Mexico advances in the World Cup and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean

June 12-18, 2026 Mexico became the first country to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup, beating South Korea 1-0. Merlín the duck is celebrated as the team mascot. Conservative Keiko Fujimori leads progressive Roberto Sánchez as votes are slowly counted from Peru’s presidential runoff election. A deeply divided electorate is preparing to vote for Colombia’s next president in a tight runoff election between a progressive and a conservative outsider. This gallery was curated by photo editor Anita Baca based in Mexico City. ___ AP photography: AP News on Instagram: