In the span of four dramatic days, the 2026 World Cup lost the one storyline organizers had probably hoped to avoid: Canada, Mexico and the United States — the three co-hosts of the tournament — were all eliminated in the round of 16, leaving the rest of the competition to play out without a home team on the field.
Canada’s run ends
Canada finally met its match on U.S. Independence Day, falling 3-0 to Morocco in Houston. It wasn’t as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. Canada actually controlled the opening 45 minutes, but the momentum changed completely in the second half, when three goals from Morocco were enough to send the “Atlas Lions” into the quarterfinals for the second straight World Cup — the first African nation ever to reach the last eight twice.
Canada can take plenty of pride in its showing. For a team that had never won a men’s World Cup match before this tournament, the run to the last 16 marks a genuine milestone.
Heartbreak at the Azteca
A day later, Mexico’s own World Cup dream came apart in the most iconic setting: the Estadio Azteca, in front of a deafening home crowd that had to wait an extra hour for kickoff after a thunderstorm swept over Mexico City.
When the match finally began, England soon silenced a stadium that had seen Mexico unbeaten in ten previous World Cup matches. Two goals just 98 seconds apart from Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham stunned fans who, up until that moment, had been the loudest of any in the tournament so far.
But they were soon back in fine voice, as top scorer Julián Quiñones lashed in a volley off a poorly cleared free kick in the 42nd minute to make it 2-1.
It briefly looked even more promising in the 54th minute, when England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off for a reckless challenge. But Mexico couldn’t turn the man advantage into goals. England won a penalty six minutes later, and although Mexico pulled another one back with a penalty of their own in the 69th minute, it was not to be.
Despite Mexico’s 63 percent possession and wave after wave of crosses in the final half hour, England’s ten men defended resolutely and held out to the final whistle to win 3-2.
The scenes around Mexico reflected just how much this competition — and futbol in general — means here. Fans packed public plazas to watch the game. An estimated 150,000 jammed into the Guadalajara Fan Fest, the Glorieta Minerva and other metro area watch zones, while many more were on tenterhooks in Chapala, Puerto Vallarta and Tequila, along with hundreds of public viewings in towns and villages throughout Jalisco.
Many observers are quick to note how the World Cup manages to bring all sectors of an often fragmented society together for one unifying moment. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reveled in this moment of national harmony, describing it as a communal joy that other host nations have been unable to match.
Despite the loss, the mood after the final whistle stayed good-natured. England traveled with a modest contingent of around 5,000 fans, and many praised the hospitality and welcome they received in Mexico. They celebrated the victory with a rendering of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” ringing around a stadium that had, 40 years earlier, witnessed Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” haunt England in a World Cup quarterfinal.
Mexican fans, for their part, took pride in a team that won all its first four games, though mixed with the sting of knowing they had let a golden chance of making history slip away.
USMNT’s collapse
Nowhere was the disappointment sharper than in the United States. After stumbling to a group-stage loss against Turkey but recovering to top its group and beat Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, the USMNT arrived at its round-of-16 date with Belgium in Seattle amid talk that 2026 could mark a breakthrough for U.S. soccer. Instead, the team was thoroughly beaten, 4-1, in a match that never escaped the shadow of a controversy that had consumed the media for days: The lifting of an automatic one-match ban for striker Folarin Balogun after his red card in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina. (See Viewpoint on page 4.).
Whether the controversy sapped Balogun and the rest of the team’s focus, as many pundits suggested, or Belgium was simply the better side on the day, the result was the same: a deflating exit for a team that appeared to be building toward something historic.
European domination
With all three co-hosts gone, the round of 16 wrapped up Tuesday, July 7, and the quarterfinals begin July 9 — a lineup now dominated by six European sides, with one South American and one African representative.
The bracket (all Mexico times): France vs. Morocco in Boston (Thursday, July 9, 2 p.m.), Spain vs. Belgium in Los Angeles (Friday, July 10, 1 p.m.), England vs. Norway in Miami (Saturday, July 11, 3 p.m.) and Argentina vs. Switzerland in Kansas City (Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m.).
The absence of any regional teams in the last eight is disappointing but somewhat predictable. Has it been a missed opportunity for the three hosts? On paper, at least, Mexico, the United States and Canada all had a good chance of making it into the quarters.
In the end, however, the hierarchical nature of elite sports has mostly prevailed, with the four “seeded” nations — France, Spain, Argentina and England — all advancing.