By Abigail David
The United States, Mexico and Canada have all been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending the hopes of the tournament’s three co-host nations before the quarter-final stage.
The United States became the last of the co-hosts to exit after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday in Seattle.
Canada were the first to bow out, losing 3-0 to Morocco on Saturday. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice before Soufiane Rahimi added a late goal to seal Morocco’s place in the quarter-finals. Canada’s campaign was also affected by injury concerns involving winger Alphonso Davies.
Mexico followed on Sunday with a 3-2 defeat to England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Jude Bellingham scored twice in quick succession before Harry Kane converted a penalty to send England through. The defeat ended Mexico’s hopes of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since hosting the tournament in 1986. Reports indicate that head coach Javier Aguirre is expected to be succeeded by his assistant, Rafael Márquez.
Belgium completed the sweep of the co-hosts with a convincing victory over the United States at Lumen Field. The match was preceded by controversy surrounding the reinstatement of a red card issued to US forward Folarin Balogun and comments made by US President Donald Trump.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first edition to be jointly hosted by three countries and the first to feature an expanded 48-team format.
With the exits of the United States, Mexico and Canada, the remaining quarter-finalists are Morocco, France, Norway, Spain, Belgium, England, Argentina and the winner from the remaining Round of 16 fixtures.
