Mexico vs Argentina, U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025: FIFA confirms kickoff time for Round of 32 clash
The Mexican national team has miraculously and dramatically advanced to the Round of 32 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 and will now face Argentina on Friday, November 14 — a nation that has historically been one of its toughest rivals across all age categories.
After the 32 qualified teams were confirmed, FIFA officially announced the match schedule. The Argentina–Mexico showdown will kick off at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, 8:45 a.m. in Mexico City, and 11:45 a.m. in Argentina.
The Round of 32, consisting of 16 matches, will be played between Friday and Saturday, with the clash between Carlos Cariño’s Mexico and Diego Placente’s Argentina scheduled for the first day.
FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025: Round of 32 Fixtures
- Argentina vs Mexico
- Portugal vs Belgium
- Switzerland vs North Korea
- Ireland vs Uganda
- United States vs Morocco
- Zambia vs Mali
- Brazil vs Canada
- France vs Burkina Faso
- Italy vs Uzbekistan
- South Korea vs England
- Venezuela vs Paraguay
- Japan vs Colombia
- Austria vs Czech Republic
- Croatia vs Tunisia
- Senegal vs Egypt
- Germany vs South Africa
How Mexico Qualified for the Round of 32 — and Why They Face Argentina
Mexico finished third in Group F with three points and a –2 goal differential.
The team had to wait for the outcomes of the remaining four groups to see if it would advance, as the top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-place teams qualified for the knockout stage.
Initially, things looked bleak. As results from Groups K, J, and I came in, hope for El Tri began to fade, and confusion spread across social media, with many already declaring Mexico eliminated.
But one match remained — Mali vs Saudi Arabia in Group L — and everything hinged on that result.
Mali’s 2–0 victory left Mexico tied with Saudi Arabia on every metric: three points, –2 goal difference, three goals scored, and five conceded.
Ultimately, Fair Play points became the tiebreaker, favoring Mexico after Saudi Arabia’s two red cards in their opening match against Austria proved costly.
Argentina vs Mexico: A New Chapter in a Heated U-17 Rivalry
While recent meetings between Argentina and Mexico have rarely been even, they’ve consistently been charged with intensity both on and off the pitch — before, during, and after the final whistle.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina entered the group-stage match against Mexico under immense pressure after a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia.
The game was tightly contested until Lionel Messi broke the deadlock, reigniting Argentina’s campaign en route to winning the world title.
The two nations clashed again at the U-20 World Cup in Chile last month, this time in the quarterfinals, where Argentina once more came out on top, winning 2–0 following fiery pre-match comments and post-game banter.
Across all World Cup levels, Argentina and Mexico have met 11 times, with eight victories for Argentina and three for Mexico.
However, two of Mexico’s wins came precisely in the U-17 category, where El Tri holds a distinguished record — two world titles (2005 and 2011) — compared to none for Argentina.
