The Mexican Football Association (FMF) recently hosted the latest edition of the FMF Supercopa, a prestigious tournament that has established itself as a major event on the national youth football scene, at its Toluca headquarters.

Supported by the FIFA Forward Programme, the tournament not only promotes elite competition at youth level, it also drives infrastructure improvements that are key to the future of the Mexican game.

The event, which was held in two instalments across last month and this month, gave Mexico’s most promising U-13 and U-15 players the opportunity to showcase their talent. The boys’ competitions took place from 12 to 17 July, followed by the girls’ tournaments, which were contested between 5 and 10 August.

In the boys’ competitions, the Mexican U-13 national team and the U-15 side representing the state of Jalisco reigned supreme. As for the girls’ events, which showcased the growing popularity of the female game in Mexico, the “El Camino” U-13 team (composed of Mexican talents identified during trial events held in the United States) and the El Tri U-15 side were crowned champions.

The competition is part of the FMF’s efforts to nurture the nation’s brightest youth talents, an undertaking that it combines with improvements to its facilities. Indeed, having constructed the first FIFA Forward-funded hybrid pitch in the Americas in 2023, the association is set to unveil a revamped natural-grass pitch at its high-performance centre later in the year.

Making the most of an investment of USD 105,785, pitch 2 at the complex has been relevelled, and the outdated sprinklers have been replaced with a state-of-the-art irrigation system. These significant updates have resulted in a top-quality playing surface that is set to benefit all of the Mexican national teams when they come together for training camps, providing players with optimal conditions in which to fulfil their potential.

A standout aspect of the FMF Supercopa was the wide range of participants, with each age category featuring teams of various profiles: national teams, amateur sides, state teams and the “El Camino” outfits. The competitions involved a group stage featuring a round-robin format, with the top two teams progressing to the Gold Final, while the third- and fourth-placed sides went head-to-head in the Silver Final.

In this year’s event, the amateur teams on show were those that had emerged victorious at the Mexican National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport’s Youth Olympics, which served as a talent ID event for scouts from Mexico’s youth national teams. The road to the FMF Supercopa kicked off with three regional tournaments involving sides representing all 32 of the country’s federal entities. The 16 top-performing teams in these competitions advanced to the showpiece event, which was held in Colima in early June.

Speaking in the aftermath of the Supercopa, FMF President Ivar Sisniega highlighted its significance, particularly for women’s football: “This tournament has been hugely successful in helping us to unearth new talent, especially in terms of girls who could be called up to the national teams. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the players and their parents for being part of the competition. I urge the players to keep improving and training hard so that they fulfil their potential. The future of women’s football in Mexico is in very good hands.”

The coach of the Mexican girls’ U-15 national team, Jimena Rojas, echoed Sisniega’s sentiment, praising the tournament organisers and the event format. “We were delighted with how well the tournament was organised. Every last detail is taken into account, which allows us to come here and compete. What’s more, players from other countries – Mexicans who live abroad – are able to participate. That helps us to keep improving, all for the benefit of the national team.”

The national tournament, together with infrastructure investment, forms a key part of the FMF’s strategy to develop its national teams, all with a firm eye on upcoming competitions, including next year’s FIFA World Cup™ – which Mexico will co-host alongside Canada and the United States – and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™.

FIFA Forward Programme funding has been central to the FMF’s endeavours, not only in creating opportunities for the current generation of players, but also in building a lasting legacy of excellence and fostering the sustainable development of the Mexican game.