Of the 22 prior editions of the FIFA World Cup, only six times has the host country won. In fact, the host confederation has only won one of the previous four tournaments, when France triumphed in Russia in 2018.

The 2026 tournament will be hosted by North America for the fourth time. A South American team triumphed in each of the previous three iterations, with Brazil winning in 1970 and 1994 and Argentina winning in 1986.

It’s unlikely, then, that the 2026 winner will be a North American team, but with six participants for the first time ever, it’s conceivable that a CONCACAF team could make a run to at least the quarterfinals. The only prior time the United States hosted the tournament, it fell to Brazil in the Round of 16.

First, I’ll break down which North American countries are participating in this summer’s World Cup, sorted by their odds of lifting the trophy on July 19 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

List of North American countries in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

USA (+6000)
Mexico (+8000)
Canada (+20000)
Panama (+100000)
Haiti (+250000)
Curacao (+250000)

Which North American country will advance the farthest? Pick, best bet

Haiti’s qualifying for the first time since 1974 despite not being able to play any matches on home soil due to political upheaval is a nice story, as is Curaçao’s becoming the smallest nation ever to participate in the world’s premier tournament. Panama has made a nice rise through the football ranks, qualifying in 2018 and making the quarterfinals of the Copa América in 2024, beating the United States on its home soil. Still, despite the Stars and Stripes’ disappointment in that tournament, I trust the three hosts more than any other team on the continent, because all three were placed in Pot 1 during the draw and won’t have to face any global giants in the opening phase of the competition. Each host will also play each of its group stage matches in its home country.

Of the three, Mexico has the easiest group stage draw. El Tri, ranked 15th in the world, are by far the highest-ranked nation in Group A. South Korea, the second-best team in the group on paper, has had some disappointing friendly results lately, and talisman Son Heung-Min has struggled in the MLS this season. No. 60 South Africa was the weakest-ranked team in Pot 3 at the time of the draw, and while El Tri were arguably unlucky to draw a European play-off winner, Czechia emerged over Denmark, a stronger team on paper. The United States got fortunate to draw Australia and Paraguay, but No. 22 Turkey’s attacking talents make its group at best a toss-up, especially since the Crescent-Stars won a friendly in June 2025 (albeit with both sides sporting sub-par squads). The Canucks also got a favorable draw, as Qatar has never picked up a point in the World Cup and Bosnia managed to qualify over World No. 12 Italy, but Switzerland had an extremely strong qualifying campaign and should make it difficult for Canada to top the group.

Mexico’s weak group might actually hurt its chances of making a deep run. El Tri would have an easy Round of 32 match against a third-place team if they win Group A, but they’d come up against England in the Round of 16, and Thomas Tuchel’s men would likely end their tournament in that stage. Instead, they might rather finish second in the group, which would draw them against the second-place finisher in Group B (presumably Canada or Switzerland) in the Round of 32 and then either the second-place finisher in Group C (Brazil or Morocco) or the winner of Group F (Japan or the Netherlands) in the Round of 16, and while that’s certainly not an easy path, all four are more flawed than the Three Lions. The Canucks, likewise, might have a better shot if they don’t win Group B, given that they’d have to go against Portugal or Colombia in the Round of 16 if they did. The Stars and Stripes are the only host who would benefit from winning their group, as their likely Round of 16 matchup would be against Belgium if they won the group and Argentina if they didn’t.

Ultimately, I’ll pick both the United States and Mexico to lose in the Round of 16 and Canada to lose as the Group B runner-up to South Korea. However, if one of the hosts manages to advance to the quarterfinals, it’ll be the Stars and Stripes. Unless they manipulate the bracket on the final day, it’s hard to envision El Tri not winning Group A, and England will simply be too difficult a test in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, although I’d ever-so-slightly back Turkey to top Group D ahead of the United States, given its wealth of attacking talents and the hosts’ lack of depth in the central defense, the Stars and Stripes are slightly more likely to win their group than Mexico is to finish second. They should easily be able to take down their third-place opponent in the Round of 32, and Belgium is coming to the tail end of its golden generation.

Best Bet: Who Will Go Further? USA vs Mexico: Same Stage (+225)