Aguirre’s early Mexico camp revives a 1986-style grind for a home World Cup push

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When Javier Aguirre was a player, he believed Mexico's grueling, year-long training camp ahead of the 1986 World Cup was the key to El Tri's run to the quarterfinals — matching its best result.

As coach of the national team, he is trying to replicate that vintage formula.

Unlike most competing nations, which must wait for domestic leagues to conclude before gathering their squads, Mexico began assembling its players more than a month before its opening World Cup match on June 11 against South Africa — pulling them away from their teams while the Liga MX was ongoing.

“This is a project, not a whim — it’s a project to try and make this a great World Cup,” Aguirre says. “We concluded that being at home and having these magnificent facilities we needed to be well prepared in every way. This meant having them ready five weeks before the World Cup.”

The 67-year-old manager, steering Mexico into the World Cup for a third time, was an integral part of the 1986 squad that beat Belgium and Bulgaria and lost to eventual finalist West Germany in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. The only other time El Tri reached that stage was in 1970, also on home soil.

“Being part of the national team and being able to play in a World Cup at home is priceless," Aguirre says of the 48-team tournament that Mexico is co-hosting with the U.S. and Canada.

Modern soccer presents challenges that didn’t exist in 1986. While that Mexico squad featured only one Europe-based star — Real Madrid icon Hugo Sánchez — the current pool boasts 14 players competing in Europe.

To secure his domestic players early, Aguirre had to convince the owners of the 18 Liga MX first-division teams that an extended camp was the only way to truly stand out at home. His blueprint was approved last December, and the gates to the training ground opened on May 6 with an initial group of 12 domestic players.

Yet, the strategy has drawn criticism from prominent figures within Mexican football, most notably former national team manager Ricardo La Volpe, who led El Tri to the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

“I’m truly surprised, and I have a lot of respect for Javier Aguirre, but I don’t understand him for one simple reason: First, he doesn’t have most of the players, making the practices meaningless,” La Volpe argued. “I would say that if you can’t work with everyone you should let the players use the domestic playoffs to maintain their match rhythm.”

Because of the staggered arrivals, Aguirre initially had to bring in youth academy players as sparring partners to fill out his training sessions. Behind the scenes, however, the manager utilized his deep network and public relations savvy to persuade some European clubs to release their Mexican players ahead of schedule.

The politicking paid off. By early last week, Aguirre had 18 of his final 26 players available for a warmup match against Ghana, which Mexico won 2-0.

Mexico’s intensive preparation continues with friendlies against Australia on Saturday in Pasadena, California, followed by a final test against Serbia in Toluca on June 4 — just one week before the spotlight turns to the high-stakes World Cup opener against South Africa at Azteca Stadium. Mexico also faces South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group A.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico failed to advance from its group.

To ensure optimal preparation, the Mexican Football Federation invested 400 million pesos ($23 million) into a massive renovation of its elite training center, the Centro de Alto Rendimiento on Mexico City's outskirts.

“This investment reflects our responsibility toward the World Cup,” federation president Mikel Arriola says. “We have built a facility that will provide the national team with the best possible conditions for preparation, on par with the world’s leading football powers. Hosting a World Cup demands that we raise all our standards, both on and off the field.”

Accommodations for the senior team expanded from 20 to 45 private rooms, supplemented by new player entertainment lounges. However, the crown jewel of the renovation is a state-of-the-art facility housing a massive gym, which ballooned from 1,200 to 6,000 square meters. The new complex also integrates a modernized medical wing, advanced physiotherapy and hydrotherapy labs, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and a dedicated sports intelligence hub.

While critics question the tactical wisdom of the extended camp, the players themselves have championed the early lockdown. Beyond the tactical drills, the squad views the isolation as a crucible for building chemistry that transcends the pitch.

“You have to be here to truly understand it," defender Israel Reyes says. “People might say it’s a long time to be away but it’s helping us genuinely get to know one another.”

For Reyes and his teammates, the long hours spent at the upgraded training center are forging a collective identity that could prove decisive under the intense pressure of a home tournament.

“That camaraderie in the locker room is vital because we’re starting to feel like a brotherhood,” Reyes adds. “On the field, it changes everything. You’re no longer just defending a teammate — you’re defending your brother.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Mexico team pose for a group photo prior to an international friendly soccer match against Ghana in Puebla, Mexico, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexico's Brian Gutiérrez celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Ghana during an international friendly soccer match in Puebla, Mexico, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexico's Brian Gutiérrez, right, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal against Ghana during an international friendly soccer match in Puebla, Mexico, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre gestures during an international friendly soccer match against Ghana in Puebla, Mexico, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s government declared a national emergency Friday after wildfires forced the evacuation of some 10,000 people in the central region of Madrid, while in southern France tens of thousands fled their homes to escape two major blazes.

“We are experiencing a dramatic situation, not just in several Spanish regions but also in neighboring countries,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X.

“My solidarity with all the people who have been affected and been forced to leave their homes.”

The national emergency in Spain means that the nation’s interior ministry, which controls police and security forces, has taken charge of overseeing the firefighting efforts by Spain’s regions as they struggle to battle multiple blazes that are being fanned by a heatwave. Another large fire in the central province of Ávila prompted national authorities to step in.

The regional government of Madrid, which spans a wide area around the capital city, said 10,000 people had been evacuated from different villages as multiple fires raged out of control late on Thursday.

“In my 60 years I have never seen something like this in my village, I have never seen fire of these dimensions,” Francisco Martínez, the mayor of Burgohondo, whose 1,500 residents were preventively evacuated, told Spain’s national broadcaster TVE.

Spain's military emergency brigades and national firefighting brigades have mobilized to support regional firefighting units and water-dumping aircraft.

Spain has seen an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) already burned this year, over four times the amount of terrain that was burned through the first half of 2025.

This year's fires include Spain's second-largest ever fire that consumed some 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) in recent days in the province of Guadalajara north of Madrid. Thirteen people were also killed in a fire in southern Spain earlier this month, the deadliest fire in recent memory for Spain.

Sánchez called on Wednesday for a pact between political parties to fight climate change that he said is key to adapting to a more fire-prone climate.

Temperatures are expected to top 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in parts of Spain, with a high of 44 C (111 F) in Almeria in the southeast.

Authorities in southwestern France on Friday ordered more mass evacuations on the Atlantic coast because of large wildfires. An estimated 40,000 people have been driven from their homes over the past two days in the region.

More than 87 square kilometers (34 square miles) have been burned by the blaze that has been raging since Wednesday near the touristic Cap Ferret peninsula. Some people were forced to flee by boat.

France requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

“We will soon be able to rely on reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe heat waves across Europe. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.

Petrequin reported from Paris.

A burning barn is seen next to a farm house during wildfires near Le Porge, western France, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

Wildfires advance near Le Proge region, western France, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Blumberg)

A wall of flames advances as a wildfire burns near Burgohondo, in Ávila province, Spain, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (Mateo Lanzuela/Europa Press via AP)

Residents spend the night at a sports center after being evacuated from their homes because of the threat of a wildfire in Cebreros, Ávila province, Spain, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Residents spend the night at a sports center after being evacuated from their homes because of the threat of a wildfire in Cebreros, Ávila province, Spain, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Residents spend the night at a sports center after being evacuated from their homes because of the threat of a wildfire in Cebreros, Ávila province, Spain, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)