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With the USMNT’s 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16, all three of the 2026 World Cup host nations have now been eliminated from the current tournament in Qatar. So with fans of these teams turning their thoughts to preparations for 2026, we take stock of the outlook for each nation at this moment, as they hope to perform better than Qatar did this time around.
Granted, there will be many changes over the next three and a half years, but consider this a starting point.
What’s the biggest question for Canada for 2026?
Are they ready?
And not just on the field: this question is all-encompassing. Canada simply does not yet have the soccer infrastructure that Mexico and the United States have. So, is Canada Soccer ready to come to an agreement with the national team over a contract for players? Is Canada Soccer ready to grow the game so that there’s significant interest from curious onlookers? Will the two stadiums (Toronto’s BMO Field and Vancouver’s BC Place) receive the necessary upgrades in time? Will Canada have evolved into a more tactically sound team?
Will they have a different head coach in 2026?
It’s believed John Herdman has every intention of seeing out his contract into the 2026 World Cup, though he’ll have to improve tactically on the job he did in Qatar, where Canada lost all three of their group-stage matches. He has the backing of Canada Soccer’s leadership. Of course, Herdman could get a much better offer or a much better coach could come in at a cheap rate. But neither of those options feel likely right now.
Who is likely to be their top player?
I was tempted to focus on Tajon Buchanan, given his tremendous upside and how strong of a World Cup he had, but this is Alphonso Davies’ team and will be until he walks away from the international game, which I hope isn’t any time soon.
Come 2026, Davies will be 25 years old and in his prime. It feels like he will get more and more time in an attacking role with Bayern Munich between now and then, and so he’ll be expected to add to his World Cup goal total. He should be a household name by then, and therefore likely to draw massive crowds wherever he goes in Canada.
Which player is their biggest wild card?
Imagine how much more cohesive Canada could play if they had a dominant midfield with players who can fulfill different roles? Stephen Eustaquio will likely still be holding things down in front of Canada’s defenders. Ahead of him could be the confident and poised Ismael Kone, who is showing the kind of promise that makes imagining him in a top-five league come 2026 not difficult to do. Of course, Kone is still 20 and hasn’t been a professional for long, so it’s possible he doesn’t develop as hoped. If he’s in a swift No. 8 role that combines dribbling prowess and ball-moving, Canada could look fluid in attack. If he develops into a No. 10 who can thread that all-important final pass, Canada’s forwards will be better positioned to finish chances. Questions about Canada’s midfield emerged at this World Cup. If all goes according to plan, Kone could provide the answers.
What could hosting mean for the country?
With the world’s best on display in Toronto and Vancouver, and with the possibility of the men’s team getting out of the group stage, co-hosting the World Cup could help soccer finally become solidified in the country’s mainstream sports consciousness. Maybe even on par with hockey.
How is the team’s youth pipeline looking?
There are some promising prospects, but not a ton who provide reason for optimism. There is no player emerging (yet) with the kind of promise Davies and Jonathan David showed as teenagers, though flashy winger Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, likely to move for decent money to a European side soon enough, comes close. There are intriguing players, such as hulking forward Lowell Wright, who recently moved from York United in the Canadian Premier League to Whitecaps FC 2, and Jayden Nelson, who might emerge as a backup to Davies at left wing if he continues to show the promise he did this season at Toronto FC.
The aforementioned nascent CPL should play a role in unearthing diamonds in the rough. One player on the national team, Joel Waterman, started his professional career in the three-year-old CPL. If the league’s teams are successful in attracting local young talent, Waterman won’t be the last.
United States
What’s the biggest question for 2026?
Is 10 years enough time to find a single dependable striker?
For whatever reason, the United States have been unable to find a successor to Jozy Altidore up top. There are promising options who are already getting regular club starts, like Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi and Jesús Ferreira. Unless any of them — or another option — make massive strides, it’s likely to be the guiding question for a second consecutive cycle.
Will they have a different head coach in 2026?
It has seemed inevitable that Gregg Berhalter would return to the club circuit at the conclusion of this World Cup. He largely fared well this cycle, helping to secure some crucial dual-national commitments and restoring a sense of hope and potential in a program that had long felt stale.
Immediately after the loss to the Netherlands, U.S. players expressed their desire for Berhalter to stay, but he made it sound like nothing has been decided yet, saying, “In the next couple of weeks, I’ll clear my head, I’ll sit down and I’ll think about what’s next.”
Who will be their top player?
