Canada's World Cup Journey: From Underdog to Contender

Previous World Cup appearances: 2

Best performance: Group stage (1986, 2022)

First appearance: 1986 (Mexico)

Top goal scorer: Alphonso Davies (1)

Player to watch: Alphonso Davies

FIFA world ranking: 30

Football participation overtook ice hockey in Canada in the 1990s, but it has taken time to turn passion into national team respectability.

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The Canadians can measure their progress by the fact that they have frequently gotten the better of the United States lately, compiling a 4W-2L-3D record against them in their last nine matches. That is after they went 34 years (1985-2019) without a win over their closest rivals.

They are now playing successive World Cups – to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, they won the regional qualifying tournament ahead of Mexico and the USA, the cohosts of the 2026 edition.

The national team has players from Vancouver to Nova Scotia; from first- and second-generation urban immigrant communities – Francophone in Montreal; African, Caribbean, Mexican, South American in Toronto – as well as the hockey hotbeds in Alberta, home of full back Alphonso Davies.

Born in the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana, Davies moved to Canada at the age of five and grew up in chilly Edmonton.

Now 25, Davies captains the Canucks and is the country’s most accomplished player. He played as a forward as a youngster and converted to left back after moving from the Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich in 2019.

After recovering from knee surgery last season, Davies suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain, and is a doubt for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.

Accomplished coach

The Maple Leafs are counting on American coach Jesse Marsch, 52, who recently signed a contract extension through 2030. Marsch descends from the US’s most respected coaching tree, having played under Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, and started his coaching career as a Bradley assistant with the USA at the 2010 World Cup.

Marsch’s club career has covered five countries – Austria, Canada, England, Germany and the US – and he has won titles in two, significant accomplishments for an American coach.

Along the way, he joined the Red Bull “family”, guiding Erling Haaland et al in Salzburg and assisting Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig before taking over as manager.

In England, Marsch kept Leeds United in the Premier League in 2021-22 but was fired, as the side finished 14th in February 2023. He took a year off, settled his family in Tuscany, Italy, and travelled the world, often backpacking his way. He returned to coaching, succeeding John Herdman, who had taken Canada to the 2022 World Cup.

Marsch, who has compiled a 13W-5L-11D record with Canada since his first game as boss on June 6, 2024, has worked to change the national team programme’s scheduling philosophy. Former Real Madrid coach Benito Floro, who managed Canada from 2013 to 2016, set up a policy of attempting to pad the record and establish a FIFA ranking by avoiding difficult opposition. Marsch has done the opposite, believing the team needed tough tests to prepare for the World Cup.

In Marsch’s first five weeks in charge, Canada fell to the Netherlands (4-0) and drew with France (0-0), then lost 2-0 to Argentina twice – first in the opening game – and then in the semifinal of Copa America.

Canada recovered, and from July 10, 2024, until May 30, suffered only two defeats (to Mexico and Australia).

Cautionary tales from Qatar

In their two World Cup campaigns (1986 and 2022), Canada lost all their games, although they were in difficult groups in both tournaments. This time, their Group B opposition consists of Bosnia, Qatar and Switzerland.

Should Canada reach the knockout stages, they will need defensive improvement, which might not happen unless Moise Bombito recovers from knee surgery.

Marsch, who played as a defensive midfielder at Princeton University and in Major League Soccer, will go with two holding midfielders in Stephen Eustaquio and Ismael Kone. The plan is to threaten down the wings via Tajon Buchanan on the right and Ali Ahmed or Jacob Schaffelburg on the left, with Davies pushing up from left back.

Scores can be deceiving – Canada have played 0-0 draws with World Cup-bound Colombia, Ecuador and Tunisia recently – as Marsch encourages an attacking style. He will need to free up striker Jonathan David, who will be paired with Cyle Larin or Tani Oluwaseyi, to get the attack on track.

Marsch has had to gamble with players’ availability. In announcing the squad on Friday, Marsch said, “Will everyone be 100 percent for the Bosnia match? No, that won’t be the case. [But] we believe we can get stronger as the tournament goes on.”

Along with Davies, several players are recovering from injury: defenders Bombito, Alistair Johnston (hamstring), Alfie Jones (ankle), Luc De Fougerolles (undisclosed injury), Richie Laryea (hamstring), and forward Promise David (hip).

Canada’s experience in Qatar could be cautionary, as the team tested Belgium even as they lost 1-0, before everything went downhill.

Herdman’s attempt to motivate the team for their next game – by telling them they were “going to f*** Croatia” – turned into bulletin board material, as the Croatians went on to win 4-1, although Davies converted Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal. Canada were eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Morocco, getting an own goal off a Sam Adekugbe cross.

Marsch, Wisconsin-raised and Princeton-educated, is known for brashness and spontaneity. He is unlikely to stifle his enthusiasm, and if he can win at least one game and get the Canadians on track to get through the first round, that will be a significant improvement.

The potential is there, as Marsch said: this “is one of the best-ever squads, if not the best squad, that Canada has ever assembled”.

Canada’s group stage matches

⚽ June 12: Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto, Canada), 3pm ET (19:00 GMT)

⚽ June 18: Canada vs Qatar (Vancouver, Canada), 6pm ET (22:00 GMT)

⚽ June 24: Switzerland vs Canada (Vancouver, Canada), 3pm ET (19:00 GMT)

Canada’s World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Dayne St Clair (Inter Miami), Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Crystal Palace)

Defenders: Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Derek Cornelius (Marseille), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire), Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham), Moise Bombito (Nice), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough)

Midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio (Porto), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC), Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Liam Millar (Hull City), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Jacob Shaffelburg (Toronto FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC)