"I gave Rafa a big hug because he'll continue with this. Four very good years are coming because there is a solid foundation." Javier Aguirre said that after Sunday's 3-2 loss to England — and it didn't sound like consolation speech. It sounded like someone handing over work he was actually proud of.
Mexico are out. But they leave the 2026 World Cup in a fundamentally different place than where they started it. Four straight wins, four clean sheets, Group A topped, a first World Cup knockout victory in 40 years — and then a narrow exit to one of the tournament's strongest sides. The co-hosts didn't just perform for the home crowd. They gave the next cycle something to work with.
The generation Marquez inherits
The most important thing to come out of this tournament might not be the results at all. It's the players.
Gilberto Mora is 17 years old and started World Cup matches. The last 17-year-old to do that for any nation was Pelé at Brazil in 1958. That comparison will follow him — fairly or not — but the composure he showed on the pitch suggested he can handle it. Erik Lira was one of Mexico's most consistent performers throughout. Roberto Alvarado produced his best international football. Raul Rangel, stepping in after Guillermo Ochoa's retirement, quieted the concerns about who fills that position for the next decade.
The experienced players delivered too. Raul Jimenez was decisive when it mattered. Julian Quinones finished as Mexico's joint all-time leading World Cup scorer. The back line — Cesar Montes and Johan Vasquez prominent — held four consecutive clean sheets before England finally broke through.
This wasn't a squad held together by sentiment. It had structure.
What Marquez actually has to prove
The challenge Marquez faces is harder than the one Aguirre had. Aguirre worked in front of a packed Azteca, with the noise and momentum of a home World Cup carrying his side through every difficult moment. Marquez has to take these same players to a qualifying campaign in empty stadiums across CONCACAF and find out whether the performances were real.
He's a credible choice for the job — five World Cups as a player, built-in respect from the squad, and a transition plan the federation set up in 2024 when Aguirre returned. The infrastructure for continuity is there. Whether the performances hold up away from home is the question that will actually define the next four years.
Mexico's odds heading into the 2030 cycle look more interesting than they have in years. A young core, an established striker partnership, defensive solidity — and a coach who was present for everything that just happened. The rebuild isn't starting from scratch. It's starting from a run of form that nobody saw coming.
"You have to step aside so the good ones can come," Aguirre said. The baton has been passed. Now we find out if the foundation is real.
