With a year to go, FIFA World Cup countdown begins for ambitious host Canadians

Article content

It was for too early for a dress rehearsal and, with the main course still 12 months away, not yet appetizer time, either.

But when Canada’s men’s national team convincingly defeated Ukraine 4-2 at BMO Field this past weekend, it certainly was an opportunity to unofficially launch the build to what by any measure will be the biggest year for elite soccer in this country.

One year from Wednesday, the largest FIFA World Cup in history will kick off with a pair of games in Mexico. The following night, the other two host nations — Canada and the United States — lift the curtain fully with games on their own respective soil.

For coach Jesse Marsch’s Canadian side, the debut in the world’s most-watched sporting spectacle begins with a Toronto date against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. An automatic qualifier as one of the three host nations, Canada’s second consecutive World Cup appearance — and just third overall — the opportunity to advance (and win a game for the first time in the event’s history) is a tantalizing possibility.

While a year may seem far in the distance with plenty of construction left to be done both at BMO Field and its surroundings, and considerable building to take place on Marsch’s ambitious roster, the host squad’s win to kick off the four-team Canadian Shield held some palpable significance.

“The final destination, which is the World Cup, is what is important,” Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio said following Saturday’s convincing triumph over the European visitors. “The games from now on are going to be very tough. We have strong opponents coming up. We’re going to be in Europe. We’re going to play in the States.

“Basically this was a very good test for next year.”

While still a glorified friendly, the 4-2 win over Ukraine — a team positioned five spots ahead of them at No. 25 in the latest FIFA world rankings — certainly was an opportunity for Canada to take their first strides at forging an identity. Marsch made it clear that preparations over the next 12 months will be critical in establishing a style that will stand up against opponents from different corners of the globe.

The opposition in the Shield, a four-game glorified friendly (two for each participating country) dressed up as a tournament, were meant to replicate the diversity in style the Canadians are likely to face 12 months from now.

“This is exactly what we wanted out of this calendar year and this tournament,” Marsch said. “To try to get as many opponents that will challenge who we are, what we do. You can grow from these situations.

“We all play a lot of matches against opponents in our region. But looking ahead to the World Cup, it’s now imagining types of opponents you could be getting from all around the world and what those games feel like, what those opponents play like, the tactical nuances. For our players to experience what it is like to play in these types of games is important for our overall development.”

Even with the low stakes and a roster injected with a handful of players light on international experience, some observers referred to Canada’s opener as a statement win. It was the first time in the relatively short Marsch coaching era that the team had scored four times in a game and it was Canada’s first victory over a European foe since 2011. In the second match on Tuesday, Canada faces Ivory Coast.

The competitive intensity will ramp up later this month against more familiar competition when Canada competes (and will hope for a deep run) in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In group play, Marsch’s squad will face No. 75 Honduras on June 18 at BC Place then shift to Houston for games against No. 90 Curacao on June 21 and three days later facing No. 81 El Salvador.

The Canadian Shield may not have a “championship” game, but it was an ideal environment for Marsch to get an early feel for his talent and to get the year-long roster-building process started.

“The challenge was to see (whether we) could understand our roles and could we commit to all the ideas of what we’re trying to establish and who we are as a team and deliver a kind of performance that we could be proud of,” Marsch said of the win over Ukraine before a BMO Stadium crowd of 20,145. “And I think we did that.

“There’s big competition for spots and guys are going to have to show that they’re adapting and that they’re ready.”

With the 12-month countdown now under way, here’s a look at what awaits in the buildup to the global sporting spectacle.

FORMAT

The expanded Cup configuration bumps the field to a record 48 teams (16 more than in Qatar 2022) which means there will be a whopping 104 matches played (40 more than the previous time) over the six weeks it will take to crown a champion.

For the initial action, there will be 12 groups of four countries with the top two from each advancing, as well as the eight best third-place teams. From there, it’s elimination games all the way to the final.

