Mexico and the United States validate their ticket for Qatar

The list of countries that will go to Qatar from November 21 to December 18 continues to fill up. Mexico, winner of El Salvador (2-0), and the United States, although beaten in Costa Rica (2-0), validated their ticket on Wednesday for the 2022 World Cup, during the 14th and last day of the qualifying from the Concacaf zone.

Mexicans and Americans finish respectively in 2nd and 3rd place in the group behind Canada, already qualified and which finished 1st, despite its defeat in Panama (1-0). It will be the 17th participation in the World Cup, the 8th in a row, for the Mexicans who reached the quarters at home in 1970 and 1986, their best performances to date.

A draw was enough in Mexico against the Salvadorans, but Tata Martino’s team, if they did not always convince during this elimination phase, made sure to finish it with success. Winger Uriel Antuña opened the scoring in the 17th minute and striker Raul Jimenez added the second before the break.

The very large margin of the Americans

The United States knew they could afford to lose in Costa Rica, as long as it was not 6-0, in order to preserve their best goal difference in the event of a tie on points with their evening rival. In the end they lost 2-0, on two goals in eight minutes at the start of the second period, scored by defender Juan Pablo Vargas and striker Anthony Contreras. It is therefore without glory that the Americans qualify for their 11th World Cup, them whose best course led them to the semi-finals during the very first edition in 1930.

For the Costa Ricans (4th), all is not over. They still have a chance of making the World Cup in Qatar, as they will play an affordable intercontinental play-off against New Zealand on June 13 or 14.