Canada will play these countries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to Canada – and we finally know which countries will be playing on our soil.
Well, a fair number of them at least.
On Friday, at a bit of an over-the-top ceremony taking place in Washington, D.C., Canada found out two of its three group stage opponents: Qatar and Switzerland.
They’ll also play the winner of a European playoff: Italy, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada will play its opening match of Group D against one of those four teams at Toronto’s BMO Field on June 12, before travelling to Vancouver’s BC Place to play Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.
“What an incredible opportunity this World Cup will provide our country. We now know our group opponents and will spend every opportunity preparing for the matches ahead,” said Jesse Marsch, head coach of the Canadian men’s national team.
The full schedule, with dates, locations, and times, is planned to drop Saturday morning. Of the 48 teams, 42 have qualified, with four European teams and two winners from the interconfederation playoffs still to be determined next year.
The groups are set. (FIFA)
Outside of the three guaranteed matches taking place in Canada with the Canadian team matches, 10 other games will also be played across Toronto and Vancouver.
Toronto will also host one match from Group E, one match from Group I, two matches from Group L, and a round of 32 knockout match.
Vancouver will host one match in Group D, two matches in Group G, and one match each in the round of 32 and round of 16.
How has Canada done at the FIFA World Cup before?
Well, it’s been a bit of a learning experience, to put it lightly. Canada has qualified for the FIFA World Cup just twice in their history, doing so in 1986 and again in 2022.
In 1986, Canada lost 1-0 to France and 2-0 to both Hungary and the Soviet Union, bowing out of the tournament without scoring a single goal. In 2022, Canada once again dropped all three games, falling 1-0 to Belgium, 4-1 to Croatia, and 2-1 to Morocco.
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