One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
With Mexico and the US out of the World Cup, who should their fans support now?
Team USA fans cheer during the U.S. vs. Australia match June 19.
(
Heather Diehl
/
Getty Images
)
Listen
4:57
Who should fans vote for now that the U.S. and Mexico are out of the World Cup?
Nereida Moreno, LAist host, talked to correspondent Adolfo Guzman-Lopez about the dilemma.
Even though the U.S. and Mexico national soccer teams have been knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their fans aren’t giving up on the tournament. Instead, they’re throwing their support behind other teams still in the competition.
But how to choose which one to cheer on? It can depend on myriad of factors, from prowess on the soccer pitch and fandom for a particular player, to hunches that involve ancestral DNA.
Cheering for the underdogs
“I’m supporting Morocco,” said Alfredo Botello, a U.S. citizen born in Guadalajara, Mexico, who was cheering on Mexico until the team lost Sunday to England.
-
LA Mayor Bass previews ‘fare-free’ system as she takes the Metro Board chair gavel for a second timeAt the annual Metro State of the Agency event, Bass named system safety, affordability and reliability as her main priorities. -
The city of L.A. has scheduled a hearing to gather testimony from residents and consider revoking an oil company’s permit to operate a facility in Jefferson Park. -
Tickets from the Sept. 22 grand opening through the end of next February were up for grabs as of Tuesday.
Morocco placed fourth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating a powerhouse Spanish squad in penalty kicks. Botello said he admires the team’s performance and likes its underdog status. He’s not the soccer fanatic he used to be, he said, and that’s led him to enjoy the game more.
Other fans are backing the team that’s expected to win the trophy.
Sponsored message
At this point I would say France because of Mbappé and his stance on anti-racism and anti-gambling — and just a great player too.
— Maria Romero Morales, a Mexico team fan, who lives in El Monte
“At this point I would say [I will support] France because of Mbappé and his stance on anti-racism and anti-gambling — and just a great player too,” said Maria Romero Morales, a Mexico team fan. She lives in El Monte and was in Mexico during the group stage of the World Cup.
Help keep stories like this free
LAist is 100% community funded. Your support makes it possible to keep producing the local reporting Southern California depends on.
DNA and soccer
For some, family lineage takes precedence. “My father’s mother is 100% Norwegian,” said Jake Downey, a fan of the U.S team who organized a watch party for 14 people at his house in Northridge on Monday to watch the U.S. play Belgium.
Norway fans wearing Viking hats and adorned with face paint arrive before a World Cup match.
(
Buda Mendes
/
Getty Images
)
“I’m all in on [Erling] Haaland,” he said of Norway’s striker, who scored two goals in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat of Brazil.
Sponsored message
Some Mexico fans are supporting Norway, too, in a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of way.
“I would love for England to lose, a little vengeance there,” said Amanda Durán of England’s World Cup match against Norway on Saturday. She’s still upset at England’s defeat of Mexico on Sunday.
She lives in Torrance and her in-laws are Argentine so she’s backing Argentina too.
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup 2026 group match against Austria.
(
Charlotte Wilson
/
Getty Images
)
Other fans take into account the social and political baggage each team’s national identity represents.
“I’ve watched the World Cup since 1994 and I’m definitely a person who goes for the colonized countries over the colonists,” said Xochitl-Julissa Bermejo, who lives in the San Gabriel Valley and wanted Mexico to win on Sunday.
I’ve watched the World Cup since 1994 and I’m definitely a person who goes for the colonized countries over the colonists.
— Xochitl-Julissa Bermejo, a Mexico team fan
Sponsored message
But her support is complicated. She’s now cheering for Belgium, despite its severe colonialist past, after experiencing its warmth on a recent trip.
“I've gone to Belgium and it's a really fun place and everyone is really friendly and lovely,” she said.
Fun and friendliness is what she experienced with family watching Mexico play their last game, and she wants more of those soccer experiences before the World Cup ends.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
