Why is it called the 'Mexican Wave'?

Name: Why is it called the 'Mexican Wave'?
Uploaded: 2026-07-10T14:00:14.000Z
Duration: 6 min 43 s

5 days ago6:437.9K views

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: theathletic.com/tifofootball
📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: linktr.ee/tifobook

The Mexican Wave, a simple concept that gets the crowd excited during large-scale sporting events, like the World Cup.

But does it really come from Mexico? And who invented it in the first place?

Joe Devine reads from Tim Spiers and Nick Miller’s article on The Athletic as Jon Mackenzie provides additional context, in Ring For Analysis.

Join the Tifo Discord Server - discord.gg/6nMGtSyyNM

Watch more Tifo:
Tifo Football Podcast: youtube.com/playlist
Tifo Sports by The Athletic: youtube.com/@TifoSports

About Tifo Football by The Athletic:
Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game.

We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple.

We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more.

Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight.

Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to tifo@theathletic.com.

Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com
Music provided by APM Music

Frequently asked

Press play above — the video streams right here. The free Spot Sports app also queues clips like this one alongside your followed teams and athletes.

From the Tifo Football by The Athletic channel. Tap the channel link below the title to browse more uploads.

6 minutes.