2026 World Cup: All Three Co-Hosts Eliminated After USA Crash Out to Belgium

The United States, Mexico and Canada have all been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the end of the tournament for the three co-host nations before the quarter-final stage.

The United States became the last of the trio to exit after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in their Round of 16 encounter on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

The result completed a disappointing knockout phase for the three host countries, each of which progressed from the group stage but failed to secure a place among the tournament’s final eight.

Canada were the first co-hosts to be knocked out after losing 3-0 to Morocco in the Round of 16 on Saturday. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice before Soufiane Rahimi added a late goal to seal Morocco’s comfortable victory. Canada’s campaign was also affected by injury concerns involving star defender Alphonso Davies.

Mexico’s journey ended a day later following a dramatic 3-2 defeat to England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Jude Bellingham scored twice in quick succession during the first half before Harry Kane converted a penalty after England had been reduced to 10 men.

The defeat also marked the end of Javier Aguirre’s tenure as Mexico head coach, with assistant coach Rafael Márquez expected to take over the national team.

The United States completed the sweep of host nation exits after Belgium produced an impressive display to record a convincing 4-1 victory. The match attracted significant attention before kick-off following FIFA’s decision to reinstate striker Folarin Balogun after suspending his automatic red-card ban, a move that generated widespread debate across the football world.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first edition jointly hosted by three countries and the first to feature an expanded 48-team format. The tournament began on June 11 across 16 host cities, with 11 located in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

With the elimination of all three co-hosts, the quarter-final line-up will feature only visiting nations, including Belgium, England, France, Morocco, Norway, Spain and Argentina, while the remaining qualification places will be decided by the final Round of 16 fixtures.