HOUSTON (Nov. 5, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC Homegrown midfielder Matthew Arana will represent the Mexico U-17 National Team at the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026, after being named to the 21-man roster today.
“We are proud of Matthew for earning the opportunity to represent our Club, our city and his country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Mexican National Team,” said Dynamo President of Soccer Pat Onstad. “Matthew’s rapid progression through our player development pathway is an example of what is possible for ambitious young players in Houston. Since joining the Dynamo Academy at age 11, he has earned a promotion to Dynamo 2, helped the team secure a top-four seed in the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs and made his first-team debut in May at just 15 years old. We are thrilled with Matthew’s progress, but just as excited about the path he is forging for other young players coming through our Club.”
The 21st edition of the tournament will be hosted in Qatar from Nov. 19 through Dec. 13. Mexico will compete in Group K versus Romania, Cameroon and Venezuela, and all three matches will be played at Aspire Zone in Doha, with the schedule as follows:
- Saturday, Nov. 21 – 9:30 a.m. CT – Mexico vs. Romania (FOX Sports)
- Tuesday, Nov. 24 – 7:30 a.m. CT – Mexico vs. Cameroon (FOX Sports)
- Friday, Nov. 27 – 10:00 a.m. CT – Mexico vs. Venezuela (FOX Sports)
Currently 16 years old, Arana is a regular in Mexico's youth national team pool, consistently representing El Tri at the U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels. The midfielder has already earned two international call ups this year, most recently joining Mexico's U-17 squad for the Vertex Cup in Europe, where he helped Mexico secure a draw versus Argentina and victories over China and Tanzania.
Notably, Arana played a key role in helping Mexico's U-15 squad capture the U-15 Concacaf Championship title last year in August, alongside Dynamo Academy midfielder Dylan Reyes.
In Houston, Arana's trajectory represents another success story for the Club's player pathway system. He signed a Homegrown contract with the Dynamo this year on Feb. 21, becoming the youngest first team signing in Club history at 15 years and 176 days. Seven days later, Arana made his MLS debut versus LAFC at Shell Energy Stadium, becoming the youngest player in Dynamo history to earn first team minutes at 15 years and 183 days. In total, Arana has made eight MLS appearances, contributing to one win and three draws.
Arana has also featured for Houston Dynamo 2 this season, recording 15 appearances, two goals and two assists to help the team clinched their fourth postseason berth in team history, securing the No. 4 seed following a 14-8-6 (W-L-D) record on 52 points in the regular season, which set single-season team records for points and wins. Notably, he made his professional debut with Dynamo 2 last year on July 25 at Austin FC II and recorded his first professional start and assist on Sept. 17 versus Tacoma Defiance.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 will feature 48 countries divided into 12 groups of four
teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams
advance to the Round of 32. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
