There are only 338 days left before the kick -off of the 2026 Football World Cup and the pressure rises around the three host countries. Organized in North America, the most prestigious football competition promises a lot and the three organizers that are Canada, the United States and Mexico will want to shine at home. And a year from the start of the competition, they were able to test themselves during the Gold Cup. And the dynamics are very different between these three countries.
Canada
A year ago, Canada left us a nice impression. Semi-finalist of the COPA American and fourth in this competition, the selection of reds confirmed the progression of a whole selection for a few years in the image of this third place in the Gold Cup 2021 or in this participation in the 2022 World Cup. The start of competition was interesting with a 6-0 massacre against Honduras. The cannucks displayed their talent before being surprised by Curaçao (1-1) and then concluding the group stage with a success against Salvador (2-0). A first part of an interesting competition that has given way to enormous disappointment. Hanging by Guatemala (1-1), the team coached by Jesse Marsch finally lost this quarter-final after a penalty shootout (6-5). A major failure. “”We lost because we fought ourselves, and it is not possible in important matches. It will certainly not be possible next summer“, The Canadian coach explained after the meeting.
The former coach of the RB Leipzig then tempered his words: “I remain very positive on this group. We have progressed a lot with many players.In the satisfaction department, we can note the solid Tajon Buchanan tournament which scored three goals. Other elements have asserted themselves as promised David (Union Saint-Gilloise), Tani Oluwaseyi (Minnesota United), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split) and Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht). However, coach Jesse Marsch is not completely unanimous. “”At first, it was fun and useful, but now they just have enough. If you are one of the players present, how do you feel when your coach says that? There is a time when it gets too much, and people are starting to listen to», Landon Donovan, former glory of football in the United States, on his podcast Unfiltered Soccer. The latter pointed out the fact that the American coach sometimes was very critical of his group and often highlighted the absences to justify failures. At the 2026 World Cup, this speech will no longer work since Canada will have to get out of the group stage for the first time in its history.
UNITED STATES
A sacred test for Mauricio Pocsettino. Appointed coach of the United States last September to take over from Gregg Berhalter, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach is still in the running-in. Faced with a second breath after a catastrophic Copa America 2024 where the Americans were eliminated from the group stage, Mauricio Pocsettino has not yet found the magic formula. The first hard blow took place last March with a right defeat against Panama (1-0) in the semi-final of the League of Concacaf Nations while the Americans were triple title holders. During the Gold Cup, the group stage was serious with successes against Trinidad and Tobago (5-0), Saudi Arabia (1-0) and Haiti (2-1). Nevertheless, the Americans were scared against Costa Rica (2-2/4-3 on penalties) before dominating Guatemala (2-1) then bowing 2-1 against Mexico. A course is correct even if we expected more than one selection which aimed at the final victory in the competition.
In terms of satisfaction, there was the attacking midfielder Malik Tillman, the left winger Diego Luna and defender Chris Richards. A beautiful vertebral column for Team USA, which was relieved of many stars like Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic or Ricardo Pepi. The Mexican victory has also played little with a disputed situation which did not give the Americans any penalty. “”I'm not going to cry. I mean the truth. And the truth is that if it happens in the opposing half of land, in the other surface, it is certain that it is a penalty. He put his hand on the ball. It is not as if his hand was on the ground and the ball touched him. For me, it was embarrassing to see this situation and it is a shame. I understand, with 70,000 people, you know, give this penalty, it's not easy», Let go of Mauricio Pochettino after the meeting. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with what he saw of his team during this tournament: “It was a big lesson for us. It is an extraordinary tournament that helped us understand the path we have to follow to progress. It's painful, yes, but it's vital if we want to be competitive in 2026.The signal is rather positive for the Americans even if the latter are not yet completely ready, the dynamic improves very slowly.
Mexico
Not necessarily favorite at the start of the tournament, Mexico won the Gold Cup 2025 against the United States after a brilliant course. First of his hen in front of Costa Rica, Mexico did not make a card against the Dominican Republic (3-2) and the Suriname (2-0) before being hung by Los Ticos (0-0). Seriously against Saudi Arabia (2-0) and Honduras (1-0), Mexico then assured in the final against the United States (2-1). Not necessarily flamboyant, but very solid like the defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez who was the best player in the competition or the porter Luis Malagon who took the succession of Guillermo Ochoa as number one, Mexico relied on his defense to win.
Mexico was able to correct what was wrong and confirmed the League of Nations won last March. Eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, the Verde appears revealing. “”The 2026 World Cup will be a big test for us and we have a year to prepare well. I think I have already said it, some players think that their place is acquired, but there are always things to improve. Myself I sometimes make mistakes, but fortunately I have an excellent team to train which allows me to keep my eyes open. Yes, we have progressed in recent times in the Concacaf, because Panama, Canada and the United States had ahead of us and we felt like we stagnate. Today, I think we occupy a preponderant place within the Concacaf“Said coach Javier Aguirre after the coronation. Aging in recent years, Mexico is also rejuvenated in the image of the young talent of Gilberto Mora who was crowned at only 16 years old by holding from the quarter -finals.
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