Veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has hinted that the upcoming FIFA World Cup could mark the final chapter of his illustrious international career after announcing that he has joined what he described as his “last training camp” with the national team.

The 40-year-old shot stopper is widely expected to be named in coach Javier Aguirre’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Mexico will co-host alongside the United States and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

In an emotional message posted on social media on Monday, Ochoa reflected on his long journey with the Mexican national team.

“Putting this shirt on again was never routine … it was a privilege,” he wrote. “Today begins my last training camp. But this time I see it differently. With a fuller heart, more scars, more memories, and the same excitement as the child who once dreamed of defending this badge.”

If selected, Ochoa will join an exclusive group of players to feature in six FIFA World Cups, alongside football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The experienced goalkeeper previously represented Mexico at the Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups.

Ochoa, who currently plays for AEL Limassol in Cyprus, also recently suggested that the tournament could signal the end of his professional career.

Speaking to Mexican broadcaster TUDN last month, he admitted that the World Cup “could be the end for me after the World Cup” as he prepares for what is expected to be his final season in football.

“I’ve experienced unforgettable nights, endless matches, anthems that still give me goosebumps, and moments that changed my life forever,” Ochoa added in his social media post.

“And still, every time Mexico calls, something inside me begins again.”

Widely regarded as one of Mexico’s greatest goalkeepers, Ochoa has earned more than 150 international caps and produced several memorable World Cup performances during his career.

Among his standout moments were a remarkable display against Brazil at the 2014 World Cup and his penalty save from Poland captain Robert Lewandowski during the Qatar 2022 tournament.

Mexico will continue their preparations for the World Cup with friendly matches against Ghana on May 22, Australia on May 30 and Serbia on June 4 before opening their Group A campaign against South Africa on June 11.

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Thousands of people, led by mothers of those who have disappeared during decades of drug violence, marched in Mexico’s capital on ​Sunday, protesting the violence and impunity plaguing the country as it prepares ‌to co-host the FIFA World Cup.

Collectives of mothers of the missing, who march every Mother’s Day, called on soccer fans to join them, saying in a statement that “there is nothing to celebrate, ​because the mothers of Mexico are playing the most difficult match: the one ​for justice.”

“Mexico, champion in disappearances,” protesters chanted as they marched down Paseo ⁠de la Reforma, the signature boulevard in Mexico City, holding banners and signs ​emblazoned with pictures of missing people. They passed a roundabout surrounded by metal barriers ​that are permanently covered with pictures of the disappeared.

“We had to start fighting, because no one wanted to take charge of the disappearance (case),” said Graciela Perez Rodriguez, whose daughter and four other relatives ​disappeared in 2012 in the northern state of Tamaulipas as they travelled on ​a highway after a trip to the U.S.

Mexico has more than 130,000 missing people, with disappearances surging ‌after ⁠2006, when the country launched its war on drug cartels.

Police and other government officials are often implicated in the crimes. Mothers who search for their missing children themselves when authorities fail to act are sometimes also targeted by criminal groups and killed.

In March, ​Mexican authorities said they ​had potentially identified ⁠more than 40,000 people listed as disappeared who may be alive, after a review of the national registry of missing persons showed ​some activity across other government records.

But the public policy group ​Mexico Evalua ⁠found there has been a 200% increase in disappearances over the last decade, due to the growing power of organised crime groups.

Rodriguez said she worries that the case of ⁠her ​missing family members is no longer a priority ​since almost 14 years have passed.

-Reuters

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Players making their first appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will wear special debut patches on their jerseys in a groundbreaking initiative aimed at creating unique football collectables for fans around the world. 

The innovation, introduced as part of a new licensing agreement between FIFA and sports merchandise giant Fanatics, will see the commemorative patches removed after each player’s World Cup debut and transformed into collectable trading cards by Topps.

The initiative means several global stars, including Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal, are expected to receive debut patches when they make their first appearances at football’s biggest tournament this summer.

According to reports, every member of the Scotland squad will also qualify for the commemorative badge as the country returns to the World Cup after a lengthy absence.

The design of the debut patch has yet to be unveiled, but the concept mirrors a system already used in American sports and recently introduced into Major League Soccer in 2024.

Under the proposed arrangement, each participating team will receive a stock of debut patches, which will be attached to the upper-right chest area of a player’s shirt before his first World Cup match.

Once the game is completed, the patch will be removed and embedded into a one-of-a-kind trading card that will later be distributed randomly in collectable hobby boxes produced by Topps.

Although FIFA has not confirmed whether players will autograph the cards, the MLS version of the programme includes signed editions that have become highly sought-after among collectors.

The Fanatics licensing agreement with FIFA officially begins in 2031, meaning the debut cards from both the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups will only become commercially available after that date.

The 2026 tournament is expected to generate more than 600 debut cards, especially with several nations preparing for their maiden World Cup appearances.

Among the debutant countries are Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

Several nations are also returning to the tournament after long absences, including Scotland, Norway, Paraguay, Turkey and New Zealand.

African representatives Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, are also returning to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years and are expected to have squads filled with tournament debutants.

The initiative is expected to add a fresh commercial and historical dimension to the FIFA World Cup, turning players’ first moments on football’s grandest stage into permanent memorabilia for future generations. 

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