Canada has been to the World Cup exactly twice before. In 1986, they didn’t score a single goal. In 2022, they won a grand total of zero matches. Now they’re hosting the thing, and the expectations are, shall we say, slightly different.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, with Canada set to play its opening match the very next day against Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto. As a co-host alongside the United States and Mexico, Canada automatically qualified for the tournament, which runs through July 19.
A squad built for the moment
Head coach Jesse Marsch has assembled a roster that looks nothing like the Canadian teams of decades past. The squad, last updated on June 9, features genuine star power from Europe’s top leagues.
Alphonso Davies, the Bayern Munich speedster, headlines the roster. Jonathan David, now plying his trade at Juventus, provides the goal-scoring threat that Canada has historically lacked at the World Cup level.
