Mexico advances to final of 2018 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup

Mexico is the first CONCACAF side to make the final of the FIFA Women’s U-17 Word Cup since the USA back in the inaugural tournament in 2008. El Tri beat Canada, 1-0, in an all-CONCACAF semifinal that decided which team would carry the region’s banner to the championship game. A first-half penalty converted by Nicole Perez gave Mexico the game’s only goal.

Mexico has been gathering momentum at the Women’s U-17 level in CONCACAF for some time now. The USA has tended to dominate CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championships, winning four of the six tournaments that have been held since 2008. Mexico has gradually been building a strong case to be regarded as the region’s second-best women’s U-17 program.

El Tri lost to Canada in the final of the 2010 CONCACAF championship, and again in the semifinals of the 2012 edition. But the 2013 cohort beat the USA in the semis and Canada in the final to claim Mexico’s first (and, to date, only) regional title at this level. And El Tri has been back to the regional championship final in the last two CONCACAF tournaments, losing to the US on both occasions.

And now Mexico is in the U-17 World Cup final: a match the USA hasn’t played since 2008 and Canada hasn’t played at all.

Mexico will play Spain in the final on December 1.