State of the 2026 World Cup cohosts: Is USA, Mexico or Canada more ready?
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Henry Bushnell, Felipe Cardenas and more
The pendulum has swung in favor of each 2026 World Cup cohost when it comes to regional superiority. So which is most set for the summer?
Coming out of the 2022 World Cup, as North American attention turned toward 2026, there was a relatively clear hierarchy among the tournament’s co-hosts — Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Only one had reached the knockout rounds in Qatar. That same team, the U.S., would go on to win consecutive Concacaf Nations League titles. At the start of this World Cup cycle, the Americans were rising, whereas Mexico was in decline and Canada’s trajectory was murky. If you had to pick one of the three to make a run at their home World Cup, the choice, throughout 2023, was clear: the USMNT.
Then, over the years since, the pecking order began oscillating. Mexico rebounded. The U.S. plateaued, then dipped. All three fired and hired coaches. Canada went furthest at the 2024 Copa América but, unlike its rivals, hasn’t won a trophy of any kind. All three have spent time as the region’s highest-rated team (per Elo).
So, with 2026 upon us, and with World Cup openers roughly six months away, the answer to the question — which home team is best prepared for the tournament? — is very _un_clear.
The following is an assessment of their men’s national team programs and their hopes of meeting the World Cup moment, as their summer in the spotlight nears.
USA
For the U.S., the long and low-pressure runway to this World Cup has been a roller coaster.
It began with unprecedented optimism. After bossing Mexico at the 2023 Nations League finals, newly re-hired head coach Gregg Berhalter said: “If we continue to develop in the way that we have, if this group continues to go where we think they can go, the sky’s the limit.”
A year later, they were losing to Colombia 5-1 and crashing out of the Copa América. Berhalter was fired. Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino brought hope, then a barrage of pessimism and doubt, and then — now — the mood has swung again, back to where it was at the start of the cycle.
It crept, cautiously, toward optimism again as the U.S. won friendlies against Japan, Australia and Paraguay this fall, with a draw against Ecuador in between. Then a team of reserves — Pochettino would hate that description, but it’s accurate — smoked Uruguay, 5-1. A few weeks later, the USMNT drew a winnable World Cup group, and suddenly, Pochettino and American fans alike were .
Pochettino and players have adopted a slogan: “Be realistic, and do the impossible.”
Mauricio Pochettino has the USMNT believing it can make a deep run at the 2026 World Cup (Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)
And a realistic “benchmark,” midfielder Tyler Adams said earlier this month, is “the furthest a U.S. team has gone” — which would be a World Cup semifinal or final.
Rationally, such a lofty goal still seems far-fetched. The recent friendlies that sparked renewed hope were, in fact, forgettable friendlies. The team that will likely take the field on June 12 has, due to injuries and other absences, hardly played together under Pochettino. Man for man, they still do not measure up to international soccer’s giants.
They do, though, have things they didn’t have in 2022 — namely, a striker (Folarin Balogun) and depth. Pochettino’s masterplan, to light fires under “regulars” who’d grown too comfortable, has seemingly worked. “The moment that we identified the problems, we started to destroy the things that we need to destroy, and start to build the house from the ground up,” he said in October.
Entering 2026, the house is looking structurally sound. The question, now, is whether Pochettino can add an extra story and take the USMNT to a place it’s never been. At the very least, its ceiling now seems higher than Mexico’s and Canada’s. – Henry Bushnell
Mexico
This will be Mexico’s third opportunity to host a World Cup, and the three host cities (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey) should leave a wonderful impression on the world. But folklore and culture won’t propel Mexico towards a World Cup semifinal. And this version of Mexico has shown to be far too inconsistent to inspire confidence.
Mexico won the Concacaf Nations League in March 2025 and then lifted the Gold Cup trophy in the summer. The Nations League run included a win over Canada in the semifinals. Life was good for head coach Javier Aguirre. It appeared as though the veteran manager had restored the grit and pride that has long defined the Mexico men’s national team.
Since then, Mexico has fallen back down to earth. Losses to Switzerland (4-2) in June and Colombia (4-0) in October set Aguirre’s project back. Against two World Cup-caliber opponents, Mexico was outplayed, both tactically and physically. Aguirre was dumbfounded by his team’s performances in those friendlies, which caused great concern among the fanbase.
