Soccer in Canada | Canada Hosting the 2026 World Cup

[elly63]

CANMNT roster announced for November Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Suriname
23 player squad announced; CANMNT looking to advance to Concacaf Nations League finals
canadasoccer.com November 8, 2024

Canada Soccer has announced the selection of 23 players who will represent Canada in the November FIFA window.

Canada will begin camp in Fort Lauderdale before travelling to Suriname to kick off against Suriname on Friday 15 November at 18:30 ET / 15:30 PT. The team will then travel to Toronto ahead of the second leg on Tuesday 19 November at 19:30 ET / 16:30 PT. Tickets for the return leg start at $25 (plus applicable fees) and are available for purchase here.

Broadcast Information

CANMNT’s Concacaf Nations League matches will air live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app.

CANMNT Squad

Goalkeepers
Maxime Crépeau Portland Timbers
Jonathan Sirois CF Montréal
Dayne St. Clair Minnesota United FC

Defenders
Moïse Bombito OGC Nice
Alphonso Davies Bayern Munich
Richie Laryea Toronto FC
Alistair Johnston Celtic FC
Jamie Knight-Lebel Crewe Alexadra (on loan Bristol City)
Kamal Miller Portland Timbers
Joel Waterman CF Montréal.

Midfielders
Ali Ahmed Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Tajon Buchanan Inter Milan
Mathieu Choinière Grasshopper Zurich
Stephen Eustáquio FC Porto
Junior Hoilett Hibernian FC
Ismaël Koné Olympique Marseille
Jonathan Osorio Toronto FC
Jacob Shaffelburg Nashville SC
Niko Sigur Hadjuk Split.

Forwards
Theo Bair AJ Auxerre
Jonathan David LOSC Lille
Cyle Larin RCD Mallorca
Tani Oluwaseyi Minnesota United

[elly63]

Canada now has another young player playing in La Liga. Twenty-one year old midfielder Justin Smith has been called up from the Espanyol B side and has been getting playing time with the first team. He had been playing in the lower leagues in France previously.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by svlt

Heck of a tournament by our boys. We went through some really dark years after that 8-1 drubbing in Honduras, I would have not believed you if you told me Canada is a legitimate player in world football 10 years after that.

Canada is now ranked 31 by FIFA and 26 by ELO.

[Coldrsx]

I keep getting 'ticket packs' sent to me with tickets to be confirmed, but hella expensive portions tied to it to 'reserve your spot'. I feel like this is going to be so out of reach of most given the current state of ticketing.

[elly63]

[elly63]

Looks like CF Montreal's Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty is on his way to Portugal's Primeira Liga team Vitoria SC. The Primeira Liga is the top-flight of soccer in Portugal.

[elly63]

[elly63]

Soon to be 17 year old, born and raised in Canada. Has played for Canada at youth level, but mostly Ireland.



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[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by elly63

Soon to be 17 year old, born and raised in Canada. Has played for Canada at youth level, but mostly Ireland.



Video

Canada’s definitely a better side than the Republic of Ireland. Our performance in Copa America surprised many in the footballing world, and it was brutal we didn’t grab third place… was so close.


I think we’re close to leapfrogging US Soccer, and will be amazing if we do better than the US at the World Cup all things considered with the current strain on Canada-US relations.


If Canada keeps on getting more immigrants from North and West Africa, along with Latin America, but less immigrants from India, China, and other countries that suck at association football (soccer) I think Canada could end up shocking the world by winning the World Cup in the next few decades.

[elly63]

[elly63]

[elly63]

CANMNT to play Romania in International Friendly this September
canadasoccer.com February 18, 2025

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team (FIFA rank #31) to play Romania (FIFA rank #38) in Bucharest

Canada Soccer and the Romanian Football Federation announced today that Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team will play Romania in an international friendly in the September 2025 window.

The match will take place on Friday September 5th in Bucharest, Romania. This will be the Men’s National Team’s first-ever international match against Romania.

“Romania are a really strong team that finished top of a difficult group at Euro 2024. It will be yet another important challenge for our team on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
– Jesse Marsch, MLS Canada Head Coach of the Men’s National Team

Canada adds another Top 40 FIFA-ranked nation to their fixture list, having played ten matches against Top 40 FIFA-ranked teams in the second half of 2024. CANMNT achieved their highest-ever FIFA ranking in November, rising to #31.

