Why is Mexico called 'El Tri?' Expaining national soccer team's widely-used nickname

It's been 40 years since Mexico last advanced past the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, a drought that included seven consecutive losses in that first round of the knockout stage.

With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams in 2026, getting back to the round of 16 would require one knockout stage win — but Mexico is aiming even higher than that.

If Mexico can piece together a deep run, you can expect to hear the nickname "El Tri" mentioned quite often.

Here's what you need to know about the Mexican soccer team's popular nickname and how it originated.

MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

• Who will win the World Cup in 2026?
• Updated FIFA World Rankings
• How World Cup qualifying works
• Explaining the expanded World Cup bracket
• Full list of teams to qualify for 2026 World Cup

Why is Mexico called 'El Tri?'

"El Tri" is quite simply a nickname based on Mexico's tricolor flag, which features green, white and red stripes. The flag is often referred to as "the tricolor," and "El Tri" is derived from that label, with "the" translating to "el" in Spanish.

Mexico's kit and branding feature green, white and red, which is also credited with fueling the nickname.

Imagn Images

Fans can describe the Mexican national team as "El Tri," but as of 2023, the team itself doesn't own the rights to "El Tri" branding after Alex Lora of Mexican rock band "El Tri" successfully sued the club for the rights to the name. 

MORE: Meet the referees for 2026 World Cup

When did 'El Tri' become Mexico's nickname?

The exact origins of "El Tri" as the Mexican soccer team's nickname are unclear, but the team started heavily incorporating red into its kit at the 1986 World Cup.

While Mexico traditionally wore green from head to toe before 1986, the addition of red socks marked the true arrival of a tricolor look on the pitch. "El Tri" has become synonymous with Mexico's soccer team ever since, and the team continues to wear the tricolor look even with uniforms that are constantly changing.

The Mexican flag has been tricolor from the beginning, as the First Mexican Empire declared in 1821, "the national flag and flags of the army shall be tricolor." While the flag's design changed numerous times before the current edition was adopted in 1968, the green, white and red stripes did not.

Just as the flag emphasizes its tricolor look, Mexico's national soccer team embraces the nickname — even if it can't do so in an official capacity anymore.