Monterrey is set to return to Mexico’s international map in November, when the national team brings a Concacaf Nations League quarter-final to the city for the first time in eight years. Mexico will play the second leg of its tie on 17 November, in one of Rafael Márquez’s first competitive assignments in charge.
The expected venue is the Estadio BBVA, the home of Rayados, where Mexico have not previously played. Opened in 2015, the stadium was also among Mexico’s venues for the 2026 World Cup, and its selection would give El Tri a first appearance at the ground known locally as the Gigante de Acero.
Mexico’s last match in Nuevo León came in 2018, when Costa Rica visited the Estadio Universitario, the ground of Tigres. This time the occasion carries a different weight: it forms part of a two-leg route towards the Nations League Finals and a new cycle under Márquez.
A quarter-final place already secured
Mexico have bypassed the League A group stage after securing direct passage to the quarter-finals through their Concacaf ranking. United States, Canada and Panama have also entered at this stage, while the remaining four quarter-finalists will emerge from the group phase.
The draw and pairings will depend on both the regional rankings and the results recorded during those group matches, leaving Mexico’s opponent unknown for now. The quarter-finals will be played home and away during the November international window, with the teams winning on aggregate progressing.
The final four will meet in March 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Before that western American gathering, Monterrey will offer Mexico a northern homecoming and a meaningful early competitive stop for Márquez’s side.
