US, Mexico head to World Cup after final qualifying games

Luca de la Torre of the US passes Costa Rica's Carlos Martinez in the final World Cup qualifying round of the CONCACAF [Mayela Lopez/Reuters]

The United States and Mexico are both headed to the men’s football World Cup in Qatar following their final qualifying games.

Despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday, the US team found itself in third place overall in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), assuring their ticket to the sport’s highest level event, which starts in November.