By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup has taken a shocking twist as all three joint host nations the United States, Mexico, and Canada have been thoroughly booted out of the tournament.
The final blow to the host continent was delivered on Monday in Seattle when Belgium handed the United States a humiliating 4-1 defeat in their Round of 16 clash.
The massive exit brings a painful and abrupt end to what has been a deeply challenging tournament for the trio.
While all three co-hosts successfully fought their way out of the group stage to reach the knockouts on home soil, none of them could secure the highly coveted quarter-final ticket.
Canada was the very first of the host nations to pack its bags. The Canadians suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of a ruthless Moroccan side on Saturday, July 4. Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi struck twice before a late, clinical finish from Soufiane Rahimi completely sealed Canada’s doom.
To make matters worse, Canada’s entire campaign was heavily weighed down by lingering injury concerns surrounding their star winger, Alphonso Davies.
Mexico followed closely in the line of casualties on Sunday. In front of a roaring, packed crowd of over 80,000 fans at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, El Tri suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against England.
The English side ran riot early on, with Jude Bellingham scoring a breathtaking brace within a mere 98-second span in the first half. Even after England was reduced to 10 men, captain Harry Kane rose to the occasion, calmly converting a penalty to completely crush Mexico’s dreams of a first quarter-final appearance since they last hosted the tournament way back in 1986.
Following the painful exit, heads are already rolling in the Mexican camp. Head coach Javier Aguirre is now set to be replaced by his trusted assistant, Rafael Marquez, as the federation looks to rebuild.
The United States’ heavy defeat on Monday finally completed the clean sweep of the tournament hosts. Belgium ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at Lumen Field in Seattle, completely outclassing the Americans.
The high-octane build-up to the match was heavily dominated by intense controversy over a reinstated red card against US star forward Folarin Balogun, alongside heavy pre-match comments regarding the fixture from US President Donald Trump.
The historic 2026 World Cup is the very first edition to be jointly hosted by three nations, featuring an expanded, heavily competitive 48-team format. The global football fiesta, which kicked off on June 11, is being played across 16 vibrant host cities including 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada and is scheduled to reach its grand finale on July 19.
With the exit of the host nations, the field has been left wide open for the remaining contenders. The remaining quarter-final slots are now occupied entirely by non-host football powerhouses, including Morocco, France, Norway, Spain, Belgium, England, Argentina, Colombia, and either Egypt or Switzerland, as fans brace themselves for the final elite pairings.
