El Paso Matachines named 2026 Copa de la Diversión winners

Minor League Baseball announced the El Paso Matachines (El Paso Chihuahuas) were selected as the 2026 winner of MiLB’s season-long event series, Copa de la Diversión. The award was announced during Minor League Baseball’s Fall Business Summit in Louisville.

The cornerstone of MiLB’s Latino fan engagement initiative, Copa de la Diversión (“Copa”) established an innovative new platform authentically connecting MiLB teams with their diverse communities, embracing the culture and values that resonate most with U.S. Latinos nationwide. In its ninth season, a total of 94 MiLB teams participated in Copa in 2026.

From the moment the club introduced the Matachines identity -- an ode to the masked group of dancers that perform ritual dances -- the goal was to honor the cultural tradition, history and people behind the Matachines and create an identity that the community could relate to. Matachines dancing brings together Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican influences, making it a natural representation of the unique cultural fabric of El Paso and the borderland community.

The identity has been a hit in El Paso, as attendance on Copa nights increased 27 percent over last year and Matachines merchandise flew off the shelves all season long, a sign that the logo and branding was appealing to local residents and the identity was culturally relevant to them.

To ensure the identity would be successful, the club worked with local Hispanic-focused community and cultural organizations, including the St. Pius X Matachines group and local folklorico groups, to help develop and promote the Matachines. The team included these groups to the Kermés (community festival) when they introduced the identity and logo.

Throughout the season, each of their seven Matachines games were designed to feel like a Kermés, with Matachines performances, themed food and beverage offerings, specialty merchandise, giveaways and partner activations that created a consistent environment where fans could experience different pieces of the Matachines culture each time they came to the ballpark.

After seeing the community buy in to the Matachines name and identity, the Chihuahuas are already planning more Kermés-style community events throughout next year, encouraging fans to experience and embrace the culture, traditions, food, performances and the sense of community these events bring to the borderland.

More than just a name or identity, the Matachines are a story about culture, family, tradition and community that has become a reflection of the community and a way for the Chihuahuas to help share, celebrate, and honor a tradition that is deeply rooted in the borderland.

“This was really a team effort, and one that was deeply personal for me because of how I grew up and how I was raised and watching Matachines dance, so to pay homage to something that means so much to our family was amazing,” said Chihuahuas vice president of marketing and communications Angela Olivas. “Being on the border, you see it all the time and it’s part of our culture. It’s about buying into the community and the culture and to see how much people loved it is something we’re all proud of.”

“We are honored to have created something that resonated so dearly to so many in our community,” said Chihuahuas president and general manager Brad Taylor. “We are proud to shine some well-deserved light on the Matachines in our region.”

“The El Paso Chihuahuas have always had a successful Copa program, and this name and identity really resonates throughout Borderland,” said Casey Brett, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of business development. “The Chihuahuas continue to raise the bar for the Copa initiative throughout Minor League Baseball, and we commend their staff for their commitment to engaging their local Hispanic and Latino/a community."

Copa’s other finalists for the 2026 season included the Abejas de Lago Salado (Salt Lake Bees), Caballitos del Mar de Norfolk (Norfolk Tides), Cocos Locos de Rochester (Rochester Red Wings), Familia de Tacoma (Tacoma Rainiers), Lansing Locos (Lansing Lugnuts), Los Wepas de Worcester (Worcester Red Sox), Mariachis de Nuevo Mexico (Albuquerque Isotopes), Monarcas de Eugene (Eugene Emeralds), Pointy Boots de Amarillo (Amarillo Sod Poodles), San Jose Churros (San Jose Giants) and Soñadores de Hillsboro (Hillsboro Hops).