Mexico advances to knockout stage; Canada demolishes Qatar, Switzerland crushes Bosnia
Football

Mexico advances to knockout stage; Canada demolishes Qatar, Switzerland crushes Bosnia

By Advocate | June 19, 2026 | 2 min read |

Mexico qualified for the knockout rounds on Wednesday night, defeating South Korea 1-0 at the Guadalajara stadium in front of 45,000 spectators. Luis Romo netted the decisive goal in the…

Mexico qualified for the knockout rounds on Wednesday night, defeating South Korea 1-0 at the Guadalajara stadium in front of 45,000 spectators.

Luis Romo netted the decisive goal in the 50th minute. It was his first World Cup goal, scored on his maiden start for El Tri.

South Korea's goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu fumbled the ball after colliding with teammate Lee Gi-hyuk. Romo pounced on the loose ball to tap it into an empty net.

Mexico will top Group A as champions. It's the first time the co-hosts have won a World Cup group.

Canada, the other co-host nation, delivered a stunning 6-0 demolition of Qatar on the same evening. Jonathan David scored a hat-trick in the dominant performance.

Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba also found the back of the net. Qatar's own goal rounded out the scoresheet.

Qatar finished the match with nine men on the pitch. Homam El Amin received a red card in the 33rd minute for a professional foul.

Assim Omer Madibo's dangerous tackle on Ismael Kone later drew a VAR review. The incident, which resulted in Kone's broken leg, was upgraded to a straight red.

It's Canada's first ever World Cup victory, and the biggest win by any CONCACAF nation in tournament history.

Switzerland recorded their own commanding win, beating ten-man Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1. All five goals came in the final 20 minutes of action.

Johan Manzambi struck twice as a substitute for the Swiss. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest player to score a double off the bench in men's World Cup football.

Manzambi opened his account in the 74th minute. His performance helped Switzerland run away with the match late on.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic and South Africa played out a 1-1 draw. The stalemate leaves both nations' qualification hopes wide open.

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