The Mexico–United States soccer rivalry is a sports rivalry primarily between the men's national association football teams of the two countries, widely considered the two major powers of CONCACAF. The men's rivalry is regarded as one of the greatest rivalries in the international sport for its controversial incidents involving players, fans, team brawls, and competitiveness, which is amplified by political issues surrounding Mexico–U.S. relations.
The first matchup was played in 1934, though the rivalry did not properly emerge until the 1990s, when soccer in the United States rapidly developed into a major CONCACAF power to rival Mexico's longstanding dominance of North America. Modern matches between the two nations often attract much national media attention, public interest, and comment in both countries. The U.S.-Mexico matchups are widely attended, with most modern games being at stadium capacity. Several matches at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico have drawn over 100,000 fans, and several matches at the Rose Bowl in the United States have drawn over 90,000 fans.
At the FIFA World Cup, the nations have met only once in 2002, where the United States eliminated Mexico in the round of 16. Outside the World Cup, the most important games take place in quadrennial FIFA World Cup qualifiers and major North American tournaments such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup; where Mexico leads final matchups with 6, and the CONCACAF Nations League; where the United States leads final matchups with 2. The rivalry also plays out with occasional friendly exhibition games, which media outlets often consider "anything but friendly". Overall, the teams have met 80 times, with Mexico leading the rivalry 38–17–25 (W–D–L).
A lighter rivalry exists between the women's national teams, with the U.S. dominating 41–1–2 (W-D-L).
History 1930s: Origins The first match between the two sides was a qualifying match in Italy for the final spot in the 1934 FIFA World Cup. The United States had established a professional league in 1921, but it folded in 1933. The final score was United States 4–2 Mexico. In September 1937, Mexico began a winning streak over the U.S. in friendlies, 7–2, 7–3, and 5–1 in Mexico City.
1940s–1980s: Mexico dominance Following that initial victory by the U.S. in 1934, Mexico went unbeaten in the next 24 games between the two nations, with 21 wins and three draws. Soccer fell into near-complete irrelevance in the United States in from the 1950s to 1970s. The U.S. would not record its second victory over its southern neighbor until 46 years later in 1980, when they won a 1982 World Cup qualifier 2–1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Overall, the first 50 years of the rivalry concluded with Mexico holding a commanding lead in the series, 22 wins to the United States' two, with three draws.
1990s: Rivalry emerges and Mexico foothold With the rapid development of soccer in the United States, the U.S. qualified for the World Cup in 1990 for the first time since 1950 and fourth time overall, thanks in part to the Cachirules scandal which caused Mexico to be banned from the qualification tournament. This decade saw the U.S. begin to field more competitive sides, challenging the dominance of Mexico for the first time since 1934. However, despite a few notable U.S. victories, such as a 2–0 triumph in the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991, and a 4–1 win on penalties following a 0–0 draw in the quarterfinals of the 1995 Copa America, Mexico still got the better of the U.S. in the '90s, with five wins to three, alongside six draws.
2000s–2014: "Dos a cero" and Landon Donovan era The first decade of the new millennium saw the United States turn the tides of the rivalry. In 2001, the U.S. and Mexico faced off in a 2002 World Cup qualifier at Columbus Crew Stadium, which saw the U.S. defeat their archrivals 2–0 which Landon Donovan scored and provided an assist in his senior team debut. The match dubbed La Guerra Fria ("The Cold War") by Mexican media due to the sub-freezing temperatures it was contested in, while American media affectionally dubbed the match "Dos a cero" (two to zero). The following year, the two nations would face off in the FIFA World Cup itself for the first, and so far only, time in their history in the round of 16 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan eliminated Mexico to give the U.S. another 2–0 "Dos a cero" victory, to date the most important and famous matchup of the rivalry.
Led by Donovan, the United States would continue their dominance throughout the rest of the decade and into the first half of the next, with three more 2–0 victories in home World Cup qualifiers at Crew Stadium. The penchant for the U.S. to defeat Mexico by that particular score line led to U.S. fans taunting their rivals by chanting dos a cero ("two to zero"). Over the decade, various off-field incidents also happened that further hardened the rivalry, such as Donovan urinating on a Mexican training pitch and Mexican fans shouting "Osama" to the American players in reference to 9/11. Also within this time frame, the U.S. would defeat Mexico 2–1 in the 2007 Gold Cup final. Mexico would return the favor in the following final in 2009 with a 5–0 victory, albeit against a U.S. side which was not fielding its best players due to them playing at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, but would repeat the feat 2 years later with a 4–2 comeback victory against a full-strength U.S. team. The following year, the U.S. would defeat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca for the first time, winning a friendly match 1–0, and then during 2014 World Cup qualifying, the United States earned their second ever point in the Azteca by way of a 0–0 draw.
A low point in the rivalry for Mexico came in 2013, when, in the final match day of World Cup qualifying, Mexico found themselves on the brink of elimination. With El Tri trailing in their match against Costa Rica and Panama holding a 2–1 lead over the United States, Mexico had found themselves in 5th place and were minutes away from failing to qualify for the World Cup. However, in stoppage time, an equalizing goal from American Graham Zusi saved Mexico, vaulting them past Panama and into 4th place in the table, ensuring their qualification to the intercontinental playoff, where they would defeat New Zealand to qualify for the World Cup. The goal caused the Mexican commentator for TV Azteca to exclaim "God Bless America!" in English, and led to Zusi being dubbed San Zusi ("Saint Zusi") by Mexico fans. Landon Donovan would retire after controversially not being picked for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which Mexican fans would consider Donovan "their most beloved enemy" as a hated, yet respected rival.
