Malagon: My soul is shattered
Javier Aguirre will have to do without Luis Angel Malagon at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after the Mexico goalkeeper ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Mexico goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The 29-year-old ruptured his Achilles tendon in Club America’s 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday, and will now undergo surgery. “Hurt and sad, my soul shattered,” Malagon posted on Instagram. “Trying to understand the situation and asking why? The dream seems to be fading away, but I know that God will one day give me an answer.”
Malagon made his senior Mexico debut in 2023 and has won 19 caps. He started in the sticks as El Tri won the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup last year, earning the latter’s Golden Glove award.
Malagon was seemingly in a battle with Raul Rangel to start in goal for Mexico at the global finals. The former appeared in pole position at the end of 2025, but the latter has kept clean sheets in all three of their internationals this year – victories over Panama, Bolivia and Iceland. Carlos Acevedo was the third goalkeeper in Javier Aguirre’s latest squad. Malagon’s withdrawal hikes Guillermo Ochoa’s hope of going to a record sixth World Cup. Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo are set to do the same. Ochoa’s previous cap – his 151st overall – came in 2024. The 40-year-old, esteemed for his exceptional performance in a 0-0 draw with the hosts at Brazil 2014, which was lauded by Neymar and Luiz Felipe Scolari, is playing for AEL Limassol in Cyprus.
Mexico will play glamour friendlies against Portugal in Mexico City and Belgium in Chicago later this month. El Tri will take on South Africa and Korea Republic in Group A of the World Cup 2026. Their final first-phase game will be against the winners of Path D in the UEFA play-offs, which includes Czechia, Denmark, North Macedonia and Republic of Ireland.
Mexico suffered last-16 elimination at seven successive World Cups until the sequence was broken by a group-stage exit at Qatar 2022. The Concacaf colossuses’ best-ever finish came at home in 1986, when they beat Belgium, Iraq and Bulgaria to the quarter-finals, where they fell to West Germany on penalties.
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