Mexico vs Colombia Ends 1-1 in Rafa Marquez's Coaching Debut

Mexico and Colombia played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, in Rafa Marquez’s first match as head coach of Mexico’s senior national team. Colombia’s Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 9th minute, and 17-year-old Gilberto Mora equalized for Mexico in the 62nd. The result was Mexico’s first game since its 2026 World Cup run ended, and the first of a busy fall schedule under its new manager.

What was the final score of Mexico vs Colombia?

Mexico and Colombia finished 1-1 in an international friendly played Saturday, September 26, 2026, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The game was Rafa Marquez’s debut in charge of Mexico’s senior team, and it doubled as the opening match of a new international window that also marked the return of winger Hirving Lozano to the squad. Neither side found a winner after Mora’s equalizer, and the match ended level.

How did Colombia take the lead?

Colombia scored first, in the 9th minute, when Luis Suarez finished off a delivery from Richard Rios to beat Mexico’s goalkeeper. The early goal put Mexico in a hole just minutes into its new coach’s first game in charge, and Colombia carried a 1-0 lead into the second half. Suarez’s goal held up as the difference for more than 50 minutes of play before Mexico found its response.

How did Mexico equalize?

Mexico leveled the score in the 62nd minute through 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, who finished after Mexico’s press forced a turnover near Colombia’s box. It was Mora’s first goal for the senior national team, scored while wearing the number 10 shirt, and it beat Colombia’s goalkeeper to make it 1-1 — the score at which the match finished. The move that created it was described consistently across match reports as a high-pressing sequence that won the ball back high up the field before Mora finished the chance.

What did Rafa Marquez’s coaching debut look like?

Rafa Marquez took charge of his first match as Mexico’s head coach on September 26 and came away with a draw rather than a win. Marquez was appointed to lead the senior national team into the cycle following Mexico’s exit from the 2026 World Cup, where England eliminated Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16 . For his first game, Marquez kept much of the core group from that World Cup squad while also giving a central attacking role to teenager Gilberto Mora and recalling Hirving Lozano to the fold. The result was a draw against a Colombia side that had led for most of the match — a mixed first outing that nonetheless produced a signature moment in Mora’s equalizer.

Did Hirving Lozano play in the match?

Yes — winger Hirving Lozano returned to Mexico’s squad for the Colombia match after an extended stretch away from national-team call-ups. Reports on exactly how long that absence lasted are not consistent with one another, so this article does not state a specific figure. Marquez included Lozano in his first squad as head coach, and Lozano was part of the matchday roster against Colombia on September 26.

What’s next for Mexico after the Colombia draw?

The draw was the first of four matches scheduled for Mexico across a busy September and October window under Marquez. Mexico’s own soccer federation has announced fixtures against Peru on September 29 and Chile on October 6; a fourth match, against the United States on October 3, has been reported through the U.S. Soccer Federation’s own announcement but had not been separately confirmed by Mexico’s federation as of this writing.

*Reported by the U.S. side; not yet separately confirmed by Mexico’s federation as of this writing.

The bottom line

Rafa Marquez’s first game as Mexico’s head coach ended in a 1-1 draw against Colombia, with Luis Suarez’s early goal for Colombia canceled out by a first senior international goal from 17-year-old Gilberto Mora. Hirving Lozano’s return to the squad added another storyline to a match that opened a new chapter for Mexico’s national team after its 2026 World Cup run. With Peru, the United States, and Chile still to come this window, Marquez’s group has three more chances in the next two weeks to build on what a 1-1 draw in Baltimore started.