Canada will be aiming to delight their home fans as they prepare to co-host the 2026 World Cup.
The Canucks returned to the finals in 2022 after a 36-year absence, and will be hoping to make it third time lucky in their quest to progress to the knockout stages or win a game.
Juventus striker Jonathan David will lead Canada’s charge this year, while skipper Alphonso Davies is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world — though the latter faces a race to be fit.
Canada route to the World Cup
With Canada being one of the co-hosts for next summer’s tournament, they haven’t had to qualify for the competition.
Instead, they competed in the Gold Cup topping a group containing Honduras, Curacao and El Salvador. However, Guatemala knocked them out in the quarter-finals. The Canucks have also played several recent friendlies. They beat Wales and Venezuela, were beaten by Australia and drew with Ecuador and Colombia.
Canada World Cup 2026 fixtures
Canada will open the tournament in Group B against Italy-conquering Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Canucks will then face Qatar, before closing the group against Switzerland. All three of their games will be played on home soil. Their opener is in Toronto and the following two games in Vancouver.
MORE: Get the latest Canada World Cup 2026 odds here
Canada key players for World Cup 2026
Canada top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Jonathan David
- Key stat: Jonathan David scored 31 times in all competitions for Lille in the 2024-25 season, earning himself a move to Serie A giants, Juventus.
While his strike partner has often changed, the one constant in the Canadian attack has been Jonathan David. David is the top Canadian scorer of all time, with 37 goals in 73 games, and he could be key in Canada’s success next summer. His move to Juventus might not have been as fruitful as he would’ve hoped, with just seven goals in 38 appearances across all competitions. He’s already proved his pedigree in European football though with 87 goals in 178 appearances for Lille.
Canada primary playmaker: Alphonso Davies
- Key stat: Davies registered 0.28 Expected Assists per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga in 2024-25, placing him in the 97th percentile among defenders in terms of chance creation.
Davies is the lynchpin for Canada, able to play anywhere on the left-hand side of the pitch and the scorer of Canada’s first-ever goal at the World Cup, with his opener against Croatia in 2022. Davies has struggled with injuries this season, and Jesse Marsch will be desperately hoping to have him back from his latest hamstring problem.
Canada card magnets & top tacklers: Stephen Eustaquio
- Key stat: Stephen Eustaquio has averaged 1.7 tackles per 90 minutes in his first 10 Major League Soccer appearances of the season.
29 year old Stephen Eustaquio will be tasked with being the screening midfielder for this Canada side, allowing the more explosive attacking talents in the squad to shine. He’s averaged a solid amount of tackles across the last few MLS seasons. He’s also no stranger to a tactical foul so could pick up a booking or two at the tournament.
Canada rising star: Nathan Saliba
It’s been an impressive start to his international career for Saliba. The Anderlecht man has scored twice in his first 13 appearances for his country. This is backed up by a string of impressive appearances in Belgium, where Saliba has scored four times since his move from CF Montreal. This summer could be a true breakout tournament for him, and a move to a bigger European club could be on the horizon as a result.
Canada are one of only two teams to have played in at least six World Cup matches and lost every one, the other being El Salvador.
Canada set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Jonathan David
- Free kicks: Alphonso Davies
- Corners: Alphonso Davies
Canada tactical analysis and formation
Team stats (average per game from last four matches):
- Corners: 4.25
- Shots on target: 3.5
- Shots on target conceded: 1.25
- Offsides: 2
Jesse Marsch favours a 4-4-2 formation that is set up to bring the best out of elite wide options in Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan, as well as provide as much support for Jonathan David as possible. The form of Promise David for Belgian champions Union-SG could see him replace long-time No.9 option Cyle Larin in the starting XI.
The defence is the obvious weak point for the nation, with a lack of experience at the top level stunting their progress, and this could see Davies deployed in a deeper role to add some much-needed know-how to the back line.
Get the latest Canada World Cup goals, shots, tackle, assist stats and more here
Canada manager analysis
Jesse Marsch favours a high-intensity approach, looking to pin his opponents back as much as possible and win the ball high up the pitch. With the pace they have available, that approach can work, and it could stand them in good stead against Qatar and Switzerland in the group stages.
His side performed above expectations at the 2024 Copa America as well, beating Peru and drawing against Chile in the group stages to progress to the knock-out rounds, where they beat Venezuela before eventually bowing out to Argentina at the semi-final stage. However, the 2025 Gold Cup ended in disappointment with a quarter-final penalty defeat to Guatemala.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Marsch | Canada | 29 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 35 | 23 | 41.38 |
Canada World Cup FAQs
Have Canada ever won the World Cup?
No, Canada have never won the World Cup. They have qualified for the World Cup twice before (in 1986 and 2022) but finished bottom of their group on both occasions.
Where did Canada finish in the last World Cup?
Canada were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup at the group stage after losses against Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Who will be Canada captain at the World Cup?
Alphonso Davies is the official captain of the Canadian national team, with Stephen Eustáquio named as his deputy.
Who is Canada’s top goalscorer at World Cups?
The only Canadian player to ever score at a World Cup is captain Alphonso Davies, who scored the opening goal in a 4-1 defeat to Croatia in 2018. Their only other goal at the tournament was an own goal, while they failed to score in their only previous finals appearance.