What is the most popular sport in Mexico?

Without a doubt, the most popular sport in Mexico is football (soccer). Surveys consistently show that over 70% of Mexicans consider football to be their favorite sporting activity and pastime.

Football‘s Deep Roots in Mexico

Football was first introduced to Mexico in the late 19th century by British miners and sailors. Mexico‘s first football club, C.F. Pachuca, was founded by miners in 1901. From these humble beginnings, the sport quickly grew in popularity across the country.

By the 1920s, organized leagues were formed and the Mexico national team played its first international match in 1923. Football became intricately tied to Mexican national identity and a powerful symbol of Mexican passion and talent.

Mass Popularity of Football

Today, football permeates all levels of Mexican society with a fanatical following across genders, ages, and social classes.

The Mexican first division, Liga MX, enjoys huge popularity with average attendances of 25,411 fans per game in the 2022 Apertura season. To put that figure in perspective, that is higher than average attendances for the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, and Spain‘s La Liga!

In a 2021 national survey on sports preferences conducted by Consulta Mitofsky, 70.7% of respondents identified football as their favorite sport to follow and cheer for.

Source: Consulta Mitofsky 2021 Survey – Top 5 sports Mexico fans say they follow/cheer for

The classic club rivalry between C.F. Monterrey and U.A.N.L. Tigres commands intense devotion that is unmatched in Mexican sports. Their derby matches, nicknamed the Clásico Regiomontano, have broken the Liga MX attendance record with over 53,500 boisterous fans cramming Mexico‘s largest stadiums.

Internationally, the Mexico national team sparks tremendous displays of patriotism across the country during World Cups as Mexicans proudly don the iconic green jersey to cheer El Tri on against the world‘s best.

Success of Mexican Clubs

Mexican clubs have enjoyed success in regional tournaments, giving the country bragging rights over its geographic rivals.

Deportivo Guadalajara has been one of the most successful CONCACAF representatives in South America‘s prestigious Copa Libertadores tournament. Mexican teams have participated since 1998 and Guadalajara reached the Copa Libertadores finals in 2010 and 2018, building their continental reputation.

The city of Monterrey has dominated the CONCACAF Champions League in recent years. C.F. Monterrey and U.A.N.L. Tigres have won 4 of the last 5 titles between them since 2016.

Domestically, Chivas and Club América stand out as Mexico‘s most successful and popular clubs, with huge fan bases across Mexico. Las Chivas is the only club in Liga MX that exclusively fields Mexican players, which has earned them a special place in Mexican football lore.

Meanwhile, Club América proudly boasts being the "Club of the Century" with a record 13 league titles since 1965. When these two titans clash in the Super Clásico, the footballing world stops to watch the spectacle unfold.

Key Players and Idols

Mexican fans are rightfully proud of homegrown talents that have made their mark internationally like Hugo Sánchez, Rafael Márquez, Jared Borgetti, and Chicharito Hernández.

Hugo Sánchez is still considered the most iconic Mexican football idol decades after he became a Real Madrid legend and five-time La Liga top scorer in the 1980s/90s golden era. Borgetti and Chicharito also broke barriers as top scorers in the German Bundesliga and English Premier League respectively, sporting the green jersey with pride.

The current generation of Mexican stars like Hirving Lozano, Raúl Jiménez, and Guillermo Ochoa have become heroes for today‘s Mexican football fans as the bearers of El Tri‘s hopes in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Football Beyond the Pitch

Football permeates all aspects of Mexican cultural life from movies, tv shows, music, and food/drink. When the national team plays, the country comes to standstill as restaurants, bars, and public plazas fill up with fans donning green jerseys to cheer the matches.

Estadio Azteca, Mexico‘s flagship football stadium and "Coloso de Santa Úrsula", has hosted some of El Tri‘s most iconic World Cup matches from Pelé‘s Brazil in 1970 to Maradona‘s Argentina in 1986. These history-making matches have eternalized football as integral to Mexican national pride and identity.

Today fans voraciously follow the Mexican league and European clubs on television, radio, and internet channels like TV Azteca and Telemundo, ESPN, Fox Sports, and countless YouTube and Twitch streamers. Fantasy football leagues, video games, player stickers, jerseys, and more allow fans to immerse themselves in the football experience.

Other Popular Sports

While football remains peerless as Mexico‘s favorite sport, other sporting activities like baseball, boxing, athletics, basketball, and bullfighting hold niches in Mexico‘s rich sporting culture.

Mexico has produced world champion boxers that sparked immense national pride like Julio César Chávez in the 1990s and Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez today. Baseball is hugely popular mainly in northwest Mexico, thanks to proximity and cultural influence from the U.S. states.

However, none can match football‘s sheer dominance as Mexico‘s most popular passion. According to an active lifestyle index by the Mexican secretaries of Health and Education, a whopping 15.5 million Mexicans play football recreationally, dwarfing the runner-up activity walking/running with 9.8 million.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mexico lives and breathes football as its most popular sport, source of entertainment, and arena to showcase Mexican talent, passion and pride. Liga MX matches, the national team‘s World Cup odysseys, and Champions League escapades of Mexican idols like Chicharito and Lozano will continue dominating sports media coverage and everyday discussions as fans relish Mexico‘s fervent football mania.

¡Dale Tri!