The three co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Canada, Mexico, and the United States – will now watch the remainder of the tournament from the sidelines after all three nations were eliminated before the quarter-finals.
When the tournament kicked off on June 11, many football experts believed that home advantage, passionate supporters, and familiar surroundings would propel at least one of the hosts into the semi-finals, or even the final. Instead, all three saw their dreams shattered in the knockout stages, leaving the competition without a host nation for its final week.
Canada became the first of the hosts to bow out after suffering a heartbreaking 3-0 defeat to Morocco in their Round of 16 clash on Saturday, 4 July. The North Africans produced a clinical display to silence the home crowd and book a historic place in the quarter-finals.
Mexico’s campaign ended on Sunday, 5 July, when European giants France proved too strong, claiming a 3-2 victory in an entertaining encounter.
Despite fighting back and enjoying strong support from their fans, El Tri were unable to overcome the clinical finishing and experience of the French side.
The final blow for the hosts came on Monday, 6 July, when the United States were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Belgium in Seattle.
Belgium punished costly defensive mistakes, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice before Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku completed the emphatic victory. Malik Tillman scored the Americans’ only goal, but it proved little more than a consolation.
The elimination of all three host nations is a major disappointment for their supporters, who had hoped the first 48-team World Cup would produce a memorable run deep into the tournament.
For Canada, the exit ends what had been an encouraging campaign and provides valuable experience for a young squad that continues to establish itself on the global stage. While supporters will be disappointed, the tournament has shown that Canadian football is steadily improving and can compete with the world’s best.
Mexico’s departure will be particularly painful. Having hosted the World Cup for a record third time, expectations were enormous. The failure to reach the latter stages is likely to trigger serious reflection over the future direction of the national team as fans demand greater consistency against elite opposition.
For the United States, the heavy defeat to Belgium is another reminder of the challenge of converting growing investment in football into genuine World Cup success. The Americans had hoped that hosting the tournament would inspire their best-ever modern World Cup campaign, but defensive frailties ultimately proved costly.
Although the host nations are out, their supporters will continue to play a crucial role in creating the vibrant atmosphere expected during the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The tournament now belongs entirely to the surviving contenders, who will battle for football’s biggest prize while Canada, Mexico and the United States are left to reflect on what might have been.