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Olympic men's soccer berth now within reach for Canada after 40+ year drought

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Aug 6 2026, 5:43 pm
Olympic men's soccer berth now within reach for Canada after 40+ year drought
@CANMNT_Official/X

Canada earned its biggest win in quite some time at the men’s U-20 level on Wednesday.

It not only earned Canada a spot in next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, but it also puts Canada potentially one win away from qualifying for the Los Angeles 2026 Summer Olympics in men’s soccer.

Led by head coach Jesse Marsch, Canada needed extra time to defeat Jamaica 3-1 in the quarter-final of the Concacaf U-20 Championship. Comox, B.C.’s Liam MacKenzie, who came up through the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, scored the first two goals for Canada. Fellow 19-year-old Max Vogele scored the insurance marker in the 116th minute to secure the victory.

“It feels amazing,” MacKenzie said post-match. “We’ve worked so hard for this as a team. I’m so thankful. There’s more work to be done, but it’s amazing.”

“We have so much hunger, so much desire within our team. we want to be the hardest team to play against.”

canada soccer players u20

Canadian U-20 players after booking their ticket to the semi-final (@CANMNT_Official/X)

The win puts Canada into the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2007.

It sets up an even bigger matchup on Friday, as Canada takes on Mexico in the semi-final at the famous Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The highest-finishing Concacaf nation in this tournament outside of the United States, which automatically qualifies as the host country, will earn a spot in the LA 2028 Summer Olympics. That means if the U.S. beats Costa Rica in the other semi-final, the winner of the Canada-Mexico match will book their ticket to Los Angeles.

While Canada has been a powerhouse in Olympic women’s soccer, winning gold at Tokyo 2020 and bronze in 2016 and 2012, the Canadian men have been absent from the Olympic Games since 1984.

Just 12 countries will qualify for the men’s Olympic tournament, which is restricted to players under 23 years of age, with three permitted exceptions.

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