When comparing the Mexico national football team vs Germany national football team lineups on their World Cup exploits the latter emerges as a clear winner. The reason is clear: Germany has four World Cup crowns to their name, while Mexico’s best record is a quarter-final appearance at the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.
However, that doesn’t mean the game is one-sided when the two teams meet at the FIFA World Cup. In fact, Mexico have always punched way above their weight at the World Cup, acquiring the status of being a giant killer.
And Germany have also suffered at the hands of El Tri El Tricolor recently. So, without further ado here are the four teams that the Mexico national football team vs Germany national football team lineups have faced each other at the FIFA World Cup.
1978 FIFA World Cup, Mexico 0-6 West Germany
The first meeting between the Mexico national football team vs Germany national football team lineups came at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Germany arrived as the defending champions and were in a group consisting of Poland, Tunisia, and Mexico. Germany drew their first game, while Mexico lost theirs.
And at the Estadio Chateau Carreras, the Germans came out with all guns blazing, destroying Mexico 6-0. Karl Heinze Rummenigge and Heinze Flohe got a braze, while Dieter Muller and Heinz Muller added the two others.
Mexico crashed out in the first group stage, while Germany’s defence of their crown ended in the second group stage.
Read More: Germany vs Turkey at major tournaments
1986 FIFA World Cup, West Germany 0(4)-0(1) Mexico
The next time the Mexico national football team vs Germany national football team lineups would face each other would be in 1986, when Mexico were the host. Germany had finished second in their group before beating Morocco to face Mexico, who had topped their group before Bulgaria.
This clash was a fierce one as compared to their meeting in 1978. In front of a packed Estadio Universitario stadium, the two teams tried hard but failed to find the decisive goal. This meant that the game had to go into a penalty shootout where Germany scored four in a row while Mexico missed two penalties.
Germany would reach the final where they would lose to Argentina.
1998 FIFA World Cup, Germany 2-1 Mexico
It would be another 22 years before the two teams would meet in the biggest tournament in the world. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Germany and Mexico qualified for the round of 16 after fishing first and second in their groups, respectively.
This set up a clash between the two teams at the Stade de la Mosson. The North Americans started the game on the front foot, taking the lead Luis Hernandez. However, Germany made a comeback in the game’s final quarter with goals from Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff to advance to the quarter-finals, where they lost to dark horses Croatia.
Read More: Argentina vs Croatia at the FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup, Germany 0-1 Mexico
Just like the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Germany were coming into the 2018 tournament as defending champions. Germany were in Group F with South Korea, South Korea and Mexico. The game was a tense affair at the start; Hirving Lozano scored the opener.
For the rest of the game, Germany tried to make a comeback but failed to do so, leading to one of Mexico’s best-ever wins at the tournament. Germany would crash out of the group stage, the third straight defending champions to do so (after Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014). Mexico would finish second in the group but would be eliminated by Brazil in round 16.
One interesting fact about this game was Lozano’s game caused such celebrations in Mexico City that it led to a minor earthquake.