The three hosts: how the USA, Mexico and Canada fared at their World Cup
Playing at home guarantees nothing. The three host nations of the 2026 World Cup —the United States, Mexico and Canada— got through the first knockout round, but all three bowed out in the last 16. A respectable return, short of a great feat.
The 2026 World Cup was the first hosted by three countries, and all three arrived hoping to make home advantage count. The final return was solid, if without the great joy: the United States, Mexico and Canada all fell in the last 16.
The United States came through their round of 32 comfortably (2-0 over Bosnia), but crashed in the last 16 against a far superior Belgium who thrashed them 1-4. Mexico, always under pressure from their fans, followed the familiar script —group stage and round of 32— but hit their ceiling again in the last 16, this time against England (2-3) in a thriller.
Canada were perhaps the most exciting of the three on their return: they knocked out South Africa in the round of 32 (1-0) before losing clearly to Morocco (0-3). For Canadian football, reaching the last 16 at home is a step forward in their growth.
None of the three reached the quarters, so the home World Cup was left without a host in the closing stretch. Even so, all three gave the impression of competitive sides with room to improve going forward. Check the full bracket and the tournament data on our site.