In the early morning hours of Thursday, the United States managed to squeeze past Costa Rica on goal difference and advance directly to third place in the final round of World Cup qualifying in the North American zone, despite losing 0-2 away to Costa Rica to finish level on points with their rivals.
Mexico, on the other hand, defeated El Salvador 2-0 to lock up their advancement spot early. This means that all three direct qualification spots in the North and Central American zone have been split between the big three - Canada, the United States and Mexico. It is worth noting that these three countries will co-host the final stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Costa Rica had to win this game big to overtake the United States, but they didn't score until the second half and ended up winning 2-0, with a goal difference of six goals less than the U.S., and had to settle for fourth place, where they will play a playoff against Oceania's New Zealand in June for a spot in the tournament.
Facing El Salvador, who were already assured of their exit, Mexico had a two-goal lead in the first half, including a penalty kick score by Raul Jimenez.
With Mexico and the United States advancing, 29 of the 32 places in the final stage of this World Cup have been confirmed, with the last three remaining tickets coming through play-offs, including Costa Rica against New Zealand, and Peru playing the representative team of the Asian zone, the winner of the UAE versus Australia match.
There is one seat left in the European zone, which will be contested with Wales by the winner of Scotland v Ukraine. This year's World Cup will kick off on November 21st with the championship showdown on December 18th.
Here is a list of the 29 teams that have advanced:
:: Europe: Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland
:: South America: Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay
:: Asia: Qatar, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia
:: Africa: Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon
:: North and Central America: Canada, Mexico, United States of America
The remaining three seats will be created by the following play-offs:
:: Costa Rica vs. New Zealand
:: Peru vs. United Arab Emirates or Australia
