Month: July 2026

Mexico striker Julián Quiñones has got off to a dream start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in four matches, with his latest coming against Ecuador in the round of 32. But where does Quiñones rank among the all-time great goalscorers in Mexico’s rich World Cup history? Here are the top-five goalscorers in the Mexican men’s national team’s World Cup history: 5. Rafael Márquez: 3 goals (2006, 2010, 2014) Arguably the greatest Mexican defender in history, Rafael Márquez scored three World Cup goals from 2006 to 2014. Although he was not known for his goal-scoring prowess, he was always a threat on attacking set pieces and came up with huge goals in some of Mexico’s biggest World Cup moments. That included opening the scoring against Argentina in the round of 16 in 2006, scoring a late equalizer against host nation South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup, and delivering a pivotal goal in Mexico’s final group-stage match in 2014, when El Tri needed a victory to move on. Márquez scored in the second half to give Mexico the initial lead in what became a 3-1 win that sent Mexico through. In the biggest games, Márquez came up huge. 4. Cuauhtémoc Blanco: 3 goals (1998, 2002, 2010) Cuauhtémoc Blanco is the definition of longevity in Mexican football. His first and last World Cup goals were separated by 12 years, and despite being famously left off Mexico’s roster in 2006, he still managed to make three World Cup appearances. He also scored a famous penalty in the 2010 World Cup that put Mexico up 2-0 over France, which had been a World Cup finalist four years earlier. 3. Julián Quiñones: 3 goals (2026) Julián Quiñones, who switched to Mexico at age 26 after representing Colombia earlier in his career, has already made history in his first World Cup campaign. With three goals, he is now tied for third in Mexico’s World Cup scoring history. The winger finished as the leading goalscorer in the Saudi Pro League and has carried that form into the World Cup. 2. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández: 4 goals (2010, 2014, 2018) One of the most iconic Mexican national team players of all time, Chicharito is one of only three Mexican players to score at three different World Cups. He is also the all-time leading goalscorer in Mexico national team history. His biggest World Cup goal came in 2014, when he scored an insurance goal against Croatia in Mexico’s final group-stage match, helping send El Tri through to the round of 16. 1. Luis “El Matador” Hernández: 4 goals (1998) Luis Hernández sits at the top of the list, tied with Chicharito with four goals. The difference is that all four of his goals came during Mexico’s 1998 World Cup campaign. That included two goals in a 3-1 comeback victory over South Korea, an iconic late 95th-minute equalizer against the Netherlands, and the opening goal against Germany in the round of 16 before Mexico was knocked out.

Julian Quinones and Raúl Jiménez scored goals in a nine-minute span in the first half and Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night to break a 40-year drought without a win in the knockout stage and progressed to the World Cup round of 16. Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute while Jiménez added a strike in the 31st minute for the Mexicans, who had not won a knockout-stage match since defeating Bulgaria in the round of 16 when they hosted the tournament in 1986. Mexico subsequently lost seven consecutive times at that same stage from 1994 to 2018. In Qatar 2022, they were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since Argentina in 1978. It was Quiñones third goal of the tournament and he is now El Tri’s second-best scorer in World Cup history behind Luis “Matador” Hernández and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who scored four each. Jiménez scored his second goal of the tournament and has 47 with the national team to break a tie with Jared Borgetti. He is five away from tying “Chicharito” Hernández as the all-time leading scorer for Mexico. Mexico will play another home match Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s match between England and Congo. Playing at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the Mexican squad boasts an undefeated record across 10 World Cup matches. Mexico has just two official losses at the venue — the last being a World Cup qualifying defeat to Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013. With the win, Mexico extended its unbeaten run to 12 games, dating back to a friendly loss against Paraguay in November. Mexico also became the first CONCACAF side to eliminate a CONMEBOL side in a World Cup knockout match. Teams from South America won the previous five meetings. Ecuador was trying to advance to the round of 16 for the second time in their history and the first since Germany 2006. The match started one hour after the original scheduled time due to a thunderstorm. It was the second match of the tournament affected by weather. A storm during the France-Iraq match at Philadelphia on June 22 caused a 2-hour, 11-minute suspension at the end of the first half. Reporting by the Associated Press.

