Defending GNC Champions Canada Travel to Mexico in a Provisional Exhibition Game
- Jim Mullin
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mexico City and Vancouver - The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano (FMFA) and the Canadian National Men’s Tackle Football Team continue preparations for a provisional Gridiron Nations Championship (GNC) exhibition game between Mexico and defending GNC champions Canada, to be played Saturday, December 13 at Estadio Wilfrido Massieu in Mexico City.
The matchup will be Canada’s first GNC appearance outside Europe and marks an important return to the senior men’s international stage for Mexico. Mexico’s last major senior men’s global championship appearance came at the 2015 IFAF World Championship in Canton, Ohio, where they captured the bronze medal.
Canada: First GNC Champions Hit the Road Again
Canada arrives in Mexico as the first and defending Gridiron Nations Champions, having swept their 2025 campaign in Europe:
A 56–0 exhibition win over Italy in April;
A dramatic 20–17 victory over Italy in Milan to open GNC Cup Week;
A 25–10 win over Germany in Bochum to secure the inaugural GNC title.
Head Coach and General Manager Jesse Maddox brings back the core of Canada’s high-powered offence, including both quarterbacks Chris Merchant and Michael O’Connor, along with star running back and GNC Cup MVP Jamel Lyles, in the backfield. On defense, Maddox has used the post-Cup window to refresh the front seven, evaluating new talent specifically with this provisional exhibition in mind as Canada begins to shape its roster for the 2026 GNC season.
Mexico: A Deep Camp and a Chance to Re-Enter the Global Picture
For Mexico, the game represents a significant step back toward regular participation in top-tier international tackle football. The senior men’s program opened camp with more than 100 players and has since narrowed the list to 65 candidates, with a final 45-man game roster to be confirmed in game week.
While this is Mexico’s first senior men’s showcase in some time, the two countries have already built a fierce rivalry at the under-20 level. At the 2018 IFAF U19 World Championship in Mexico City, Canada edged Mexico 13–7 in the gold medal game at Estadio Olímpico ’68 in front of a crowd of 30,515, a record attendance for an IFAF event.
That history – combined with Mexico’s passionate home support and a rejuvenated player pool – sets the stage for a highly physical, emotionally charged contest.
“Provisional” Status and GNC’s Global Vision
The “provisional” aspect of this provisional exhibition relates to Mexico’s status within the GNC structure. Mexico is not yet a confirmed member of the GNC for the 2026 season. This event will serve as a live benchmark for the three-nation competition – currently led by Canada, Germany, and Italy – to assess Mexico’s readiness to join the partnership in future years.
The GNC model is designed as an elite, federation-led competition that provides consistent, annual, home-and-away opportunities for national teams, complementing but not duplicating existing IFAF world and continental championships. The Mexico–Canada fixture in Mexico City is a key part of evaluating where and how Mexico could fit into that long-term framework of global elite tackle football.
Venue and Broadcast
The game will be played at Estadio Wilfrido Massieu, the historic American football stadium on the campus of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), long-time home of the Águilas Blancas and Burros Blancos and a central venue in Mexico City’s college football culture.
Streaming and broadcast information will be announced shortly by the FMFA and the Canadian National Men’s Team through their official channels.