Canada have enjoyed a strong run of form since their Copa América semi-final loss in March 2025, lifting the hopes of co-hosts as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup. Coach Jesse Marsch has developed an in-form team, though the fitness of Alphonso Davies and Moïse Bombito remains a concern.
The Plan
As co-hosts placed inside a competitive group, Canada enter the World Cup with high expectations, despite never winning a match at a previous tournament. Since a Concacaf Nations League semi-final defeat to Mexico in March 2025, the team have lost only one of 15 matches, a run that includes victories over Colombia, Ecuador, Ukraine, and the USA, whom they have beaten twice in the past two years, including their first win on US soil in 57 years.
Marsch has maintained a consistent 4-4-2 formation, emphasizing pressing from the front and pace in wide positions. "Some teams press to win the ball back, we press to punish and think about scoring immediately when we recover the ball," said Marsch, who is American but has captured the hearts of many Canadians since taking the job in May 2024 and guiding the team to the Copa América semi-finals.
Success at that tournament, and subsequently in friendlies, is built on a defensive structure Marsch implemented immediately. Nine clean sheets in 13 matches before pre-tournament friendlies is even more impressive considering Bombito, the star centre-back from Nice, and Bayern Munich's Davies did not play in any of those matches due to injury.
"In my first year in charge we developed the playing style and it's clear we are more of a complete team with Moïse and Alphonso," Marsch says. "The last year has been about developing the overall mentality to make sure when the lights are the brightest we will be ready to host World Cup games and I think this team is special and can handle that."
The Coach
Jesse Marsch's first venture into international management has been successful, but not one he found easy to adjust to. "From the moment I worked with this group of players in the first camp, I knew I was going to fall in love with these guys," he says. "They are a unique group of really good people, who are very talented, and when I said goodbye to them it was different from what I was used to as a head coach in the club game." Marsch has enjoyed the gaps in his schedule, using time to visit Canadian players across the world and spending time at the provincial level to help bring a more united approach to the game's development and governance.
Star Player
The captain, Alphonso Davies, has not played for Canada since tearing his ACL against the USA in the Nations League third-place match last March. Whether to play him at left-back or on the wing has been a long-standing question, but under Marsch, the Bayern Munich man has predominantly been used at the back and has been excellent. However, another injury setback against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League semi-final second leg, his third in the past three months, has put his participation in the opening game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in doubt. He has started 12 of 29 internationals in the Marsch era.
One to Watch
Few players have received more attention from their national coach than midfielder Ismaël Koné, who was dropped during the Copa América as he struggled to make an impact. Since then, he has been excellent for Sassuolo in Serie A, turning into a dynamic box-to-box midfielder for Marsch, learning valuable defensive lessons in Italy. Expected to start next to Stephen Eustáquio in a key double-pivot tandem for Canada.
Unsung Hero
Norwich's Ali Ahmed has become a favourite of Marsch's due to his selfless work on the pitch. Ahmed leads the press on the left wing, often cutting inside to increase midfield numbers and bring intensity and energy off the ball. One reason Marsch has not deployed Davies further forward is his focus on the team without the ball, and in that vision, Ahmed is crucial.
Probable Starting XI
Canada is expected to field a strong lineup, but the exact XI remains uncertain due to injury concerns.
What to Expect from Fans
Canada is ready to host the world, with attention focused on this team. Being the only side to start on the east coast and move directly to the west coast allows fans in Toronto and Vancouver to watch their team in the group stages. The supporters group The Voyageurs will lead the noise with flags and chants of "Ooh, Ahh Canada." Canada's cosmopolitan population should benefit from facing group opponents with relatively small populations.
Relationship with the US/Trump
Marsch is not one to keep his opinions to himself. In February 2025, before the Concacaf Nations League finals, he said: "If I have one message to our president, it's lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state. As an American, I'm ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies." Canada went on to defeat the USA soon after, and Marsch was extremely emotional on the sidelines, leading to a red card for abusing an official. Marsch, who passionately sings O Canada before matches, has never shied away from being American and knows how much Canada enjoys beating the USA at any sport.
