CHICAGO (Nov. 1, 2021) - Tickets are sold out for USA-Mexico, presented by Allstate, on Nov. 12 in Cincinnati.
Kickoff for the first FIFA World Cup qualifier at TQL Stadium is set for 9:10 p.m. ET. The most anticipated match in the region every four years will be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning at 9 p.m. ET, with the Univision and TUDN pregame coverage starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Fans from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have purchased tickets, helping make this the third-consecutive sellout for the USMNT in the 2022 qualifying campaign.
U.S. Soccer will host a series of activities leading up to the match, including the U.S. Soccer X Budweiser Kick-Off Party + The American Outlaws NB4 Party on Thursday, Nov.11th at the Pitch Cincy [REGISTER HERE]. More details on the events will be available in the near future.
The most anticipated game in the region every four years, this is the sixth-consecutive time the state of Ohio has hosted the USA-Mexico qualifier. These meetings have produced some of the most significant moments in U.S. Soccer history in a rivalry that dates back to 1934.
While Mexico had historically led the series, competition between the teams has grown into a proper rivalry since 2000 during which time the U.S. has held the edge, amassing a record of 15-9-6 against its neighbors to the south. The most important meeting in the modern era came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan in the Round of 16.
The epic encounters continued last summer when the USMNT was crowned champion of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League after twice coming from behind to defeat Mexico 3-2 in a match that required 30 minutes of overtime to determine a winner. Nearly two months later and with a roster that included 19 changes from the Nations League, the USMNT once again stood atop the winner’s stage after Miles Robinson headed home the game-winner in the 117th minute of a 1-0 shutout of Mexico before a sold-out crowd of 61,514 fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Since 2000, the series is an even 4-4-2 in World Cup Qualifying contests.
The match against Mexico will be the first of two matches during the November, with the USMNT traveling to Jamaica for the second match on Nov. 16 against the Reggae Boyz.
November is the only month during the entire World Cup Qualifying campaign where the USMNT will only play two games instead of three. In September and October of this year, and then January, and March of 2022, the USMNT contend with a ‘triple date’ during which the U.S. will play three matches in seven days.
Under the new qualifying format, a total of eight teams – increased from six in previous cycles - will compete in the Final Round, with the top three teams advancing to Qatar ’22. The fourth-place team will participate in an Intercontinental playoff for the last spot.
The 10 matches in the Final Round had typically been played during the course of 18 months. Due to schedule changes related to the global pandemic and the new format, each team will play 14 matches in seven-month period.
While the road to Qatar is long and winding, the USMNT has positioned itself well at the start of the campaign, sitting in second place in Octagonal through six matches. In addition to giving 25 players their first appearance in a World Cup Qualifier, the USA took the field not only with its youngest lineup in World Cup qualifying but also in any official competition when it captured a 2-1 win against Costa Rica in front of a raucous, sell-out crowd of 20,165 in its return to Columbus.