The first three days of the knockout stage of the World Cup have firmly delivered. On Tuesday, all three matches had what normally would have been the best moment of the day. First, Erling Haaland added another goal to his unbelievable track record for Norway. Kylian Mbappé then continued his journey toward becoming the greatest goalscorer in the tournament’s history, before Mexico capped the evening with a performance to remember in its capital city. Here’s the best of Match Day 20 at the FIFA World Cup. Moments Of The Day What a night at Mexico City Stadium for El Tri. First, Julian Quiñones opened the scoring after a great run and finish. Then, it was Mexico’s go-to striker who sent the crowd into a frenzy. Jiménez picked up the ball at the top of the 18-yard box off a pass from Quinones, and he delivered a wonderful strike into the top corner. Mbappé is only 27 years old and playing in his third World Cup, but he’s already one of the best players in the history of the tournament. The France captain scored two more goals on Tuesday against Sweden to bring his total for the tournament to six. That ties him with Lionel Messi for the most at the tournament, and he’s now one behind Messi (19 goals) for the most all-time at the World Cup. There’s a chance that Mbappé overtakes Messi for that lead before the end of the tournament. By the time he’s done playing, chances are he will be far ahead of second place for the most goals at the tournament. When Norway needed a goal most against the Ivory Coast, it was not surprising at all to see who was in the right place at the right time. Haaland found the perfect position in the center of the box and just had to tap in the cross from midfielder Patrick Berg. This was Haaland’s fifth goal in three matches at this World Cup and sets up a round-of-16 match against Brazil on Sunday. Goal Of The Day There was a serious contender for this honor on both sides of the Ivory Coast vs. Norway. We’ll start with Antonio Nusa, who picked up the ball from Martin Odegaard and went to work. He dribbled at two defenders before quickly putting the ball on his right foot and getting his shot off. That shot was a wonderful curling effort that snuck into the far post to give Norway a 1-0 lead. The runner-up here is Diallo, whose equalizer capped a tidy move down the right wing. He played a one-two with Nicolas Pépé to get through on goal. He paused in front of Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland (more on him momentarily), turned onto his left foot and sliding the shot home into the far post. Save Of The Day Diallo almost got on the scoresheet again in stoppage time for what would have been a dramatic equalizer, but Nyland got a strong left hand to his effort. From there, Norway defended another Ivorian corner and was off to the round of 16 for a matchup with Brazil. Assist Of The Day Mexico’s opening goal saw a perfect lofted pass meet a perfectly timed run. Roberto Alvarado picked up the ball and saw Quiñones sprinting forward. Quinones remained onside because Alvarado’s pass was played when he was still in Mexico’s defensive half of the field. Quiñones never lost any momentum and ran right onto Alvarado’s pass and delivered a thunderous finish past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez. Ivory Coast vs. Norway France vs. Sweden Mexico vs. Ecuador

