I Rated the Elimination of the Three 2026 World Cup Hosts

Jul 08, 2026

Rating the performance of the 2026 World Cup's hosts in their last/eliminated game.

I'm going to rate the performance of the last game that all 3 hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup played before being eliminated, from the most to the least acceptable.

Mexico

Rating: Most Acceptable

Last game: Mexico 2-3 England
Overall stats: 5 games, 10 goals scored, 3 goals conceded | 4W, 1L

What's wrong with Mexico

• Inability to outsmart Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon, the main factor to England's 2 quick goals by Jude Bellingham and the 3rd goal from a penalty.
• Lacking attacking tactics when England was forced to play haramball (due to high opponent's pressure + numerical disadvantage).
• Relying too much on headers with about 20+ crosses in that game, a failed plan considering the advantageous physiques of England players.
• No clear effort to prevent England's counterattacks when they were completely attacking.

Mexico's bright sides in that game

• Maintaining the attacking pressure, leading to their 2 goals against England.
• Motivation and the passionate soccer they played as a host team.

My opinion

Despite not repeating the record from 1970 and 1986, Mexico's performance was still among the best performances in their World Cup history. They had a streak of 4 clean sheet games before the Round of 16 game versus England. As one of the 3 hosts in the 2026 World Cup, Mexico had the best performance, even in their last game. They attacked till the last second, and the defense didn't make fatal problems other than not outsmarting England players.

Canada

Rating: OK

Last game: Canada 0-3 Morocco
Overall stats: 5 games, 9 goals scored, 6 goals conceded | 2W, 1D, 2L

What's wrong with Canada

• Naive attacking pressure, creating more risks to deal with Morocco's counterattack.
• Wasted chances due to poor shooting accuracy.

Canada's bright sides in that game

High attacking pressures and having a clean sheet until the second half.

My opinion

I never expected Canada to go that far in this World Cup run with the similar roster from the 2022 World Cup. They made their own history in soccer with the win against South Africa in the Round of 32. I was not surprised when Canada lost to Morocco, a team that finished 4th in the 2022 World Cup and is a top-tier team in the 2026 World Cup.

USA

Rating: Least Acceptable

Last game: USA 1-4 Belgium
Overall stats: 5 games, 11 goals scored, 8 goals conceded | 3W, 2L

What's wrong with USA

• Pathetic performance from the USA's defensive system, including a useless offside trap, non-existent counterattack prevention, and the desperate need to attack without being aware of Belgium's pressures.
• Too predictable Barcelona-styled fast passes, countering the USA horribly once there was a wrong pass.
• Naive tactics when playing with more rigid teams like Belgium or Türkiye that never let the USA attack in the way they want.
• No impact from Sergiño Dest on his side's possession (mostly right side) as a winger.
• Not-fully-healthy Christina Pulisic carrying the midfield zone only to get injured in the 2nd half.

USA's bright sides in that game

Malik Tillman. No way he defeated Thibaut Courtois with a direct free kick. Sadly, that was the only bright moment of the USA before Belgium scored their 2nd goal shortly after.

My opinion

I wrote a dedicated post about the USA and the poor defense performance versus Belgium. Please check this here.