The international elite football is already being felt in the country, as the Portugal national team has landed in Mexico to begin its concentration for the attractive friendly match against the Mexican team next Saturday, March 28. Far from traveling directly to the altitude of Mexico City, the technical staff led by Roberto Martínez designed a different logistics, choosing the Riviera Maya, in Quintana Roo, as its operational headquarters. The Portuguese team is already in Playa del Carmen for the weekend to face the Mexican national team. This Wednesday will be the first training session for the Portuguese on Mexican soil. The European team plans to stay at sea level during the week to hold their training sessions and travel to the country's capital only on Friday night. With this, they seek to reduce the physical impact of the altitude and arrive in optimal conditions for the historic match that will serve to reinaugurate the remodeled Azteca Stadium after almost two years of intense remodeling work. The Portuguese call-up presents notable absences of media weight like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leão, opening an excellent window for the strategist Martínez to observe new tactical variants in his collective scheme. The squad features international figures of the stature of Bruno Fernandes, João Félix, Vitinha, and Nuno Mendes. The great news for this tour of North America is the incorporation of the forward Paulinho, goalscorer for Toluca, who received a last-minute call-up to join his compatriots directly in the Caribbean concentration. This clash represents the penultimate major test for the project under the command of the Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre before the debut in the 2026 World Cup. After the Saturday match at the Colossus of Santa Úrsula, the Lusitanians will fly to the city of Atlanta to face the United States on March 31, thus closing their mini-tour of the continent. Meanwhile, the Mexican fans are counting the hours to witness a top-tier match in a venue that is reported to be completely sold out.
