Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Latin America Brief.
The highlights this week: Mexico makes a memorable exit from the World Cup, the United Nations debates U.S. sanctions on Cuba, and Colombia’s presidential transition falters.
Sunday night marked the grand finale of Mexico’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Mexican national team went out fighting in a 3-2 loss to England in what was also the last game of the tournament hosted on Mexican soil.
For Mexican fans and visitors, the mood before and during the match was electric. Although many in the country had mixed feelings ahead of hosting the tournament, Mexico caught soccer fever as the national team delivered multiple victories without conceding a single goal, including its first win in a knockout stage game in 40 years.
That June 30 match over Ecuador featured goals by stars Julián Quiñones—a Black Colombian-born, naturalized Mexican who is changing the way the country thinks about national identity—and Raúl Jiménez, who was back at elite performance following a life-threatening skull fracture in 2020.
