The Canadian men’s soccer team is slated to play against Qatar, Switzerland, and possibly Italy in the first round of the 2026 World Cup, according to a draw held Dec. 5 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Canada is hosting next year’s World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States. This week’s draw determines who Canada will face in round one as well as where each of the games will be played.
The first round could be an uphill battle for the Canadian team, which is currently ranked 27th in the world.
Who Canada plays first will be determined by the outcome of the European playoffs next March where 12th-ranked Italy squares off against No. 32 Wales, No. 69 Northern Ireland and No. 71 Bosnia.
Canada will have its World Cup opener on June 12 by playing the winner of that tournament at BMO Field in Toronto. The difficulty-level of the initial match will be heightened should Canada face off against Italy.
Team Canada will then play 51st-ranked Qatar June 18 at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, followed by a game in the same location on June 24 against No. 17-ranked Switzerland.
Canada triumphed over Switzerland with a score of 3-1 in May 2002, their only previous match up. The Canadians also claimed a win against Qatar that same year, triumphing 2-0 in their first and only meeting.
“This is the No. 1 sport for Canadian youth, Canadian boys and girls,” Carney said. “Two-thirds of Canadians watched the last World Cup.”
U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum were also present at the draw, joining Carney onstage for this symbolic event.
NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, seven-time MLB All-Star Aaron Judge, and Tom Brady who is widely considered the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, drew the lots alongside former captain of Team England Rio Ferdinand.
The Canadian men have yet to record a World Cup win. Canada is scheduled to host 13 out of the 104 matches that will take place during the tournament, with seven matches occurring in Vancouver and six in Toronto.
“The country is excited. We’re just going to get more excited, can’t wait to welcome the world,” Carney said, adding that “we’re up for anyone … We want a mix from different continents, different styles of play.”
The World Cup is made up of 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each bracket and the eight top third-place finishers moving on from the first round to a knockout round that ultimately determines the winner of the championship.
Carney said that Canada’s team is particularly skilled at attacking which will make games especially exciting.
If Canada triumphs in its group, the team will remain in Vancouver for the round-of-32 game and, if it continues to win, for a round-of-16 encounter. If Canada finishes second, the team will compete against the second-place team from Mexico’s Group A.
Canada was ranked 41st in the world during the last FIFA cup in 2022 in Qatar. The team was grouped with No. 2 Belgium, No. 12 Croatia, and No. 22 Morocco and lost all three matches, outscored 7-2.
FIFA’s full tournament schedule is due to be released Dec. 6.
