Nacional Charro 2028 Saltillo: Why Coahuila Won It After 30 Years

Nacional Charro 2028 Saltillo: What Was Announced

The Federación Mexicana de Charrería (FMCH) has awarded the 2028 Congreso y Campeonato Nacional Charro to Saltillo, Coahuila. The FMCH's Asamblea General Ordinaria ratified Coahuila by acclamation as host of the 84th (LXXXIV) edition on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in San Luis Potosí, in the middle of this year's Nacional at Arena Potosí. The assembly met that afternoon at the Museo Laberinto de las Ciencias y las Artes, and Coahuila media reported it as the state receiving the estafeta, the host's baton.

According to La Prensa de Coahuila and Zócalo, Nacional Charro 2028 Saltillo marks the event's return to Coahuila after about 30 years. The FMCH's historical register lists the state's only previous Nacional, the 53rd (LIII), in Saltillo in 1997, and Zócalo says Saltillo will be the host again.

The essentials:

• Who awarded it: the FMCH's general assembly; the federation is led by president Salvador Barajas del Toro.
• Who accepted it: Liliana Salinas Valdés, honorary president of DIF Coahuila, on behalf of Governor Manolo Jiménez Salinas, alongside Manolo Jiménez Flores and Jorge Jiménez Flores, head of Coahuila's state charro union. They presented the Saltillo project to the assembly.
• Planned venue: the Gran Forum, a venue still under construction inside the Expo Coahuila grounds in Saltillo.
• When: 2028. No dates have been announced.

The governor thanked the FMCH and its president for their trust and said Coahuila is ready to host the event.

What Is the Congreso y Campeonato Nacional Charro?

It is charrería's biggest date of the year: the FMCH's national championship, held together with the federation's annual congress. Teams, escaramuzas and charros completos from across Mexico and the United States spend weeks in a single city competing for national titles.

The 2026 edition, the 82nd (LXXXII), gives a sense of the scale. These are the FMCH's own figures for Arena Potosí:

The FMCH scheduled 24 days of competition and 72 charreadas: 60 qualifying rounds and 12 finals. The US delegation alone brought 27 teams, 26 escaramuzas and one charro completo from 12 states, led by California, Texas, Illinois, Arizona and Colorado.

For the 2026 calendar and standings, see our Nacional 2026 guide. To understand the points, read how charrería is scored.

How a State Wins the Estafeta

We couldn't find a public FMCH bidding manual, but Coahuila's path shows how it works in practice. Expect roughly three years from formal request to opening day.

1. Formal request (June 2025). Governor Jiménez met the FMCH in Mexico City and, Vanguardia reported, came away with the backing of the national leadership and several state charro unions.
2. Assembly vote. At that point the decision still had to be formalized at the federation's next assembly. Venue options then included adapting an existing lienzo.
3. Venue presentation (April 2026). FMCH leaders, including the national coordinators of judges and of escaramuzas, came to Saltillo to see the Gran Forum project.
4. Ratification (Oct. 28, 2026). The FMCH's ordinary general assembly, held during the 2026 Nacional, ratified Coahuila. The FMCH says the state had met the requirements in time and form months earlier. The same assembly voted on the 2027 host.

Why Coahuila? Zócalo lists security, charro tradition, infrastructure and experience with national and international events. State officials pitched Coahuila as Mexico's safest state for tourism and Saltillo as its safest capital, which is their claim, not an independent ranking.

What a Host City Needs for Hundreds of Horses

A Nacional is not a weekend rodeo. It is weeks of competition for thousands of riders and hundreds of horses, so a host city has to deliver much more than seats.

• An arena that meets FMCH rules, with consistent, well-kept footing for sliding stops, roping and coleadero.
• Seats and palcos. Arena Potosí holds about 10,000 spectators, according to the FMCH, which sets the benchmark.
• Parking and trailer space. Teams arrive with trucks, gooseneck trailers and their own cattle crews, and rigs need room to turn.
• Stabling. In 2026 the FMCH ran stall registration (caballerizas) for teams and escaramuzas.
• Vet care and biosecurity. Horses from dozens of states mix for weeks, so you need on-call vets, health paperwork checks and somewhere to isolate a sick horse.
• Hotels, roads and security for delegations and fans.

The welfare side matters. Long hauls, unfamiliar barns and crowds stress horses, which is why the basics in our care guide and health basics apply at a national just as they do at home.

The Gran Forum at Expo Coahuila: Projected, Not Finished

The venue is the biggest unknown. The FMCH described the project after its April 2026 visit, and every number below is a projection:

The FMCH didn't mention stabling, and no one has published a completion date or progress figures. The building is also designed for concerts, shows and conventions, according to La Prensa and Zócalo. Zócalo still called it the possible venue, so treat it as the plan, not a done deal.

What Coahuila Brings to Charrería

Coahuila isn't new to the lienzo. According to figures reported by La Prensa de Coahuila and Zócalo, the state has:

• More than 70 years of charro tradition
• More than 26 teams
• 18 escaramuzas
• 8 charrería schools

Expo Coahuila is also no stranger to horse crowds: the new grounds hosted Rodeo Saltillo 2026 in October. And Saltillo sits in northern Mexico, a few hours' drive from the Texas border, which matters for the US delegation.

How Fans and Teams Should Plan for Saltillo 2028

Fans

• Wait for official dates. The 2026 Nacional runs through November 1, but the FMCH hasn't set 2028 dates, so don't book flights or hotels on assumptions.
• Book early once dates are out. Finals weekend draws the biggest crowds.
• Learn the suertes first. Knowing what judges reward makes a 10-hour day in the stands far more fun.

Mexican teams

• Most teams earn their place at state championships, so the road to Saltillo starts close to home.
• Plan the haul: rest stops, water, hay you know and a vet check before you leave. Our safety section has the basics.

US teams

The hardest part is coming home. Under current APHIS rules (page updated October 20, 2026), horses entering the US from Mexico need:

• At least 7 days of quarantine at an APHIS-approved facility, with pre-entry testing
• Negative tests for dourine, glanders, equine infectious anemia and piroplasmosis
• An official health certificate endorsed by a Mexican government veterinarian, plus New World screwworm inspection

APHIS says it makes no distinction between temporary and permanent imports from Mexico. The Santa Teresa crossing reopened to horses on October 26, 2026, but rules can change a lot by 2028. Talk to your vet and the port of entry well ahead, and read our guide to charrería in the United States.

What to Watch Next

• The 2026 finals: this year's Nacional closes at Arena Potosí on November 1.
• The 2027 Nacional: the same assembly elected Jalisco and its Arena VFG as host of the 83rd (LXXXIII) edition with 293 votes. Morelia, Michoacán (89 votes), is the first alternate, ahead of Aguascalientes (60) and Puebla (7). Aguascalientes will host the 2027 children's, youth and escaramuza national championship.
• Gran Forum progress: look for a completion date, stabling plans and a trailer-lot count.
• 2028 dates, tickets and stall registration from the FMCH, which only come out much closer to the event.