Mexico 86
Overview
When Colombia withdraws as host of the 1986 World Cup, a last-minute opportunity opens up. Martín de la Torre, a low-level Mexican bureaucrat armed with nothing but guts and audacity, decides to risk everything to con his way through FIFA and beat the United States to the hosting rights.
Mexico's biggest obstacle is the United States, whose delegation arrives in Switzerland armed with legendary names like Pelé and Henry Kissinger to help tip the vote. Martín meets every obstacle with improvisation, political string-pulling, and a brazen confidence that has no real business working as often as it does.
The film is based on real events but is not a documentary- the character of Martín himself is fictional, drawn from multiple real figures in Mexican football to give the story freedom to breathe.
Cast
Diego Luna
Memo Villegas
Davor Tomic
Candido Damm
Roberto Martinez
Genevieve Fleming
Juan Pablo Fernández Gutiérrez De Quevedo
Diana Sedano
Fun Facts
- Colombia was the original choice, but in 1982, they declared they could not afford to host due to economic instability. Mexico stepped in, becoming the first country to host the World Cup twice (the first being 1970).
- Mexico ’86 is credited with globalizing the "Mexican Wave." Because it was broadcast to a massive worldwide audience, the sight of the entire Estadio Azteca rising in sequence became a viral phenomenon before the internet existed.