Mexican football fans speak of la maldición del quinto partido, “the curse of the fifth match.” Mexico was eliminated in the round of 16 at seven World Cups in a row, from 1994 to 2018. The fifth match, the quarterfinal, never came. In 2022, Mexico did not get past the group stage.
In 2026, the expanded tournament added a round of 32. Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca and so played a fifth match. The press debated whether the curse had really been broken, since Mexico had still not passed the round of 16. In that fifth match, the round of 16, Mexico lost 3-2 to England.