Canada to face Switzerland, Qatar, European playoff winner at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Team Canada has learned their opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup—well, mostly.
At Friday’s final draw, Canada learned it will be joined in Group B by Switzerland, Qatar and the winner of a European playoff, to be determined in March 2026. The World Cup tournament, co-hosted by Canada, the USA and Mexico, runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
It’s the first-ever FIFA World Cup co-hosted by three nations, and also the largest ever, with 48 teams taking part. But the spotlight of playing on home soil in such a colossal tournament couldn’t have come at a better time for Canada.
READ: 5 lessons learned from Canada’s FIFA World Cup adventure
The team sits at No. 27 in the November edition of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking. That’s one spot shy of its highest ranking ever, No. 26, which just happened in September.
Canada also has most of its core roster intact from its respectable showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Though the team lost its three games in an extremely difficult group, Canada did get its first-ever goal at a senior men’s World Cup, courtesy of captain Alphonso Davies.
While Davies is yet to return from a knee injury, the team still boasts World Cup veterans such as Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan and Stephen Eustáquio. There’s also been a surge of new players in recent years, offering head coach Jesse Marsch with some difficult decisions in selecting his final squad.
Could more history be on its way next summer? Can Canada claim a first-ever victory or even—dare we say it—a first-ever appearance in the knockout stages? Let’s take a look.
European playoff winner (TBD)
We know Canada will open things up at Toronto’s BMO Field on June 12. But we don’t yet know who their opponent will be.
The World Cup qualification process will wrap up in March. Italy will face Northern Ireland, while Wales will face Bosnia & Herzegovina on March 26. The winners of those matches will face each other on March 31, with the winner claiming its spot in World Cup Group B.
The scariest scenario for Canada would be facing four-time World Cup champions Italy, ranked No. 12 in the world.
The three remaining squads—Wales (No. 32), Northern Ireland (No. 69) and Bosnia & Herzegovina (No. 71) are all currently ranked below Canada, but nothing is ever a foregone conclusion in international soccer.
Case in point: Italy shockingly missed out on the 2022 World Cup after losing to North Macedonia in a similar playoff situation. So there will be a large question mark looming over Canada’s World Cup group right up until all is said and done on March 31.
Qatar
The Canadians will head west for their second group-stage game, taking place at Vancouver’s BC Place on June 18. There they’ll face Qatar, who are currently ranked No. 51 in the world.
This is the first time Qatar has successfully gone through qualification for the FIFA World Cup, though they qualified automatically as hosts in 2022. Like Canada, the Qataris went out with three losses and will be seeking a first-ever World Cup win in 2026.
With lots of investment and development in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is a program in the ascendancy. Even so, this match could represent Canada’s best chance at earning that first-ever win at the big show.
Switzerland
Canada sticks around in Vancouver to close out the group stage against Switzerland (No. 17) on June 24. While the Swiss aren’t considered a European powerhouse, they have qualified for the knockout stages at the last three World Cups.
Led by captain Granit Xhaka, Switzerland is known for being defensively and structurally solid. Canada has a variety of attacking firepower, and we could be in store for an entertaining battle if the hosts come into the match needing a victory.
How is the tournament structured?
The 48-team field is divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-place finishers, advance to the Round of 32. From there on out, it’s a single-game knockout format all the way to the final on July 19.
Two wins out of three would be sufficient to advance, while one win and one draw would likely also do it.
The Round of 32 contains myriad possibilities for who ends up facing who. It’s worth noting, though, that if Canada could somehow find a way to win Group B, their Round of 32 match (and also, if we really dare to dream, their Round of 16 match) would take place in Vancouver.
