Mexico became the first nation to book a spot in the World Cup 2026 Round of 32 thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over South Korea in Guadalajara, and while the team’s overall peformance in the first two games has not been that impressive, it is impossible not to think they can go far after watching the amazing show from their home support.
Thursday’s final game was tight and short on chances, but Mexico’s resolve and defensive discipline after scoring the only goal of the match was admirable. Captain Edson Álvarez was a monster at the back, and goalkeeper Raúl Rangel made sure of the points with a sensational double save in the 88th minute.
But the true highlight of the night was the extraordinary support from the home crowd, who kicked every ball, made a remarkable amount of noise when South Korea had possession, and celebrated the final whistle like they’d won the actual World Cup Final, and not their second group stage match.
It is not remotely controversial to say that Mexico has a closer and stronger relationship with the sport than the other two host nations, and that love for the game has been reflected in the brilliant atmospheres of every game played in the country so far, including the ones where the home team hasn’t played.
From the way they support their team to how they’ve welcomed and embraced fans from other countries joining the party, Mexican fans are by far the biggest winners of the World Cup so far and we should all root for El Tri to go as far as possible so we can continue enjoying the best crowds in the tournament.
Canada’s greatest World Cup day was profoundly bittersweet
Canada’s first-ever World Cup win should have been simply perfect: they absolutely destroyed Qatar, won 6-0, saw all-time scorer Jonathan David get a hat-trick, and gave an extraordinary crowd in Vancouver plenty of reasons to smile.
But it’s impossible to come out of this one thinking about anyone other than Ismaël Koné: the Canadian midfielder, arguably his nation’s best player through the first 150 minutes of their campaign, suffered a gruesome leg injury that ends his World Cup in the most painful way imaginable.
Jesse Marsch’s team reacted incredibly well to the shock of seeing their teammate injured in such a bad way, and their overall performance showed they have what it takes to cause any team in this tournament trouble, especially with the added motivation of playing for their brother.
Koné‘s absence on the pitch is massive, however: his chemistry with midfield partner Stephen Eustáquio and his ability to fill every gap imaginable defensively while also setting the pace of play with his passing are very difficult to replicate, and the last match in the group against Switzerland will already test their ability to replace their most talented and complete midfielder.
This should have been Canada’s most unforgettable day in a World Cup. And in a very bad, very painful way, it is.
Johan Manzambi: Remember the name
Apologies to Freiburg fans, but it’s hard to see the 20-year-old Swiss midfielder staying too long at the German club after the World Cup. His electrifying performance off the bench helped unlock another very complicated match for Switzerland, who dominated much of the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina but struggled to finish their chances much like we saw in the group opener against Qatar.
But Manzambi changed the entire feel of the game with his speed and smarts, and the finish for the first of his two goals was brilliant. He scored another and helped set up Rúben Vargas’ goal, and was by far the best player on the pitch from the moment he came on with 20 minutes to go.
Manzambi is the dream modern midfielder with great positional versatility and a perfect blend of on-ball skills, off-ball movement and defensive prowess. He is already impacting big World Cup games at the age of 20, and he’ll only get better. Truly one to watch.
The World Cup’s worst game so far was somehow still awesome
Czechia and South Africa certainly don’t rank very high on the list of most talented teams in this tournament, and the lack of individual brilliance was on full display in the first meeting of the day in Atlanta. Czechia scored a goal that started with a long throw-in and South Africa’s equalizer came from the penalty spot, and the rest of the game featured a lot of fouls and not a lot of good play.
But the beauty of the World Cup is that every game has such jeopardy that even the worst teams can be very compelling to watch given their desperation for points. South Africa’s late equalizer turned the match completely on its head with 10 minutes to go, and there was a whole lot of drama and nervous times for both sides at the end of the contest.
It ended 1-1 and both teams are still alive in the race for third, and the desperate need to improve their position in the standings was exactly why the game ended up being so fascinating.
If the same poorly-played, highly physical game with so little quality took place during club football season, very few people would actually bother to watch. But the World Cup forces you to care about even the worst games because they matter so much, and they often turn out to be pretty good regardless of how ugly they might look.
There really is nothing like this tournament.