Bermuda will face Mexico’s stars of tomorrow when they kick-start their preparations for the World Cup qualifying second round with a friendly against their under-23 team.

The match will be held at Mexico City at the national team’s training complex on Friday, May 22, and should mirror the high-altitude conditions they are likely to face in Guatemala in the first leg of their second-round tie.

Andrew Bascome’s side will then return to the Island on May 23 ahead of their second warm-up game against Puerto Rico on Saturday, June 6 at the National Stadium.

The pair of games will serve as a stern test for Bascome’s team as they build towards Guatemala, who they meet in Guatemala City on Friday, June 12 before the return leg at the National Stadium on Monday, June 15 at 7.30pm.

Mark Wade, the BFA vice-president, said Mexico’s youngsters would represent a real challenge for Bermuda, who advanced to the second round after an emphatic 8-0 victory over Bahamas in March.

“We are grateful and excited that Mexico has extended this invitation to us,” he said. “We expect a keen challenge from some of Mexico’s brightest upcoming professionals, which will serve us well for our next round of World Cup qualifying matches.”

Although Bermuda’s players have continued to train as part of the national team squad since their 3-0 win over Bahamas in the second leg at the National Stadium, the majority have not played competitively since the domestic season ended more than a month ago.

Having back-to-back friendly matches against two Concacaf teams should serve as an ideal warm-up for Bermuda, who would meet the winner of the second-round tie between Canada or Dominica in the third round.

Puerto Rico, who received a first-round bye, will face Grenada in next month’s second-round qualifiers.

Eric Labrador, the president of the Puerto Rico Football Federation, said that they would travel with their strongest side to Bermuda.

“The friendly game is one week before our first game of World Cup qualification with Grenada, so Bermuda is a very important game for us,” Labrador said.

“We are going to fly the whole team to Bermuda.”

Puerto Rico, who are 167th in the Fifa World Rankings, 39 places behind Bermuda, are scheduled to arrive on June 4.

Bermuda faced Puerto Rico in two friendlies in 2008 at the National Stadium under then-coach Keith Tucker. Bermuda, who were preparing for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, lost the first game 2-0 and the second 1-0.