Mexico set for November friendlies in Europe against Belgium and Poland

El Tri will play the fifth- and sixth-ranked teams in the FIFA rankings during the final FIFA window of the year

Mexico will head to Europe for its final two matches of 2017, facing off against Belgium and Poland.

The matches, announced Thursday, will mark the first time El Tri have played friendly games in Europe since November 2014 when they traveled to face the Netherlands and Belarus in a pair of friendly games.

This time around, the national team will be facing stiff competition as part of coach Juan Carlos Osorio's efforts to get the team ready for the 2017 World Cup. Belgium currently is ranked fifth in the FIFA World rankings with Poland one spot behind in sixth. The games also could boost Mexico's own FIFA ranking ahead of December's World Cup draw.

El Tri will meet Belgium on Nov. 10 in a city to be confirmed later before traveling to meet Poland in Gdansk on Nov. 13.

More than half of Osorio's squad for the summer's Confederations Cup plays with European teams and the November dates in Europe will make it easier for those players to join the national team and still return to their clubs ready for the next matchday.