Mexico opens U-20 Championship title defense against Antigua and Barbuda

Defending champion Mexico opens its campaign against Antigua and Barbuda in Puebla.

PUEBLA, Mexico – The 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship continues on Friday with Mexico taking on Antigua and Barbuda in Group B at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico.

Mexico and Antigua and Barbuda have met only once before in the Concacaf U-20 Championship, with El Tricolor earning a 3-nil victory in the 2017 Group Stage.

Mexico will be aiming to successfully defend its Concacaf U-20 Championship title for the second time under the tournament's current format, while also pursuing qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Mexico finished the 2024 tournament with a competition-high 122 shots and 13 goals, powering the tournament's most prolific attack.

Antigua and Barbuda returns to the tournament for the first time since 2022 after a historic qualifying campaign. The Benna Boys topped Group C in the Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers by winning all four of their matches, marking the first perfect qualifying campaign in the nation's history.