Mexico Face Peru As Rafael Márquez Hunts First El Tri Win

Mexico’s meeting with Peru is set for 9 p.m. ET on Sept. 29 at Sports Illustrated Stadium, with U.S. viewers offered Spanish-language TV and streaming options but no English-speaking broadcast currently scheduled for the International Friendly.

Mexico seek first win under Rafael Márquez

Mexico return to action on Tuesday night against Peru as Rafael Márquez looks for his first win since taking charge of El Tri.

Sports Illustrated reported that Mexico are “on a mission to secure its first win” with Márquez at the helm after opening his tenure with a draw.

El Tri began the international window with a 1, 1 draw against Colombia, a match in which Sports Illustrated said Mexico produced “a very strong showing” and were “vastly superior for much of the game.”

That result meant Mexico had to settle for a draw despite starting Márquez’s tenure with a performance the report described as strong.

The Peru match therefore arrives as an early test of whether Mexico can turn that level of performance into the first win of the new managerial spell.

Sports Illustrated said victory “should be the only acceptable outcome” for Mexico against a Peru side that lost 4, 1 to the USMNT in its previous match.

The same report described Peru, coached by Mano Menezes, as a team going through “a difficult generational change.”

On that basis, Sports Illustrated framed Peru as a rival Mexico “should defeat without much trouble.”

Márquez is expected to rotate his XI as he continues to assess alternatives early in his tenure.

Even with expected changes to the lineup, Sports Illustrated said anything other than victory at Sports Illustrated Stadium would be considered “an underwhelming result.”

Match time, venue and free stream information

Mexico vs. Peru in the International Friendly kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on Sept. 29.

The fixture takes place at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Mashable reported that Mexico vs. Peru is available to live stream for free on TV Azteca.

Mashable also reported that TV Azteca is geo-restricted to Mexico.

According to Mashable, anyone can secure access with a VPN because such tools can hide a user’s real IP address, or digital location, and connect the user to a secure server in Mexico.

Mashable said that connection would mean viewers can live stream Mexico vs. Peru for free from anywhere in the world.

The report listed ExpressVPN as its choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TV Azteca.

Mashable cited ExpressVPN’s servers in 105 countries, including Mexico, as one of the reasons for that choice.

It also cited an easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more.

The Mashable report further listed a strict no-logging policy and fast connection speeds free from throttling among the reasons for recommending ExpressVPN.

Mashable noted that the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but said they tend to offer generous money-back guarantees.

The same report said viewers could use such offers to watch Mexico vs. Peru without committing cash, while adding that this is “obviously not a long-term strategy.”

Mashable said the approach gives enough time to stream the fixture before recovering the investment.

U.S. and Mexico broadcast details

El Tri fans in the United States can watch Márquez’s men attempt to collect the first win of his tenure against Peru via TUDN USA and Univision.

Streaming alternatives in the U.S. include Univision NOW, the TUDN App and ViX.

Sports Illustrated reported that there is no English-speaking broadcast currently scheduled for the clash.

In Mexico, the match will be broadcast on Canal 5, Azteca 7 and TUDN.

Fans in Mexico can also stream the contest through Claro Sports, Azteca Deportes and ViX.

Sports Illustrated’s listed viewing options included TUDN USA, Univision, Univision NOW, the TUDN App and ViX for the U.S. audience.

Its Mexico list included Canal 5, Azteca 7, TUDN, Claro Sports, Azteca Deportes and ViX.

Mashable separately said the match can be watched for free on TV Azteca.

Context after Mexico’s World Cup exit

Mashable reported that Mexico suffered a heartbreaking exit at this summer’s World Cup at the hands of England.

The same report said the focus has now switched to the next generation of stars.

Mashable described Gilberto Mora as “probably the biggest talent in Mexico right now.”

It also reported that Mora helped Mexico secure a 1-1 draw with Colombia last week.

That Colombia draw is the same result Sports Illustrated identified as the opening match of Márquez’s tenure.

Together, the reports place the Peru match in a short early sequence for Mexico under Márquez after the World Cup and after the 1, 1 draw with Colombia.

Peru’s window after Mexico

Peru enter the Mexico match after falling 4, 1 against the USMNT last time out.

Sports Illustrated said Mano Menezes’s team is going through a difficult generational change.

After clashes against the USMNT and Mexico, Peru will face the third and final 2026 World Cup co-host on Oct. 3 when it faces Canada.

Menezes’s men will then wrap up the international window with a match against Colombia on Oct. 6.

That schedule places Peru’s Mexico match between a loss to the USMNT and upcoming fixtures against Canada and Colombia.

Mexico’s next fixtures

Mexico’s next match after Peru is a clash against the USMNT in what Sports Illustrated called “the latest chapter of the biggest rivalry in the region” on Saturday Oct. 3.

Márquez will look to guide El Tri to its third straight win against the USMNT.

Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to get his maiden rivalry win.

Mexico’s first camp under Márquez will conclude with a bout against Chile on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

That means the Peru match is the second listed fixture in a camp that began with Colombia and continues through matches against the USMNT and Chile.

Why the Peru match carries weight

For Mexico, the immediate importance of the Peru match comes from the search for Márquez’s first win after the opening 1, 1 draw with Colombia.

Sports Illustrated’s assessment that Mexico were superior for much of the Colombia game explains why the Peru fixture is being measured against a high standard.

The same report’s description of Peru’s 4, 1 loss to the USMNT and its difficult generational change adds to the expectation that Mexico should win.

Márquez’s expected rotation also gives the match significance as part of his early evaluation of alternatives.

The fixture matters for Peru because it comes during an international window that also includes matches against the USMNT, Canada and Colombia.

For viewers, the central practical detail is that the match has Spanish-language television and streaming distribution in the U.S. and Mexico, while no English-speaking broadcast is currently scheduled.

Sports Illustrated’s report on the match was written by Roberto Casillas, a writer for SI FC who focuses primarily on FC Barcelona, the Mexico National Team, Liga MX and all things Latin American football.

Casillas was born and raised in Mexico City, developed a deep passion for football from an early age, and fell in love with Cruz Azul.

Mashable’s streaming report was written by Joseph Green, the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable.

Green covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day, and is also Executive Editor of Mashable’s sister site, AskMen.