Mexico debuts in the 2026 World Cup with the hope of breaking the streak

Key duel in Monterrey

The Netherlands and Morocco meet tomorrow for a ticket to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The match will be played at the stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, where Canada, host along with the United States and Mexico, is already waiting.

FIFA appointed Brazilian Wilton Sampaio as main referee. He will be assisted by his compatriots Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia. The Chilean Cristian Garay will be the fourth referee.

How both teams arrive

The Netherlands has survived the group stage in its twelve World Cup appearances. They are looking for their first title after three runners-up finishes (1974, 1978 and 2010). Under the direction of Ronald Koeman, they won Group F with 7 points: they tied 2-2 with Japan, beat Sweden 5-1 and beat Tunisia 3-1. He has gone 15 games without losing in World Cups; their last defeat was against Spain in the 2010 final.

The Dutch team trained in Kansas City, United States, before traveling to Monterrey.

Morocco, led by Mohamed Ouahbi, surprised at Qatar 2022 by reaching fourth place. In this World Cup they tied 1-1 with Brazil in the debut (Group C), then beat Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2. They finished second with 7 points, the same as Brazil but with a worse goal difference. He has accumulated 26 consecutive games without losing. In addition, it awaits a CAS ruling on Senegal’s appeal over the African Cup of Nations final, which Morocco initially won 1-0 but was later awarded 3-0.

History and what’s coming

The only precedent in World Cups was in 1994, with the Dutch victory 2-1 in the group stage. Morocco has only passed the group stage in Mexico 1986 (round of 16) and Qatar 2022. If they beat the Netherlands, they will face Canada on Saturday, July 4 in Houston, which has already qualified after agonizingly beating South Africa 1-0.

Mexico vs Ecuador: a duel of high referee tension

The teams of Mexico and Ecuador will meet on Tuesday, June 30 at the Mexico City stadium, for the round of 32 of the 2026 North American World Cup. The match will define one of the 16 teams that will advance in the tournament.

FIFA appointed the 46-year-old Slovenian Slavko Vincic as the central referee for the match. The organization’s Referees Commission chose him to dispense justice in the Coloso de Santa Úrsula. The highest football organization published on its networks:

“The referees for matches 77, 78 and 79 of the FIFA World Cup have been appointed”

Vincic will be accompanied by his compatriots Tomaz Klancnik (assistant 1) and Andraz Kovacic (assistant 2). The fourth referee will be the Algerian Mustapha Ghorbal, and Mokrane Gourari will serve as reserve assistant.

His record in the World Cup

The Slovenian has already refereed two matches in the group stage of North America 2026. On Matchday 1, he refereed the 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco at the New York/New Jersey stadium. On the second date, he was in charge of the duel between Jordan and Algeria at the California stadium, which ended with an Algerian victory 1-2.

Furthermore, this will be his fifth match in World Cups. At Qatar 2022, he also refereed two games: Argentina’s 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia and England’s 0-3 win over Wales.

The match between Mexico and Ecuador promises to be intense, and Vincic’s experience will be key to maintaining control on the court.

England closes the group stage undefeated

The England team finished the group stage with two wins and a draw. Seven points were enough for him to take first place in Group L and advance to the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Those led by Thomas Tuchel beat Croatia and Panama, and tied with Ghana. The key victory was against the Croatians, which allowed them to avoid Portugal in the next round.

Next rival: Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Rosa team will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo, classified as one of the best third places. The Leopards added four points after beating Uzbekistan (3-1) and drawing with Portugal (1-1).

The game will be played in Atlanta. England are favorites, but Tuchel is not confident. “If we start talking about the possible round of 32, we will be punished,” warned the German coach.

Tuchel avoids speculating about Mexico

England and Mexico are in the same bracket, so they could meet in the round of 16 if both advance. The Tricolor will first face Ecuador. However, Tuchel prefers to focus on the next match.

“There is only one game we can focus on and that is the next one,” he responded when asked about a possible duel with Mexico.

“I would love to talk about it, but we need to stay focused. The game is in Atlanta, not in Mexico,” said the strategist.

The Englishman will have to be attentive against a Congolese team that has already demonstrated its ability to surprise in the tournament.