USA, Canada & Mexico: World Cup 2026 hosts are struggling in recent games

Three North American countries face the daunting yet tantalising challenge of hosting the World Cup in just two and a half years. The USA, Mexico and Canada, the group that submitted a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup, have individually set their sights on working on their teams with the showpiece tournament in mind.

The three teams, used to regularly playing in the most prestigious tournament at national team level, are looking to be among the best in the world when the time comes around to make a mark on home soil.

What is certainly true is that there is a long road to go. Countless hours of effort, dedication and work lie ahead to build from foundations that were laid many years ago by all three sides. In the case of the U.S. and Canadian teams, these models of growth are relatively recent; however, Mexico’s path to success is more about the generational replacement of a national team that already know what it is like to compete against the biggest teams in the knockout rounds of a World Cup.

Despite the fact that some results have been positive, the truth is that the three teams are, just a few months after starting their development projects, in sticky situations that are turning into a shared crisis. Each one of them has a different problem with a common outcome: poor on-pitch results, which, if not improved, will not be enough to put up a fight against the best of what Europe and South America have to offer.

United States: an unclear game plan

The USMNT is one of the biggest sources of potential in the world when it comes to international football. Player for player, Gregg Berhalter’s team is one of the best and most talented squads in the world and for several years now, the level of U.S. players has been rising at an astonishing rate. However, the lack of cohesion and the lack of continuity of a squad with a more or less stable core means that said talent does not translate into results in the moments that matter.

Mexico: time for a revolution?

El Tri gambled and lost. The Mexican team suffered a huge disappointment during the 2022 World Cup when they knew they had more potential than what they showed. After the departure of ‘Tata’ Martino and several matches under Diego Cocca, it has been well documented that the fundamental problem is the lack of talent. The low level of the player pool has forced current manager Jaime Lozano to call back veterans such as Ochoa, Herrera or Héctor Moreno, players who should be giving way for new Mexican talent that is not there.

Canada: an unbalanced squad

The Canadian national team is going through a poor moment in terms of results, although the big problem is the lack of talent in certain positions. While the fullbacks and forwards are well covered with elite-level players, the middle of the defensive and the engine room are full of either veteran or second-tier players who do not provide enough security to lay the foundations for a team that could do well on home soil in the tournament.