Israel Reyes urges maximum effort from Mexico in final group match as crypto-sponsored World Cup heats up

Mexico has already punched its ticket to the knockout rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Israel Reyes doesn’t care.

The 26-year-old defender, typically deployed as a fullback but filling in at center-back, made it clear that El Tri intends to treat their final Group A match against Czechia with the same intensity as if qualification were still on the line. He also called on the home crowd at Estadio Azteca to bring relentless energy for the full 90 minutes.

Perfect record on the line at Estadio Azteca

Mexico enters the Czechia fixture with a flawless group stage record. El Tri opened with a 2-0 victory over South Africa on June 11, then followed it up with a tighter 1-0 win against South Korea on June 18.

That means Mexico sits atop Group A with six points from two matches, making the Czechia game mathematically irrelevant for qualification purposes.

Reyes, who has logged 146 appearances for Liga MX powerhouse Club América, carries the kind of defensive versatility that coaches love in tournament football. At a reported market value of around €6.5M, Reyes is also generating interest from European clubs. AS Roma has reportedly been monitoring his performances, with a potential transfer move after the tournament concludes.

Crypto’s growing footprint in the 2026 World Cup

Kraken was announced as FIFA’s official crypto exchange partner around June 9, 2026.

Fan token platforms like Socios.com have been active around the World Cup as well, though notably, there is no prominent Mexico-specific fan token in circulation.

The risk, as always, is that fan tokens remain thinly traded assets with limited utility beyond speculative trading. Most fan tokens have struggled to maintain value outside of short-term event-driven pumps. Without genuine utility, like voting rights on club decisions or access to exclusive experiences, these tokens tend to fade once the initial excitement subsides.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.