# Mateo Chávez
**Mateo Chávez García** (born 2004) is a Mexican footballer who plays as a left back for [AZ Alkmaar](https://www.edgepedia.org/az-alkmaar) in the Dutch Eredivisie and for the Mexico national team, for which he is an international since 2025.[1](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/mateo-chavez/140983) He scored his first World Cup goal in Mexico's 3-0 group-stage win over Czechia at the 2026 tournament.[2](https://www.nmas.com.mx/deportes/futbol/quien-es-mateo-chavez-autor-del-primer-gol-del-tri-ante-chequia/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Mateo Chávez García, 2004, San Pedro Garza García, Mexico[1](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/mateo-chavez/140983) |
| Position | Left back (also listed at left midfield); left-footed, 1.77 m[3](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/99901/Mateo_Chavez.html) |
| Club | AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie), joined June 2025 from Guadalajara on a five-year contract running to mid-2030[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez) • [5](https://www.hidrocalidodigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HI_20250516-2.pdf) |
| Chivas record | 37 league appearances and 4 assists for Guadalajara before the transfer[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez) |
| Mexico record | 4 caps, 249 minutes, 1 goal (2025 to present); 3 of those caps at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez/national/career) |
| World Cup 2026 | Started the group-stage match against Czechia on 24 June 2026 and scored in the 55th minute of a 3-0 win[2](https://www.nmas.com.mx/deportes/futbol/quien-es-mateo-chavez-autor-del-primer-gol-del-tri-ante-chequia/) |
| Family | Son of Paulo César "Tilón" Chávez, a historical player of the Mexico national team[2](https://www.nmas.com.mx/deportes/futbol/quien-es-mateo-chavez-autor-del-primer-gol-del-tri-ante-chequia/) |
## Club career
**Chivas Guadalajara.** Chávez came through the youth system of Club Guadalajara (Chivas) and debuted in Mexico's Primera División on 13 January 2024, starting in a 1-1 draw against [Santos Laguna](https://www.edgepedia.org/santos-laguna) on the first matchday of the Clausura 2024 tournament.[7](https://wikimundo.org/mateo-chavez/) Across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons he made 37 league appearances for the club, providing four assists without scoring.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez) He also spent time with Tapatío Guadalajara, Chivas's second-division affiliate, for whom he recorded 30 league appearances and 2 goals across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.[3](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/99901/Mateo_Chavez.html)
**AZ Alkmaar.** In June 2025 Chávez moved to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, signing a five-year contract that runs to mid-2030.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez) • [5](https://www.hidrocalidodigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HI_20250516-2.pdf) In his first season he played 20 [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) games for AZ plus 2 for the reserve side Jong AZ, scoring one goal and providing two assists.[3](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/99901/Mateo_Chavez.html) • [4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez) In 2026/27 he started each of AZ's first eight Eredivisie matches, scoring once, against [Go Ahead Eagles](https://www.edgepedia.org/go-ahead-eagles) in a 5-2 win on 29 August, and assisting three goals, a total that placed him fifth among Eredivisie players at the time of reporting.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez)
## International career
Chávez was overlooked by the national-team coaches Diego Cocca and Jaime Lozano in 2024, and was first brought in by [Javier Aguirre](https://www.edgepedia.org/javier-aguirre), in his third spell as Mexico's manager, for a friendly against Switzerland in 2025.[8](https://elpais.com/mexico/2026-05-20/mateo-chavez-la-nueva-sangre-de-la-seleccion-mexicana-fui-a-europa-para-ganarme-un-lugar-aqui-para-que-me-volteen-a-ver.html) He made three appearances at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, including the semi-final against Honduras on 2 July 2025, and appeared in friendlies against South Korea, Ecuador, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, and Serbia through late 2025 and mid-2026.[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez/national/career) • [3](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/99901/Mateo_Chavez.html)
At the 2026 World Cup, Aguirre included him in Mexico's definitive squad, and he started the [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a) match against Czechia on 24 June 2026 at [Estadio Azteca](https://www.edgepedia.org/estadio-azteca). In the 55th minute he finished a run that began near midfield with a fine shot into the net, scoring his first World Cup goal in what was also his tournament debut; Mexico won 3-0.[2](https://www.nmas.com.mx/deportes/futbol/quien-es-mateo-chavez-autor-del-primer-gol-del-tri-ante-chequia/) Opta credits him with 1 appearance and 78 minutes at the 2026 World Cup, and 4 appearances, 249 minutes, and 1 goal overall for Mexico.[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez/national/career)
## Playing style
Chávez describes himself as aggressive in the tackle, energetic in one-on-one duels, and strong at carrying the ball out of defense and finding passes between the lines when he joins the attack; he names Marcelo and Andrew Robertson as models and compares his current style to that of the Liverpool full back Kerkez.[9](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mateo-chavez-kees-smit-es-un-gran-talento-se-parece-a-vitinha-y-pedri-f202602-n/) Reporting around the national team characterizes him the same way: a defender with good defensive fundamentals whose main strength is going forward.[8](https://elpais.com/mexico/2026-05-20/mateo-chavez-la-nueva-sangre-de-la-seleccion-mexicana-fui-a-europa-para-ganarme-un-lugar-aqui-para-que-me-volteen-a-ver.html) In his first Eredivisie season with AZ he won 23 duels against 21 lost, with 9 tackles won and 4 interceptions in 6 tracked matches.[10](https://eredivisie.com/clubs/az/players/mateo-chavez-garcia/)
## References
1. [Mateo Chavez - joueur de football, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/mateo-chavez/140983)
2. [¿Quién Es Mateo Chávez, Autor del Primer Gol del Tri ante Chequia?, N+](https://www.nmas.com.mx/deportes/futbol/quien-es-mateo-chavez-autor-del-primer-gol-del-tri-ante-chequia/)
3. [Mateo Chávez (Player), National Football Teams](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/99901/Mateo_Chavez.html)
4. [Mateo Chávez, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez)
5. [Hidrocalido Digital, 16 May 2025 print edition (AZ Alkmaar signing notice)](https://www.hidrocalidodigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HI_20250516-2.pdf)
6. [Mateo Chávez International Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/16328/mateo-chavez/national/career)
7. [Mateo Chávez, WikiMundo](https://wikimundo.org/mateo-chavez/)
8. [Mateo Chávez, la nueva sangre de la selección mexicana, El País México](https://elpais.com/mexico/2026-05-20/mateo-chavez-la-nueva-sangre-de-la-seleccion-mexicana-fui-a-europa-para-ganarme-un-lugar-aqui-para-que-me-volteen-a-ver.html)
9. [Mateo Chávez: "Kees Smit es un gran talento", AS](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mateo-chavez-kees-smit-es-un-gran-talento-se-parece-a-vitinha-y-pedri-f202602-n/)
10. [Eredivisie - Mateo Chávez García player page](https://eredivisie.com/clubs/az/players/mateo-chavez-garcia/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of North and Central America and the Caribbean › Mexico men's footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license