Mex Tour Gives Mexican National Soccer Team Chance To Connect With U.S. Fans

The United States Men’s National Team isn’t the only men’s national soccer team playing games across the U.S. this summer as it gears up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar beginning November 21.

The Mexican National Team is also touring the States as part of its Mex Tour, now in its 18th edition. The tour, which features friendlies against Guatemala, Nigeria, Uruguay, Ecuador and Paraguay brings El Tri to Orlando, Arlington, Texas, Glendale, Arizona, Chicago and Atlanta.

“Mexican fans in the U.S. have so much passion because they don’t see us play in person as frequently as fans in Mexico,” says Mexican National Team and CF Monterrey midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro. “It’s important for us to play there.”

Begun in 2002, the Mex Tour is organized by Soccer United Marketing (SUM), which oversees the commercialization, marketing, promotion and operational execution for the Mexican National Team in the U.S. market. SUM, the marketing arm of Major League Soccer, and the United States Soccer Federation will not renew their 20-year commercial rights partnership when the current deal expires at the end of 2022.

With 95 games played on American soil over two decades, the annual summer tour gives El Tri a chance to connect to a growing Hispanic American population as soccer’s popularity also continues to grow. The U.S. is home to the second-largest Spanish-speaking population on the planet—besides Mexico—and estimates are that by 2050, one in three people in the U.S. will speak Spanish, which also includes bilingual English speakers.

The Mexican National Team averaged approximately 63,000 fans per match during their 2018 U.S. tour ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup where El Tri lost to Brazil in the Round of 16.

A November 2021 survey by research and analytics firm Ampere Analysis found that 49% of U.S. sports fans like soccer compared to 37% who like hockey. Nearly 18 million Americans played soccer in 2020, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. What’s even more important is that 1.2 million U.S. kids aged 13-17 played soccer regularly in 2020 according to the SFIA compared to 243,000 who played ice hockey.

Not only has the accessibility to soccer in the U.S. grown exponentially whether it’s watching European leagues and competitions across networks and OTT services including Peacock, Paramount+ or ESPN+, but more and more academies and playing opportunities have sprung up as the sport’s gained popularity. Major League Soccer, which has witnessed its own expansion, introduced MLS NEXT in 2020 as a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy to further the pipeline from youth to professional.

European clubs and leagues including LaLiga, FC Bayern Munich and Liverpool FC have an on-the-ground presence in America as a way to further their methodology while keeping a keen eye on upcoming talent.

“Soccer is growing a lot in the U.S.,” says Pizarro, who is featured in Bud Light’s new Brewed in Texas campaign geared toward the state’s growing Hispanic population. “Maybe 10 years ago, children wanted to grow up to play in the NFL or NBA, but now more want to play soccer. There are a lot of academies and opportunities for that to happen. I think in a few years maybe soccer can be a top-3 sport.”

With the Mex Tour and the start of the Concacaf Nations League to look forward to this summer, all eyes will be fixated on this fall as the 2022 FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar. Mexico was drawn into Group C with Copa America winners Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland.

Mexico has advanced out of the Group Stage and into the Round of 16 in each of the past seven World Cup tournaments dating back to 1994.

“They’re complicated games but I think this World Cup will be very special for Mexicans and for the team,” says Pizarro, who has five goals in 35 senior international caps. “I think maybe we can make history this World Cup. I hope we will be in first place in that group. If we play as a team and do the things we know, I think we can do it.”