Today, Aguirre remains unsettled on a preferred starting XI. Yet, there will be few surprises in the teamsheet when Mexico kicks off the World Cup against South Africa on June 11. And that’s where the problem lies for Mexico. The 2026 squad will have some new faces, like 17-year-old midfield prodigy Gilberto Mora of Club Tijuana and Toluca’s central midfielder Marcel Ruíz. Santiago Giménez (AC Milan) and Germán Berterame (Monterrey) will compete with Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez at the No. 9 position.
Gilberto Mora, just 17, helped Mexico to a Concacaf Gold Cup final win over the USA (Omar Vega / Getty Images)
But beyond those names, this summer’s World Cup squad will resemble the 2022 team that failed to progress from the group stage in Qatar. Mexico is a veteran-led team, and that, perhaps, is its greatest strength. Aguirre must hope that playmakers like Diego Lainez and Alexis Vega, two players who have not lived up to expectations with the national team, deliver top-tier performances next summer.
In recent friendlies against Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay, Mexico competed but lacked an attacking edge in the opponent’s final third. Mexico battled Ecuador and Uruguay to 1-1 and 0-0 results, respectively, then lost to Paraguay 2-1. Draws against Japan (0-0) and South Korea (2-2) in September left Aguirre grasping for solutions in several key areas of the field, namely both fullback positions and goalkeeper.
On paper, Mexico’s Group A opponents won’t cause too much concern. There isn’t a tournament contender among South Africa, South Korea, and the UEFA playoff entrant (either Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic or Republic of Ireland). And yet still, there’s a fear in Mexico that Aguirre’s side could flop on home soil. On the other hand, there’s hope that national pride and partisan crowds in Mexico City and Guadalajara will inspire Mexico in 2026.
Of the three host nations, Mexico appears to be under the most pressure. That could either spell disaster or push Aguirre and Mexico to do what no other Mexican national team has done in the past – in a good way. – Felipe Cardenas
Canada
The World Cup presents different pressures and expectations for Canada than its American and Mexican counterparts. Both Canadian players and Canada Soccer genuinely hope that this tournament irrevocably changes the sports landscape at home.
Canadian sports culture is dominated by hockey. But more children play soccer than any other team sport, and have for a generation. That generation is lacking results and heroes to attach themselves to. When you couple soccer’s rise with a shift in demographics and hockey nursing a black eye in the court of public opinion – numerous scandals will do that – you can understand why Canada hopes this tournament becomes a historical inflection point.
Canada’s World Cup group features Switzerland, Qatar and the winner of a UEFA playoff (Italy, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland). Getting to the knockout round for the first time constitutes the bare minimum for a successful World Cup.
Manager Jesse Marsch has done well to prepare his team for this opportunity. Whereas Pochettino spent 2025 rotating players for the United States to better understand his player pool, Marsch narrowed in on a pool of around 30 players and relied on them heavily through the final three international windows.
Canada played 14 games in 2025 and only lost two in regular time. That’s fewer regular time losses than Mexico and the U.S. What was lacking, however, and what was a focus of Marsch’s work late in the year was the cunning and strategies that will help Canada close out games. Canada lost its cool against lowly Guatemala (106th in the world) in the Gold Cup quarterfinals and suffered an early exit from a tournament it had designs on winning.
Jonathan David and Canada held their own in a friendly vs. South American power Colombia (Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty Images)
Canada was a lot of fun through Marsch’s first year in 2024. To his credit, Canada’s identity became solidified through 2025: Marsch’s version of Red Bull soccer evolved with his player pool. Canada became the most defensively resolute team in Concacaf, allowing just one goal through its final six games – and that’s without stalwart defenders Alistair Johnston and Moïse Bombito.
Canada was at its best playing European teams; easily handling Ukraine at home then getting back-to-back wins in Europe for the first time (against Romania and Wales) were highlights. That experience should serve them well at home this summer, where two European teams will be waiting in the group stage.
The most inspiring snapshot of Canada’s World Cup readiness came in October. In an intense stadium in New Jersey filled with Colombian fans, Canada held Colombia, then ranked 13th in the world by FIFA, to a 0-0 draw and dominated play for long stretches. This game suggested Canada could grind out a result against a superior team with newfound resoluteness and confidence.
Canada still has to create and score in a way its co-hosts can, so it will still feel like an underdog in a way that Mexico and the United States won’t. Yet just as much, its opportunity to surprise and change the way soccer is viewed at home feels like a much bigger motive is at play than that of their co-hosts. – Joshua Kloke
