Mexico FIFA 18 World Cup: squad, player ratings, tactics, formation & tips

Mexico have been the surprise package of the World Cup so far, toppling Germany in their opening match, and they now look set to reach the knockout stages. No side will like the prospect of facing the Mexicans, and they could be the dark horses of the competition and reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history. 

With a sturdy defence and pace in attack, they are a great choice for the World Cup update on FIFA 18. RealSport bring you all there is to know when setting up with the Mexicans on the game. 

Team rating

Mexico have a 4 ½ star rating on the World Cup mode. This is made up of an 80 attack, 80 midfield and 76 defence. 

Mexico’s potential World Cup fixtures

Group Stage

Germany

South Korea

Sweden

Round of 16

Brazil

Quarter-finals

Belgium or England

Semi-finals

Uruguay/Portugal/France

Final

Spain/Argentina/Germany

It’s not the easiest group for Mexico, but it's still one they expect to qualify from. El Tri get off to a tough start with Germany, but if you can replicate their performance in Moscow, you can eye topping Group F, with wins expected over South Korea and Sweden. 

If you do finish second in the group, you are likely to meet Brazil in the Round of 16, which is not an easy task. We have seen Brazil struggle at the tournament thus far however, and with the pace on the counter-attack this Mexico side has, you can cause some problems.

The draw certainly opens up if you can find a way through to the last eight. A quarter-final clash against Belgium or England is winnable, and you could meet any of Uruguay, Portugal or France in the semi-finals. Another difficult encounter, but certainly one you can win.

The final could be where you come unstuck. A final showdown against Spain or a rematch against Germany will be tough fixtures, but when it comes down to one final 90 minutes, anything can happen. 

Formation

Mexico line up in a well organised 4-4-1-1 formation, but to get the most out of your wide players, alter this to a 4-3-3 attack. 

Guillermo Ochoa is in goal, with his back four made up by Carlos Salcedo, Diego Reyes, Hector Moreno and Miguel Layun. 

Hector Herrera and the poised Andres Guardado (88 balance) are in the engine room, with Carlos Vela (84 ball control) operating as the number 10. Dangerous pairing Jesus Manuel Corona (91 dribbling) and speedster Hirving Lozano (94 acceleration) provide the width, whilst the wily Javier Hernandez (87 attacking positioning) leads the line.

On the bench go for Jose de Jesus Corona, Hugo Ayala, Paul Aguilar, Jonathan dos Santos, Elias Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos and Raul Jimenez.

Tactics

With their quality in wide areas, Mexico are perfectly equipped to work on the counter-attack. Although they were wasteful with their opportunities, they performed their tactics brilliantly against Germany in the opening game; sit deep and get the ball to the flanks on the break.

To perform this on FIFA 18, you should tell your wingers to ‘stay forward’ for defensive support on the instructions tab. This is risky against Germany, but if you back your own ability in defence, you can really hurt the world champions. As for Lozano, you will want to utilise all that pace by instructing him to ‘get in behind’ for support runs.

Hirving Lozano (93 sprint speed) and Jesus Manuel Corona (90 agility) will cause damage on the break, but they may need the support of Carlos Vela (4 star skills) to put the ball away. Tell your attacking midfielder to ‘get into the box for crosses’ for support on crosses. 



To balance out all that attacking work, it's important your defence remains resolute. You should get your full backs to ‘stay back while attacking’ and possibly get defensive midfielder Andres Guardado to do the same.

Of course, you will not play the same way against each of the opponents you face. Against Germany, opt for a defensive mentality, then go attacking against South Korea before remaining balanced for the final group game versus Sweden. You can alter this by pushing right or left on the D-pad. 

Time to create history

Mexico have never reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, and they have only ever got past the Round of 16 in tournaments they have hosted. With an exciting group of players in 2018, you sense it's the perfect time to change that.

To do so on FIFA 18, you will likely need to defeat one of Germany or Brazil which is no mean feat. If El Tri can do it in real life, you should be able to find a way through on FIFA 18, which can open up a route to the last four. 

Mexico squad player ratings