This will likely remain Christian Pulisic’s team. While his club situation still leaves much to be desired, this tournament served as an emphatic reminder that no player does more to get this team firing on all cylinders than the 24-year-old Chelsea winger. You could add co-talisman status to Tyler Adams, who was the U.S.’s best player in the group stage and is vital to keeping an adventurous midfield from getting stretched.
Which player is their biggest wild card?
It came late, but the knockout loss to the Netherlands was where Berhalter finally gave Giovanni Reyna an extended runout. The son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna, the 20-year-old Gio has already become a key figure for Borussia Dortmund. It’s still up for debate where his best role will ultimately be, whether it’s on the wing or as an attacking midfielder. Still, few players have as high of a ceiling as Reyna, and he could be a bonafide global star by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off. If he can stay healthy.
What could hosting mean for the country?
Ever since United 2026 was awarded hosting honors in 2018, every level of the men’s game in this country — from the national teams to MLS to the lower divisions and youth development — has been operating with 2026 in mind. Just as the 1994 World Cup catalyzed the growth of the game in the U.S., this tournament is being viewed as a checkpoint for the sport’s Stateside progress, with a hope to cement the U.S. among the top 10 or so programs in the world.
How is the team’s youth pipeline looking?
Pretty good in most places. Goalkeeper Gaga Slonina has already turned solid MLS pay into a move to Chelsea before turning 19, giving Matt Turner a logical successor between the posts with a decade separating the pair in age. The defense is in good standing, assuming a couple of center backs develop into no-doubt internationals, while full back is among the deepest group in the pool. The midfield has several options to track, as is the case with the attacking midfield and wingers. The big question, and stop me if you’ve read this before, will be if any striker is able to change what’s long been a position of weakness in the player pool.
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Mexico
What’s the biggest question for 2026?
How efficiently can they overhaul the senior squad?
This roster featured six players who were aged 31 or older and combined for a staggering 710 caps. Likely without mainstays including Andrés Guardado, Guillermo Ochoa, Héctor Herrera and Raúl Jiménez in four years’ time, there’s plenty of room for new players to become El Tri regulars.
How efficiently can they overhaul the senior squad?
This roster featured six players who were aged 31 or older and combined for a staggering 710 caps. Likely without mainstays including Andrés Guardado, Guillermo Ochoa, Héctor Herrera and Raúl Jiménez in four years’ time, there’s plenty of room for new players to become El Tri regulars.
Will they have a different head coach in 2026?
Tata Martino was the first World Cup coach to abdicate his seat, announcing that his contract with Mexico ended concurrently with the referee’s final whistle in El Tri’s last match. Liga MX has a few potential successors, including Guillermo Almada and Nacho Ambriz, while Diego Alonso is familiar with the pool and spent this World Cup at the helm of Uruguay.
Who will be their top player?
Edson Álvarez is the class of the team at this point. Utilized as a center back for Mexico out of necessity, he’ll likely step into the midfield role he occupies for Ajax as the old guard is phased out. He may not be in the Eredivisie for long, though, as Chelsea, Barcelona and Manchester United were all linked to him this past summer.
Which player is their biggest wild card?
Marcelo Flores is arguably the hottest prospect in the pool. The Arsenal youngster is getting some seasoning on loan with Real Oviedo in the Spanish second division, where he has one assist for his 384 minutes to date. Troubles with goalscoring sunk Mexico in the group stage for the first time in over 40 years, but if Flores can break through between now and 2026, he could be one of the marquee young stars across the entire tournament.
What could hosting mean for the country?
On an emotional level, it’ll keep them at the front of global consciousness as the United States looks to become the absolute power in CONCACAF. It should also hasten the urgency in making the systemic upgrades to keep pace with a rapidly advancing football world. Finally, it’ll add even more pressure to not just return to the knockout rounds, but achieve what has long eluded Mexico: the quinto partido — a quarterfinal showing or further.
How is the team’s youth pipeline looking?
This is where many Mexico fans may start to cry. Right now, the United States has 15 U-20 eligible players currently playing in Europe. By contrast, Mexico has just one: Flores. There’s real reason for concern that Mexico is losing stride in what’s long been a two-team race for CONCACAF supremacy. It may still be a two-team race, but those two teams are now looking to be the U.S. and Canada. There’s talent within Liga MX clubs; the question will be how much of that talent is able to earn a move to a higher level to keep up with the U.S.’s burgeoning youth development pathway.
(Photo: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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