Canada

Canada, known as Les Rouges, underwent a dramatic transformation in the early 2020s — qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986 and reaching the Copa América semi-finals in 2024 — powered by a golden generation led by captain Alphonso Davies and top scorer Jonathan David. As co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, they enter the tournament with genuine ambitions of advancing deep into the competition.

The Canadian Soccer Association was established in 1912, but for most of the 20th century football struggled to gain a foothold in a country dominated by ice hockey. Canada made isolated early appearances at the Olympics and in CONCACAF competition, and their only World Cup qualification before the modern era came in 1986, when they appeared in Mexico but were eliminated in the group stage without scoring a goal. A Gold Cup triumph in 2000 and a CONCACAF Championship title in 1985 were the high points of a long, largely quiet period.

The landscape shifted dramatically in the early 2020s, driven by a generation of talent developed at European clubs. Under coach John Herdman, Canada topped the CONCACAF qualifying table for the 2022 World Cup — the first time they had qualified in 36 years — with players such as Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Lille) and Alphonso Davies forming the core of a genuinely competitive side. The 2022 tournament itself ended in the group stage, but the qualifying run changed perceptions of the program entirely.

Jesse Marsch took over as head coach in 2023 and continued the program's upward trajectory. At the 2024 Copa América Canada reached the semi-finals — a remarkable result for a side ranked outside the top 25 in South America's flagship competition — before finishing fourth. As one of three co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Canada enter the tournament in front of home crowds for the first time, with ambitions that have never been more realistic.