Building off its momentum of winning Group A, Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in the Round of 32, marking its first knockout stage win since 1986. El Tri will play its Round of 16 game in Mexico City, on Sunday, July 5th on FOX. Mexico will await the winner of the England vs. DR Congo matchup. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Mexico’s only other World Cup knockout-stage win also came at Estadio Azteca in the 1986 Round of 16, a 2-0 win over Bulgaria. 40 years later, Mexico has done it again by the exact same score at the exact same historic stadium. With the win, Mexico remains unbeaten in World Cup group games at home, going a combined 8-2-0 (W-D-L), with two wins and a draw in 1970 and 1986, and now four wins in 2026. Even more impressively, Mexico has not lost a home game since an October 2018 friendly against Chile and has not lost a competitive home game since September 2013, a World Cup qualifier vs Honduras. Before the tournament began, Mexico was listed at +6500 to win the World Cup. Now, after winning its first four games of the tournament without giving up a goal, Mexico has surged up the oddsboard to +3000. After its best start to a World Cup in 40 years, can Mexico continue to make a deep run in this tournament? Let’s check out the updated odds for El Tri as of July 1. Team Mexico — Stage of EliminationLast 16: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)Quarterfinals: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)Semifinals: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)Runner-up: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Outright winner: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total) Mexico’s Past World Cup Results 1930: Group stage1934: Did not qualify1938: Withdrew1950: Group stage1954: Group stage1958: Group stage1962: Group stage1966: Group stage1970: Quarterfinals1974: Did not qualify1978: Group stage1982: Did not qualify1986: Quarterfinals1990: Banned1994: Round of 161998: Round of 162002: Round of 162006: Round of 162010: Round of 162014: Round of 162018: Round of 162022: Group stage2026: TBDWhat to know: Mexico has made a habit of being in the running, but never really being in the running. Make sense? Consider this: El Tri made it out of the group stage in seven consecutive World Cups (1994-2018), but never made it past the Round of 16 in any of those years. In 2022, Mexico failed to make it out of the group stage. After dominating Group A this summer, Mexico has now advanced to the knockout stage in eight of the last nine World Cups. It is important to note, however, that Mexico has never made it past the quarterfinals at a FIFA men’s World Cup. Could this finally be the year? El Tri will get its chance to break its Round of 16 curse on Sunday.

The knockout stage never disappoints, and it doesn’t appear like it will at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After its dominating 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday, France has extended its gap as the favorite to win the World Cup. Les Bleus has climbed from +250 to +180 after its Round of 32 win, the best odds any team has been since title odds were released. While France remains the heavy favorite, Mexico surged up the oddsboard after its 2-0 win over Ecuador on Tuesday. Mexico’s odds jumped from +5000 to +3000 as it looks to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986. On Monday night, Morocco upset the Netherlands in a thrilling top-10 FIFA world rankings showdown. After going down 1-0 late in the second half, it looked like Morocco’s tournament was minutes from being over. However, Issa Diop’s stoppage-time header found the back of the net for a dramatic equalizer that sent the match to extra time. The Atlas Lions went on to win via penalties, and, as a result, their odds to win the World Cup have surged from +4000 to +2200. Morocco will now face Canada in the Round of 16. Let’s dive into the full odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. 2026 World Cup Winner Odds France: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)Argentina: +440 (bet $10 to win $54 total)Spain: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)England: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Brazil: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)Portugal: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)Morocco: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total) Norway: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Mexico: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total) Colombia: +3300 (bet $10 to win $340 total)United States: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)Belgium: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total) Switzerland: +7500 (bet $10 to win $760 total)Senegal: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Croatia: +17500 (bet $10 to win $1,760 total)Canada:+17500 (bet $10 to win $1,760 total) Here’s what to know about this oddsboard: The Favorite: France is now the solo favorite atop the oddsboard. It opened its pursuit for a third World Cup title with a 3-1 win against Senegal and a dominant 3-0 win over Iraq. Les Bleus followed that up with a 4-1 win over Norway on Friday to clinch Group I. Now, after another commanding win in which it scored three goals yet again against Sweden, France will play Paraguay in a Round of 16 showdown on July 4th. Upset City: Prior to Monday’s Germany-Paraguay matchup, the Germans were a -700 favorite to advance to the Round of 16, after having won Group E. Meanwhile, Paraguay finished third in Group D and lost 4-1 to the United States to open the tournament. But none of that mattered on Monday, after Paraguay took a 1-0 lead, then held on to force the game to penalty kicks, where it defeated Germany 4-3. Wow. Germany had previously never lost a penalty shootout in World Cup history (4-0). It was one of the largest upsets in World Cup history based on ranking, with Germany ranked 10th in the world and Paraguay ranked 41st.

Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup. Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. To Reach Quarterfinals France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total) Here’s what to know about this oddsboard. Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals. The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.