Canada targets breakthrough as home World Cup nears

OTTAWA: Canadian football is preparing for a landmark moment as the country gets set to stage its first men’s World Cup match on home soil in 2026, 150 years after what is described as the first recorded organised football match in Canada.

That first documented game took place in 1876 and involved Carlton Cricket Club and Toronto Lacrosse Club. Now, when Canada meets Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12, the occasion will mark another step in what has been a long development process for the sport in a country where ice hockey has traditionally dominated the sporting landscape.

Football has already become the biggest participation sport in Canada, with nearly one million registered players, and the 2026 World Cup is expected to provide another major lift to the game’s growth. Canada is due to host 13 matches in total, with six scheduled for Toronto and seven for Vancouver. The hosts will also play Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.

Canada seeking first World Cup success

Canada has appeared at the World Cup twice before, at the 1986 tournament in Mexico and the 2022 edition in Qatar, but lost all six matches across those appearances.

Despite that record, head coach Jesse Marsch has said the co-hosts are aiming higher than simply taking part. In an interview last year, he said:

We want to win the World Cup.

That may sound ridiculous, but why would we go into any tournament at any time and think, 'Yeah, let's see how we do, and maybe we get one win. Or can we score a goal?'

Marsch said that kind of thinking was Canadian football’s dialog in the past.

He said the current squad, often described in the report as the strongest Canada has assembled, has raised expectations. The team includes Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Juventus forward Jonathan David.

This team now, the standard of what we think we can be is growing.

We know that it'll be hard. I don't think our group is easy. It's possible we get knocked out of the group, like all these things are possible. But we believe in ourselves, we believe in our group and we believe in our players.

Rise in rankings and recent progress

Canada’s progress has also been reflected in the FIFA rankings. The men’s side was ranked 116th in the world in 2015, and by 2025 had climbed as high as 26th.

The team first underlined its progress in CONCACAF during qualification for the 2022 World Cup, when it finished above both Mexico and the United States to secure a place in Qatar. Although Canada went out in the group stage after defeats to Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, the side later drew attention again at the 2024 Copa America by reaching the semi-finals before losing to Argentina, the reigning world champions.

Squad reflects immigrant roots

Many players expected to feature in Canada’s starting line-up come from immigrant backgrounds. Jonathan David was born in New York to Haitian parents and moved to Canada as a child. Davies was born in 2000 in a refugee camp in Ghana to Liberian parents before moving to Canada at the age of five. Midfielder Ismael Kone, who plays for Sassuolo in Italy’s Serie A, was born in Ivory Coast.

Marsch said the players’ connection to Canada remains strong.

Obviously, there's attachments to different cultural things, but the love they have of being Canadian and playing for the Canadian national team is really strong.

I've been incredibly impressed with their commitment and their love of the team, their love of their country, the belief they have in what they represent.

Canada Soccer chief executive Kevin Blue said officials hope a strong run at the tournament will have a lasting impact on the sport, similar to the boost football received in the United States after the 1994 World Cup.

A long run in the tournament that's compelling will create viewership demand for soccer going forward, in all forms.