Cincinnati to host USA-Mexico during 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying

CHICAGO – For the U.S. Men’s National Team’s fourth home match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign, U.S. Soccer has selected Cincinnati as the host of USA-Mexico.

On November 12, TQL Stadium will be the site for the first qualifier in Cincinnati. The match will be broadcast live on the ESPN and Univision family of networks, with kickoff time to be determined.

“When you talk about great rivalries in our sport, USA-Mexico is one of the best,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We are fortunate to have so many great venue options in this country, and for this match Cincinnati ticks all the boxes.”

“This is a special game that requires a special atmosphere, and we know it’s one that Cincinnati will provide.”

AGAINST MEXICO

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 dominated 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 month 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.

Since 2000, the series is an even 4-4-2 in World Cup Qualifying contests.

ONLY TWO IN NOVEMBER

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 matched in seven-month period.