Obed Vargas has been named to Mexico’s 2026 World Cup roster, the federation announced on Sunday. The 20-year-old native of Anchorage, Alaska, has spent the last four months with Atletico Madrid following his transfer from the Seattle Sounders in February.
Prior to that move, Vargas was seen as a bit of a longshot to make El Trí's roster. But the midfielder was able to quickly work his way into Diego Simeone's rotation and ended up making 12 appearances and eight starts in La Liga play. Atlético ended up finishing fourth in the table, qualifying them for the 2026–27 Champions League.
Vargas is the first Alaska native and the third Sounders Academy alum to make a World Cup roster, joining DeAndre Yedlin (USA, 2014) and Jordan Morris (USA, 2022). Along with Brian Gutierrez, he is also one of two players from an MLS academy to make Mexico's roster.
