MIAMI — The 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals begin on March 20, with four nations competing to decide who will play in the championship match three days later at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, USA.
Canada and Mexico will meet for the first time in the CNL Finals in the closing bout of a doubleheader also featuring the United States and Panama.
Both sides seek to win their first Nations League title. Mexico finished as the runner-up in the 2021 and 2024 editions, while Canada was the silver medalist in the 2023 tournament.
The two nations will face each other for the seventh time in Concacaf-organized tournaments, with Mexico holding five victories and one defeat. Over the past 24 years, Canada and Mexico have met 13 times in official and friendly matches.
Canada defeated Suriname in the quarterfinals, 4-nil on aggregate, with goals from Junior Hoilett, Jonathan David, and a brace from Jacob Shaffelburg. Jonathan David is Canada’s top scorer in CNL matches with seven goals, followed by Alphonso Davies with six.
Mexico defeated Honduras in the quarterfinals, 4-2 on aggregate, with goals from Raúl Jiménez, Jorge Sánchez, and a brace from Henry Martín. Jiménez and Martín, along with Édson Álvarez and José Juan Macías, lead Mexico with three CNL goals all-time.
This will be their second encounter in a Concacaf semifinal since their clash in the 2021 Gold Cup, where Mexico claimed a 2-1 victory with goals from Orbelín Pineda (45’ penalty) and Héctor Herrera (90’), while Tajon Buchanan (57’) scored for Canada.
Canada will seek to improve under head coach Jesse Marsch, who took over before the Reds participated in the 2024 Copa America. Canada finished fourth and was the Concacaf nation that went furthest in the tournament.
Mexico is looking for resurgence under head coach Javier Aguirre, who looks to manage his country at a third FIFA World Cup in 2026. El Vasco will manage Mexico for the first time in the CNL Finals.
The two managers were at the helm for the most recent encounter between the two nations, a scoreless draw in an international friendly on September 10, 2024.
