It’s way too easy to make an “It’s coming home” crack after England’s 3-2 win over Mexico in the World Cup Round of 16. After all, the Three Lions still need three more wins for their first World Cup title since 1966.
But what if this actually is the England team with the best chance to win the World Cup since that team 60 years ago?
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It’s so easy to see how myriad iterations of past England teams would have blown a two-goal second-half lead at the Estadio Azteca. There were countless England fans wondering just how it was going to fall apart after Jarell Quansah‘s red card in the 54th minute or Raul Jiménez’s penalty kick to cut the lead back to one in the 69th minute.
Instead, this England team stood firm. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford commanded his penalty area. Jude Bellingham continued to be the best player on the field. Ezri Konsa did an admirable job as a makeshift right back in the space vacated by Quansah.
Quansah became the fourth England player to receive a red card in the World Cup along with Ray Wilkins, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney. England didn’t win any of those other three games and lost two of them on penalty kicks. In an Azteca where Mexico had lost just twice in competitive matches and never at the World Cup, it was easy to see how Quansah’s card was going to go down in English infamy.
Instead, the defensive discipline instituted by coach Thomas Tuchel was obvious. The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach has been steadfast in preaching consistency in his short time with England. The Three Lions didn’t break through in their group stage draw against Ghana, but the constant probing paid off handsomely with two second-half goals from Harry Kane in the Round of 32 against DR Congo.
England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring his second goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico.
(Nick Potts – PA Images via Getty Images)
Sunday night, that idea succeeded again. England went defensive with its gameplay and substitutions after the second-half hydration break and, save for a brief heart-stopping moment when John Stones cleared the ball out for a corner perilously close to the England goal, the 10 players on the field saw out the game as drama-free as they could.
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“This is probably one of the biggest England wins in a while,” Bellingham told Fox after the win. “Probably the biggest one I can remember as a fan or player. The best night of my England career probably. Just unbelievable. I can’t put it into words right now. It’s tough to gather together. The goals, the penalty against, the penalty for, the red card, it was a chaotic game.”
In previous World Cups, chaos was England’s downfall. Sunday night, it proved to be the team’s strength.
How does Brazil revamp its squad before 2030?
Carlo Ancelotti could not mask the flaws of this Brazil team.
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The longtime coach has been hailed — perhaps generously so — as a manager capable of winning major trophies with imbalanced and even flawed squads. After leaving Real Madrid in 2025, he took on the Brazil job.
At first glance, the job he took at Brazil was much like the one he had at Real Madrid. At Real, there’s no shortage of attacking players. But midfield depth was an issue as Toni Kroos had retired and Luka Modrić became a part-time starter at the age of 38. As a result, Real Madrid was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and finished second in La Liga to Barcelona.
Sunday, Brazil couldn’t even make the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Brazil was knocked out of the tournament before the quarterfinals for the first time since 1990 with a 2-1 loss to Norway. If you’re a soccer casual, Norway beating Brazil feels like a massive upset.
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It’s really not.
With all apologies to Vinícius Júnior, one of the best strikers in the world, Norway’s Erling Haaland was the best player on the field on Sunday. And Norway’s midfield was better than Brazil’s too. That may feel like a bizarre statement to read. But it’s the truth. And it’s why Brazil is out of the tournament.
Brazil entered the World Cup relying on 33-year-old Casemiro to anchor the midfield. Yes, he had a bounceback season at Manchester United, but he’s not the single-pivot he once was ahead of a back line. That was obvious throughout the tournament, even as he scored the equalizer in the Round of 32 against Japan.
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But there was no one on the roster to reliably pair with him in the midfield. Gabriel Martinelli, Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Guimarães are all attacking players. Their strengths left Casemiro’s weaknesses exposed.
Figuring out how to solidify the center of the pitch is by far the biggest question facing Ancelotti or whomever ends up coaching Brazil next ahead of the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup. There aren’t any obvious replacements ready — Brazil had to call up Ederson, the man set to replace Casemiro at Man United, because of a late injury. But he didn’t see the field in the tournament.
Brazil is stacked up front and on the wings for tournaments to come. There’s no shortage of talent in the country’s pipeline at those positions. But its World Cup ceiling is limited until it can bolster the midfield. And, as we saw in 2026, the floor is lower too.
