Why is Jaime Lozano leaving as Mexico coach? Reason behind El Tri change and candidates to take over following Copa America 2024 disappointment

Mexico played in the Copa America for the first time in eight years in 2024. However, their campaign proved as or more painful than it was back in 2016.

Much has happened since that humiliating 7-0 defeat to Chile in the quarterfinals of the Centenario edition of CONMEBOL's top tournament, but a failure this year to get beyond the group stage shows that the ghosts haunting El Tri have yet to be banished.

The national team has now launched a new episode of the coaching soap opera that has dominated recent seasons. While it was an open secret for several days, on Tuesday, July 16, the Mexican Football Federation officially announced that Jaime Lozano would be leaving as head coach.

MORE: The Sporting News' Best XI from the 2024 Copa America

Why is Jaime Lozano leaving as Mexico coach?

After the terrible 2024 Copa America campaign, their second group-stage elimination at a major international tournament in the past 18 months (they endured the same fate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under Tata Martino), it was confirmed on July 16 that Jaime Lozano was leaving the Mexico national team.

According to the statement from the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), the decision was taken after a "process of analysis" that included, as a first step, a report from the coaching staff themselves.

The FMF explained that "since his arrival, Jaime Lozano was asked to strengthen his team by adding someone with more experience to complement his talent and ability as a strategist... However, a year later and for different reasons, this did not come to fruition."

It was then made clear that Lozano had turned down the chance to continue in the role alongside a new technical director for the 2026 World Cup cycle.

The FMF said: "Jaime Lozano was offered a contract until 2030 in which, during the period 2024-2026, he would be accompanied by a more experienced technical director in the run-up to our World Cup [the 2026 finals in Mexico, the United States, and Canada] and beyond that, Jaime himself would take back the reins of the technical direction for the 2026-2030 cycle. After analysing the proposal, Jaime informed us that he did not wish to continue.

"The Mexican Football Federation only has words of thanks for him and his coaching staff. We are certain he will continue building a successful coaching career and we wish him all the best in his professional and personal future."

Who will be the next Mexico coach?

The million-dollar question. In the immediate future, everything points to Javier Aguirre being Mexico coach. At least, that's what the authorities want.

The Mexican federation made it clear that it had proposed to Lozano to take a back seat and work within a formula headed by a more experienced coach, who would lead the team post-Copa America 2024 and heading into the 2026 World Cup, where Mexico are one of the host nations alongside Canada and the United States. Although the FMF did not mention any names, multiple reports indicate that the idea was for Javier Aguirre to take over as head coach.

However, "Jimmy" did not accept the proposal and therefore left El Tri. Could "El Vasco" now reconsider the decision? It's worth remembering that, a few months ago, when asked about the possibility of taking charge of the national team, Aguirre said emphatically that Lozano's process had to be "supported" and that he did not want the job.

Are there other candidates? Fans have suggested names such as Andre Jardine, the coach who revolutionised Club America and made them two-time champions of Liga MX, or Guillermo Almada, head coach of Pachuca. For now, though, everything suggests that Aguirre — who was coach way back in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea — is Mexico's Plan A, B and C.