Canada Soccer will announce a second friendly for the September FIFA window on Wednesday.

Broadcast Information

The match against Romania will air live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada streaming service platform, as a linear channel on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Instagram, X, Facebook, BlueSky, TikTok, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.

Upcoming Competitions

Canada will play Mexico in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Finals semi-final on March 20th in Los Angeles and will face either USA or Panama in the Nations League final or third-place play-off on March 23rd. Canada will also be competing in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, having qualified in November 2024 beating Suriname over two legs in the Concacaf Nations League A quarterfinals.

[Metro-One]

So, has anyone brought up how awkward it might end up being for Canada, the US and Mexico to share this event next year?

Who knows what our relationships will be like another year and a half out.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Any US games scheduled for Team Canada?

I kinda wanna go down to Boston and boo the American National anthem in person, but not sure it’ll be worth the thousands of dollars it would cost if Canada did actually have a match versus the US.

Going to be real interesting to see if Canada can replicate the success of the Copa and completely leapfrog the US in soccer.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

With all these tensions between the US and Canada right now… I think it’s quite interesting to think of a future where Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver’s main soccer clubs are playing in the Canadian Premier League.

Canada has all the right conditions to do better at soccer than the US, solidifying the national league with some teams in the big 3 cities would go a long way in attracting talent from around the world to come play in the Canadian premier league… especially if we can make the league more like Europe and less like the MLS.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

With all these tensions between the US and Canada right now… I think it’s quite interesting to think of a future where Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver’s main soccer clubs are playing in the Canadian Premier League.

Canada has all the right conditions to do better at soccer than the US, solidifying the national league with some teams in the big 3 cities would go a long way in attracting talent from around the world to come play in the Canadian premier league… especially if we can make the league more like Europe and less like the MLS.

Why make it more like Europe, make it more like Canada. Why copy something and be behind from the get go? It's also a Canadian developmental league not an old age home for foreign has beens.

The ideal setup is underage players like Grady McDonnell and Shola Jimoh, mixed with MLS level players and Canadians returning from Europe for their final seasons.

[elly63]

• Video Link

[elly63]

CANMNT to play Wales in International Friendly this September
canadasoccer.com February 19, 2025

Canada Soccer and the Football Association of Wales announced today that Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team will play Wales in an international friendly in the September 2025 window.

The match will take place on Tuesday September 9th at Swansea.com Stadium in Swansea, Wales. This will be the Men’s National Team’s fourth meeting with the Welsh, having previously played twice in 1986 (winning 2:0 and losing 0:3) in the leadup to the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Toronto and Vancouver, respectively, and once in 2004 (losing 0:1) in Wrexham.

“We’re excited to be playing another high-quality opponent in Wales in September. Most of their players are playing in the Premier League and Championship which will make for an excellent test for our group.”
– Jesse Marsch, MLS Canada Head Coach of the Men’s National Team

Canada announced their preceding fixture in the September window against Romania on Tuesday and adds another Top 40 FIFA-ranked nation to their fixture list, having played ten matches against Top 40 FIFA-ranked teams in the second half of 2024. CANMNT achieved their highest-ever FIFA ranking in November, rising to #31.

Broadcast Information

The match against Wales will air live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada streaming service platform, as a linear channel on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Instagram, X, Facebook, BlueSky, TikTok, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

I kinda wanna go down to Boston and boo the American National anthem in person, but not sure it’ll be worth the thousands of dollars it would cost if Canada did actually have a match versus the US.

You would likely get your ass kicked for that. Dump fanboys or not, Americans don't like having their anthem booed, they pretty much fetishize it at every sporting event. Before this senseless Canada bashing by the orange shithead, I still had to ffwd the US anthem, they make such a spectacle of it and drag it out for as long as possible lol.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

You would likely get your ass kicked for that. Dump fanboys or not, Americans don't like having their anthem booed, they pretty much fetishize it at every sporting event. Before this senseless Canada bashing by the orange shithead, I still had to ffwd the US anthem, they make such a spectacle of it and drag it out for as long as possible lol.

yeah no worth it, but it's a nice thought.