That means the last two countries standing will have played eight matches when they’re done — three in the group stage and five high-intensity knockout contests.

Once the field and schedule is set, FIFA intends to make it as easy as possible for fans to navigate the distance between venues by trying to keep groups in a cluster of geographically handy cities. Canada, of course, is an exception, going from Toronto to Vancouver.

With three days between matches, fans will have the opportunity to travel and players will have plenty of time to recover.

Also of note: It’s the first time in World Cup history that there will be three host nations.

PLAYED IN CANADA

There will be 13 matches contested in Canada — seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto.

While Toronto gets the historic debut for Canada’s opener, Vancouver’s BC Place will be home for its second and third group play matches on June 18 and 24, respectively. The Canadian venues each also will have a Round of 32 knockout contest and Vancouver, with its greater seating capacity, also getting a Round of 16 date.

Construction at BMO Field will bump the capacity to 45,000 for its Cup dates while BC Place has room for 54,000 spectators.

As an added bonus for Vancouver, if Canada wins its group, it would stay in the city and (cart way ahead of horse here, given it has never won a World Cup game) should it advance, Marsch’s squad would also play the Round of 16 match on home soil.

OTHER VENUES

There will be 16 stadiums in use, including the two Canadian sites and three in Mexico, which will also play host to 13 contests.

The tournament opener takes place at Mexico’s historic Azteca Stadium which will become the first facility to have three World Cups contested on its famed turf.

That leaves 11 U.S. venues, all of them vast structures that serve as home fields for NFL teams. The semifinals will be played in Dallas (on July 14) and Atlanta on July 15.

The Cup final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, better know as the home to both the New York Giants and Jets.

PUNCH A TICKET

While most of the qualifying action will take place in the coming months, 10 nations are already in, starting with the three host countries.

The others: Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan from the Asian conference, New Zealand from Oceania and the defending champions, Argentina (South America), round out that group.

Various regions are at different stages in qualifying with dozens of games being played around the globe this week while Canada gets to take advantage of the latest international window in a less stressful way.

Europe (UEFA) will qualify the most entrants with 16 direct spots awarded to that region.

IMPORTANT DATES

June 14 through July 6 – The CONCACAF Gold Cup, an important competitive prep for Canada, will be played in Vancouver and at several U.S. venues.

Sept. 1-9 – The first of three international windows in which key late qualifying action will take place. Oct. 6-14 and Nov. 10-18 are the others.

December – At a yet-to-be-specified date, the pageantry and drama of the World Cup draw will take place, determining all 12 groups and establishing the degree of difficulty Canada will have to advance out of that stage.

March 23-31, 2026 – The final qualifying stage.

June 1-19, 2026 – Another international window in which teams will congregate for pre-Cup training and will arrive in North America for pre-Cup training.

June 11, 2026 – Mexico will open the action at its massive stadium in Mexico City.

June 12, 2026 – The first World Cup match played on Canadian soil will take place at BMO Field when Canada opens group play against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

July 19, 2026 – The World Cup final will be contested at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

CANADA CONTENT

Much of Canada’s early preparations for the World Cup will be done without it’s standout superstar, Alphonso Davies, who is recovering from knee surgery in March. Davies will miss all of summer action but plans to return to Bayern Munich after the expected six-month recovery period, giving him plenty of time to prepare and be healthy to captain Canada.

As for the others, the continued growth and world-class form of Jonathan David resulted in a pair of goals against Ukraine while Tajon Buchanan set up both of those and scored one on his own.

With time on his side, the Canadian Shield gave Marsch the opportunity to both get an early look at some players light on national experience, but also to establish a mindset and course of attack.

“These friendlies are meant to try new guys to see who is ready,” David said following the Ukraine win. “Obviously it’s something to build on.”

And more importantly from the coach’s view: Setting the tone and style he’d like to see in place a year down the road.

“Understanding our roles, being disciplined to everything we are creating internally is the most important thing,” Marsch said.