-hosts, Mexico were always going to be under a lot of pressure at the World Cup, even before their failure to get out of the group stage in 2022. El Tri, then, are looking for new heroes to emerge, and the weight of expectation has been placed firmly on Gilberto Mora’s shoulders, despite him being the youngest player at the entire tournament.
The 17-year-old, nicknamed ‘The Mexican Pedri’, was thrust into his country’s starting XI for the knockout rounds of the 2025 Gold Cup, and he ended up playing a key role as Javier Aguirre’s side claimed the trophy, making Mora the youngest player to win a major international tournament, breaking a record set by Yamal 12 months earlier.
Injury did sideline the Club Tijuana starlet for the first few months of 2026, but he has since returned to full fitness and should be back in the line up when Mexico kick-off the tournament on June 11.
