As wild as this sounds, the 2026 World Cup cycle officially began on Monday as the 2022 edition came to a close.
Canada, the United States and Mexico will co-host the men's World Cup in 2026, which will be a tournament of firsts. This is the first time that three countries will co-host the World Cup, which will expand from 32 to 48 teams.
However, there are still questions over the specific format with three and a half years remaining until kickoff, not to mention what the Canadian men's national team's road to 2026 will look like.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup and the buildup to the tournament.
The specific dates have not been announced by FIFA, but the World Cup will revert to its June-July schedule after switching to November and December this year.
The breakdown of teams who qualify automatically is as follows:
Concacaf: 6 (including hosts)
CONMEBOL: 6
UEFA: 16
CAF: 9
AFC: 8
OFC: 1
The final two spots will go to teams from the inter-confederation playoff. There will be six playoff teams in total: every confederation has one team, with Concacaf receiving two, while UEFA is the only confederation that will solely have automatic spots in its qualifying campaign. The format for determining the two playoff winners is not yet official.
Yes. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani confirmed to Doug McIntyre of FOX Sports that all of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will automatically qualify.
Initially, the 2026 World Cup was going to switch to 16 different groups of three teams, with the top two progressing to a round of 32.
However, FIFA has reconsidered that format change in recent days, so we may end up with four-team groups in 2026.
That would be for the better. For starters, it means 16 teams wouldn't be eliminated after playing two matches. It also minimizes the risk of match manipulation.
If FIFA uses 12 groups with four teams and a round of 32 in the knockout stage, it's likely that the top two from each group advances with eight of the best-ranked third-place sides joining them.
Considering the drama and entertaining group-stage finales on display in Qatar, it might be for the best.
Sixteen host cities were awarded games. Two are Canadian, 11 are in the U.S., and three are in Mexico.
FIFA hasn't determined which cities will host specific matches, like the final. But we do know that the U.S. will host every single match from the quarterfinals onwards, with Canada and Mexico receiving 10 games each.
However, it's not guaranteed that the 10 matches will be split evenly between Vancouver's BC Place and BMO Field in Toronto.
Transfermarkt's Manuel Veth and Sportsnet's Dan Riccio reported that Vancouver will have six matches and potentially host the draw. It was the first city announced by FIFA, which may not be a coincidence.
This is the golden question. Canada needs more marquee matches against top-tier opposition in order to build on this historic 2022 World Cup qualification.
Luckily, the team's remarkable rise and World Cup appearance will turn Canada into an attractive option for friendlies against quality opponents. The star power of Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and others only adds to that appeal.
It'll be difficult to arrange some friendlies with World Cup qualifying beginning in 2023, not to mention UEFA Nations League. However, there should be gaps in the calendar.
In the meantime, Canada finishes its Concacaf Nations League group stage action in March against Honduras and Curacao. Topping the group means progression to the semifinals against the likes of Mexico and the U.S. with a chance to lift a trophy.
The 2023 Gold Cup will kickoff shortly thereafter, and Canada will be favoured to win it.
But facing the Concacaf giants isn't ideal preparation to face the world's superpowers in 2026.
That's where an invite to the 2024 Copa América to battle South America's elite would be massively beneficial. A source within Canada Soccer confirmed to Sportsnet that the federation has been invited, which would be a tremendous opportunity for the squad.
It goes without saying that facing Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and other reputable nations would do wonders for Canada.
The tournament could end up being closer to home, too. Amid reports that Copa América might be hosted in the United States, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez claimed that all options are being considered.
Stay tuned, but it's looking optimistic that we might see Canada at the 2024 Copa América.
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