Ultimately, from 2000 to 2014, the United States was dominant, with 12 wins to Mexico's five, together with five draws.
2015–2019: Mexico back on top Following the 2014 World Cup and the retirement of Donovan, Mexico regained its footing in the rivalry, starting with a 3–2 extra time victory in the 2015 CONCACAF Cup. In 2018 World Cup qualifying, Mexico finally broke the Dos A Cero streak with a 2–1 win, their first triumph over the U.S. in Crew Stadium. Ultimately, the second half of the 2010s would mark the lowest point of the rivalry for the United States since the 1990s, as they would fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Then, the following year, Mexico would defeat the United States 1–0 in the 2019 Gold Cup Final, then humiliate the Americans 3–0 in their own home in a September friendly, which was Mexico's most lopsided victory over their rivals since 2009.
Overall, the second half of the 2010s saw Mexico win four times and the United States win two times, along with one draw.
2021–present: Christian Pulisic era Following the United States' failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and the two 2019 defeats, the U.S. revamped their lineup, fielding a roster composed of younger players competing in top European leagues. This saw the tide turn once again in their favor, starting in 2021 with the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final, one of the most thrilling matches in the rivalry's history, which the U.S. won 3–2 after extra time after a late penalty goal from Christian Pulisic. Then, 2 months later in the Gold Cup final, the US, despite fielding a weaker roster compared to Mexico, who brought most of their first choice players, once again defeated their archrivals in extra time, this time by a 1–0 score line. Finally, in November, the U.S. defeated Mexico yet again in a 2022 World Cup qualifier at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati by the infamous Dos A Cero score, which opening goalscorer Pulisic taunted the Mexican team by lifting a shirt that said "Man in the Mirror", in response to Guillermo Ochoa's pre-game comments saying "Mexico is the mirror in which the United States wants to see itself". The win marked the first 3-game winning streak by the U.S. over Mexico in their history.
At the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, the United States eliminated Mexico in a resounding 3–0 victory following a brace by Pulisic at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where the game had four red cards and 10 yellow cards for violent behavior on both sides, including Weston McKennie having his shirt ripped off by Mexican players. The match was called eight minutes into what were supposed to be 12 minutes of stoppage time amid homophobic chanting by Mexican fans; CONCACAF officially said the match was ended at the referee's discretion. In the following year in the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League final, the U.S. defeated Mexico 2–0 to clinch the title again, and achieved a Nations League three-peat.
On October 15, 2024, Mexico finally put an end to their losing streak and defeated the U.S. 2–0 in a friendly at Estadio Akron, albeit with both teams fielding a roster without nearly all of their regular starters. On July 6, 2025, at the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Mexico came back to defeat the U.S. 2–1 in a competitive match for the first time since 2019, though with the U.S. tournament squad lacking all but 3 of their regular players. The U.S. beat Mexico 3–0 in a October 2026 friendly at State Farm Stadium, where Cavan Sullivan became the youngest American goalscorer in history.
As of October 2026, the U.S. leads Mexico with six wins to Mexico's two from 2021, along with two draws.
Comparison in major tournaments Key Denotes which team finished better in that particular competition. DNQ: Did not qualify. DNP: Did not participate. TBD: To be determined.
Results Summary Mexico leads the series overall 38–17–25, with 149 goals for Mexico and 96 for the United States. In the 21st century the U.S. leads the series 20–8–11, with 54 goals opposed to Mexico's 37.
Years Matches For Mexico Draw For the U.S. GoalsAll time 80 38 17 25 Mexico 149–96 United States1930s–1940s 7 6 0 1 Mexico 38–12 United States1950s–1960s 8 6 2 0 Mexico 30–8 United States1970s–1980s 12 10 1 1 Mexico 27–7 United States1990s 14 5 6 3 Mexico 17–15 United States2000s 16 4 2 10 Mexico 13–23 United States2010s 13 5 4 4 Mexico 17–15 United States2020s 10 2 2 6 Mexico 7–16 United States
Major titles Mexico United StatesFIFA Confederations Cup* CONCACAF Gold CupCONCACAF Nations LeagueCONCACAF Championship*CONCACAF Cup* *defunct
FIFA World Cup + FIFA World CupTournamentWinnerFinal scoreLoser 20022–0
Gold Cup The United States and Mexico have met in eight Gold Cup finals to date, with Mexico holding a six games to two lead over the United States.
+ CONCACAF Gold Cup finalsTournament Winner Final score Loser 19934–0 19981–0 20072–1 20095–0 20114–2 2019 1–0 20211–0 2025 2–1
CONCACAF Nations League The United States and Mexico have met in two Nations League finals to date, with the U.S. winning both matchups. + CONCACAF Nations League finalsTournament Winner Final score Loser 20213–2 20242–0
CONCACAF Cup + CONCACAF CupTournament Winner Final score Loser 20153–2