Miguel Herrera

Miguel Herrera turned 58 in March 2026 [6]. On 26 October 2026 Atlante's chief executive, Emilio Escalante, backed him publicly after a poor run of results [1].

Doubts at Atlante after a poor run

Atlante lost 0-1 to Atlético San Luis in matchday 14 of Liga MX [2]. The defeat left the club 16th in the table with 14 points, and it no longer controlled its own route into the Apertura 2026 playoffs [1]. Herrera put it bluntly: the situation “already looks very difficult” [2].

After the match Herrera said the board would reach its own conclusions and he would reach his with his coaching staff. The two sides, he said, would make decisions together [2]. Escalante then said, in an official statement, that the club had full confidence in Herrera and that his continuity was not in doubt [1].

Back at Atlante for a third spell

Atlante announced Herrera as its coach on 29 April 2026 through its social media accounts [4]. At a press conference at the new Estadio Banorte on 7 May 2026, attended by Emilio Escalante and Emilio Escalante Jr., he said he took the job with the aim of building a competitive squad for the Apertura 2026 [3].

It was his third spell with the club. He first coached Atlante from 2002 to 2004, winning 36 of 97 matches, and returned from 2010 to 2011, winning 13 of 36 [4]. A La Opinión profile of his return described his Tijuana project as unsuccessful, saying he tried to impose his football ideas there without success [4].

From the 2013 playoff to the 2014 World Cup

In late November 2013 the federation's committee proposed Herrera as the only candidate for the Mexico job. The case rested on two wins in the intercontinental playoff with New Zealand, 5-1 at Estadio Azteca and 4-2 away [7].

At the 2014 World Cup, Mexico lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in the round of 16 on 29 June 2014. Mexico led 1-0 until the 88th minute, when Wesley Sneijder equalised [8]. La Opinión later questioned his decision to let the team sit back against the Netherlands [4]. Herrera blamed the referee afterwards: “The man with the whistle is what is keeping us out of this World Cup,” he said. He also claimed Arjen Robben had dived each time he went down in Mexico's penalty area [8].

His spell in charge of Mexico ended in July 2015 [6].

Clubs and the Costa Rica job

FotMob's coaching record lists spells at Tecos (2008 to 2010), América (2011 to 2013 and 2017 to 2020), Tijuana (2015 to 2017 and 2023 to 2024) and Tigres (2021 to 2022) [6].

In November 2023, while Tijuana's head coach, Herrera was fined and formally warned by the federation's disciplinary commission over remarks he made at a press conference after a match against América [5].

He then coached Costa Rica from January to November 2025 [6]. The federation announced his dismissal by statement, with effect from Thursday 20 November 2025 [9]. The federation had kept him on after a 3-3 draw with Haiti, but a later loss to Haiti and a 0-0 draw with Honduras left Costa Rica without a playoff place [9]. It said the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was the main reason, and that the contract was ended by mutual agreement [10].