United States suffers defeat as Mexico clinches its 10th Gold Cup victory.
Mexico has cemented its position as the dominant force in North American football, securing its second consecutive victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and extending its all-time record to 10 Gold Cup crowns. This tally is three more than the USMNT's second-place total of seven.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, a historic event set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This tournament will be the first to feature 48 teams and will be held in the northern hemisphere summer.
The opening match of this World Cup will be held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, making it the first stadium to host three World Cup opening matches. The final match will take place at MetLife Stadium in the United States, referred to as the New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, on July 19.
The tournament will be spread across 16 host cities, with 11 in the U.S., multiple in Mexico, and several in Canada. The opening and final matches, however, will be specifically in Mexico City and New York/New Jersey respectively.
The 2026 World Cup is set to be the largest in history due to the expanded number of teams and the unprecedented co-hosting arrangement across three countries in North America.
In a recent Gold Cup final, Raul Jimenez scored the equalizer for Mexico with a close-range shot that went into the roof of the netting, and Johan Vasquez deflected a set piece, allowing Edson Alvarez to head the ball into the corner of the United States goal, giving Mexico a 2-1 lead. The United States came close to tying the game in the second minute of stoppage time, but Mexico's keeper and defense managed to prevent it. The goal for Mexico was initially flagged as offside but was later confirmed as a good goal by the Video Assistant Referee.
The United States was represented by first-year manager Mauricio Pochettino, who will have less than a year until the 2026 World Cup. He will be hoping that the return of top US players will help his squad turn its fortunes. Chris Richards scored the first goal for the United States with a header off a free kick from Sebastian Berhalter.
The match was played in front of over 70,000 fans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and saw several near goals in the second half, with the tension building until Mexico broke the deadlock in the 77th minute. After the victory, Raul Jimenez celebrated by mimicking the trademark celebration of Diogo Jota, a former teammate on Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With this win, Mexico has claimed the CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy, making it their 10th title as champions of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Sunday's game marked the 8th time the two neighboring countries have met in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Mexico now holding a 6-2 advantage in those games.
The USMNT will launch its World Cup campaign on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, while Mexico will play in the first match of the tournament a day earlier at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Sources: [1] FIFA.com [2] ESPN.com [3] Concacaf.com
The 2026 World Cup, featuring various sports such as soccer (football), will see the NFL's American-football stadium, MetLife Stadium, host the final match on July 19. Despite dominating the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico will kick off their World Cup journey a day earlier at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
