Juan Carlos Osorio has quit as coach of Brazilian club Sao Paulo to take over Mexico's national team.
Sao Paulo announced the move on Tuesday, with club president Carlos Miguel Aidar saying in a statement: "I deeply regret Osorio's decision. He was doing a good job."
Mexico's national team director Santiago Banos had already mentioned his desire to choose a new coach by the end of this week.
Osorio, 54, had admitted on Monday that coaching Mexico was a dream job but also said that he wanted to coach Sao Paulo at least until the Copa do Brasil final.
"This has nothing to do with money," he said. "There are no agents involved. This is a personal and family decision. A lot has been discussed. Some have said that my wife is in Colombia, but she is here. My children have continued at school here and I am trying to be prudent."
The former Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls coach said two weeks ago that he wanted to coach in a World Cup.
"I want to coach in a World Cup before [I am] 60," said Osorio. "I would like to beat Palmeiras [Sunday] and Vasco [de Gama on Wednesday] and [then] make the best decision."
Osorio has won four league titles in Colombia's top division, but only lasted a handful of league games when he was at Puebla in the Liga MX.
He will replace Miguel Herrera, who was fired in July after Mexico won the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Herrera gave Osorio a vote of support two weeks ago.
"[Osorio] isn't a bad option, he's already worked in Mexico, but the decision is for the directors," said Herrera in an interview with ESPN Digital, adding that Osorio is a "Great worker [and] a extraordinary guy."
Interim manager Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti will lead Mexico against the United States on Saturday in Pasadena, California, in a CONCACAF Cup playoff for a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Ferretti was contracted by the federation for four matches, but said he would not take the job full-time as it meant resigning from his post coaching Tigres in the Liga MX.
El Tri begin their World Cup qualification on Nov. 13 at home to El Salvador and then travel to Honduras on Nov. 17.
Osorio leaves Sao Paulo in sixth place in the Brazilian championship, the same position the team occupied when he took over in May after joining from Colombian club Atletico Nacional.
Aidar said he had also asked all of Sao Paulo's directors to resign.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.