World Cup 2026: Brazil and Mexico cannot overcome the 'curse' from the past

Mexico entered the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 against England with great confidence, having a perfect winning record since the start of the tournament. Notably, at this 2,200-meter-high "cauldron," the largest in the CONCACAF region, the co-host nation had not conceded a single goal in this year's tournament.

This match was an opportunity for hosts Mexico to break a 40-year curse. Since their last quarterfinal appearance in 1986, Mexico has endured a long journey of hope and bitterness. They missed the 1990 World Cup, then stopped in the Round of 16 seven consecutive times, before failing to advance past the group stage in Qatar 2022.

Across World Cup editions, Mexico has played 10 matches at the Estadio Azteca, remaining unbeaten with 8 wins and 2 draws. In this 2026 World Cup alone, El Tri turned their home ground into an almost impenetrable fortress with three consecutive victories.

However, Mexico could not break the curse from the past. Despite having a man advantage from the start of the second half, Mexico still suffered a 2-3 defeat against an England team that played extremely resiliently and cunningly.

In the final minutes, Mexico put tremendous pressure on the England goal. However, the Three Lions showed great composure, defending solidly with only ten men and successfully holding onto the scoreline.

The World Cup quarterfinals remain a threshold that Mexico finds hard to cross. It is like a door locked from the past, where every generation of players has tried to open it and failed. Now, that door appears again. And this time, Mexico has the Azteca behind them.

This is the first time in history that Mexico has lost at the Azteca Stadium in a World Cup match.

Also on the matchday of July 6, title contenders Brazil tasted bitter defeat again against their arch-nemesis Norway. This is the fifth consecutive time that the Selecao have failed to overcome the Viking warriors in World Cup competition (3 losses, 2 draws). Few teams in the world can achieve this against a five-time world champion. Norway truly is the "kryptonite" of Brazil in the World Cup.

In this encounter, Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 thanks to a brace from striker Erling Haaland. The victory at MetLife Stadium (USA) helped coach Stale Solbakken's side qualify for the quarterfinals of the world's most prestigious tournament for the first time in history.

For Brazil, they entered the match with a burning desire to conquer a sixth star, facing a confident Norway determined to write a new chapter. However, the brilliance of the Manchester City striker once again shattered Brazil's dreams.

After their historic victory 28 years ago when they toppled the Selecao to create a shock in Marseille, Norway once again wrote a golden page of history against Brazil.

Brazil left the World Cup in bitterness. The defeat of Brazil against Norway in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup once again confirmed that the "curse" of the past still haunts the Selecao. The yellow-and-green team not only extended their winless streak against Norway but also continued to suffer the jinx of being eliminated by European representatives in the knockout stage, stretching their losing streak to seven matches. Previously, Brazil was eliminated by France in the 2006 quarterfinals, lost to the Netherlands in the 2010 quarterfinals, lost to Germany in the 2014 semifinals, lost to the Netherlands in the 2014 third-place playoff, lost to Belgium in the 2018 quarterfinals, and lost to Croatia in the 2022 quarterfinals.

Brazil was once a symbol of beauty, flair, and footballing power. But this defeat against Norway at the World Cup shows that the Selecao can no longer win on reputation alone. After this humiliating loss, the five-time world champion has realized that even one of the greatest club-level managers cannot work miracles with a team built on hope, nostalgia, and tired legs.

Brazil will have to wait at least 28 years for a sixth World Cup title, an unimaginable drought for a nation that has built its football identity on creativity, boldness, and a sense of superiority.