Canada now knows its opponents for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11 and concludes with the final on July 19, following the World Cup draw on Friday afternoon.
The Canadian men’s national soccer team will play in Group B alongside Qatar, Switzerland, and the winner of UEFA Playoff A, which will be formalized in late March 2026. Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia & Herzegovina will be competing for the final spot in the group. Italy (-188 odds @ bet365) is the favourite to win Playoff A and claim the final spot in Group B.
As one of the 2026 World Cup’s three hosts (USA and Mexico are the others), Canada was pre-assigned to Group B. Canada was one of the 12 teams included in Pot 1 of the draw.
Canada will host 13 of the 104 World Cup matches. BC Place in Vancouver will host seven of those games and BMO Field in Toronto will host the other six.
Canada, which is currently 27th in the FIFA World Rankings, has previously appeared in just two World Cups, losing all six of its group stage matches with a -10 goal differential across the 1986 and 2022 competitions.
Canada to win the 2026 World Cup
Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s draw for the 2026 World Cup:
Canada’s World Cup outright odds
| Team | World Cup Outright Odds (Top 10 + Canada) |
| Spain | +450 |
| England | +600 |
| France | +700 |
| Brazil | +800 |
| Argentina | +800 |
| Portugal | +1000 |
| Germany | +1200 |
| Netherlands | +2000 |
| Norway | +2500 |
| Italy | +3300 |
| Canada | +25000 |
Canada has the 25th-shortest soccer odds to win the World Cup outright at +25000, but they’ll be in tough against Italy (+3300) and Switzerland (+10000) in its group, assuming of course that Italy prevails out of the UEFA Playoff A. Qatar has long +100000 odds to win the tournament.
Odds to win Group B will be available once the final team is determined via UEFA Playoff A, but Canada will likely have the third-longest odds to win the group behind Switzerland and the UEFA Playoff A victor.
A few online sportsbooks, such as Bet99, are already offering +250 odds on Canada to win Group B and +120 odds to qualify from the group for the knockout stage of the tournament.
Canada’s World Cup match schedule
| Group B | FIFA World Ranking |
| Canada | 27 |
| Winner of Euro Playoff A | TBD |
| Qatar | 51 |
| Switzerland | 17 |
Canada will open its 2026 World Cup campaign against the winner of Euro Playoff A, which will consist of either Italy, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Bosnia/Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto on June 12. Canada’s opponent for this game will be formalized at the end of March.
In its second game of the group stage, Canada will host Qatar on June 18 at BC Place in Vancouver.
Canada will wrap up Group B play on June 24 against Switzerland at BC Place in Vancouver.
The full tournament schedule will be confirmed and released by FIFA on Dec. 6.
Canada’s projected World Cup starting XI (4-4-2 formation)
| Goalkeeper | Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United) |
| Defenders | Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Kamal Miller (Portland Timbers), Derek Cornelius (Rangers), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) |
| Midfielders | Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo), Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto), Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville) |
| Forwards | Jonathan David (Juventus), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal) |
Canada will select 26 players for the 2026 World Cup. The squad will officially be announced closer to the start of the tournament.