Given that we have never had a country from outside Europe or South America win the FIFA World Cup yet, it is perhaps hardly a surprise that there are not many who fancy a North American outfit to win the competition this year.
Despite the fact that we can already look forward to the 2026 edition of the competition as we know that it will be held across various locations in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, it does not seem as though there are many that believe we will be able to see any of this year’s participants achieve success in Qatar.
In fact, the best possible chance appears to be Mexico, with the national side having been priced at odds of 100/1 by Betway Sportsbook. The USMNT has been priced slightly higher at 150/1 whereas Canada has been valued at 250/1 to achieve one of the biggest sporting miracles that the world will have ever experienced.
Of course, while it does not appear that we would likely see a team from this part of the world win the gold, could we see some good performances?
Naturally, with each edition of the FIFA World Cup that comes around, we are continually left being impressed by the efforts of Mexico. They have a habit of making life difficult for some of football’s heavyweights.
Many may remember the fact that they effectively eliminated the 2014 defending champions Germany in the 2018 Group Stage after beating them and leaving them with too much to do in a disastrous campaign. Others will perhaps remember that Mexico have always challenged Argentina; a team that they will come up against in this year’s competition once again.
Let’s not forget about cult hero Guillermo Ochoa; the Mexican goalkeeper that continues to perform in the biggest football competition in the world. It should be his last one – if selected – and it would not be a surprise if the 36-year-old was to continue to display some incredible performances in Qatar.
For the USMNT, they will want to ensure that they perform well in a tough group that features England, Wales, and Iran after they missed out in 2018, while Canada will likely be looking to enjoy the occasion as much as trying to do as well as possible, especially as it is the first time that they will be playing at the World Cup in 36 years.
Indeed, it will be interesting to see how well these three teams do, but it is unlikely we will see too many surprises.