MEXICO CITY, June 1 (Reuters) - Mexico will become the first country to host three World Cups when the renovated Estadio Azteca again takes centre stage from June 11, but beneath the historic milestone lies a national team still wrestling with decades of disappointment and instability.
The weight of "la maldicion del quinto partido" — the failure to reach the quarter-finals since 1986 — has haunted Mexican football for generations.
Since 1994, Mexico had repeatedly advanced from the group stage only to painfully fall in the round of 16 and at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar they found a way to make the curse worse by not making it to a fourth match for the first time since 1978.
The fallout triggered promises of structural reform across Mexican football, with federation officials speaking about reviving the promotion and relegation league system, reducing foreign players in the Liga MX and improving youth pathways.
Critics and fans believe little has really changed. Instead, the national team has lurched through another cycle of turmoil.
Argentine manager Diego Cocca lasted just seven matches in 2023 before Jaime Lozano took over and briefly restored optimism by winning the Gold Cup, only to be dismissed after Mexico crashed out in the 2024 Copa America group stage.
Javier Aguirre, now in his third spell as coach, was brought back to steady the ship before the home World Cup.
His results have been more consistent, underpinned by two recent CONCACAF trophies, but doubts remain about the team's identity, lack of top-tier players and a growing rift with fans, who boo the team at home matches after years of frustration.
Mexico, drawn alongside South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group A, are expected to make the most of home advantage and progress as group winners.
That could hand the hosts a manageable last-32 tie before a possible clash with England or Croatia later in the tournament.
The iconic Estadio Azteca, which staged the 1970 and 1986 finals, offers hope as Mexico did not lose a match there in those tournaments.
Former Mexico midfielder Leonardo Cuellar recently told Reuters he believes this could finally be the year Mexico break the curse, helped by home support and Aguirre's experience.
Yet for a football-obsessed country that measures World Cups in heartbreak as much as victories, belief alone has rarely been enough.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editring by Ken Ferris)
