FIFA World Cup 2026: Canada will face Qatar, Switzerland and winner of European playoff

Former subject participant on the FIFA draw and quarter — and what it's the likes of to play for Canada

Mexico City’s World Cup stadium water divide

It's a 'dream come true' for these 2026 FIFA World Cup volunteers

What are the best- and worst-case scenarios for Canada’s World Cup draw?

Carney says he'll see Trump in Washington during FIFA World Cup draw

'We made the impossible possible,' says Curaçao player heading to World Cup

#TheMoment Haiti qualified for first World Cup in over 50 years

After sitting through the draw and the Village People, Carney, Sheinbaum and Trump are now meeting privately — where the state of trade negotiations will likely be raised.

Despite breaking off talks with Canada at the end of October, Trump sounded in good spirits earlier today when talking about his North American trade partners.

"We're getting along very well," he said on the red carpet before the show began. "We'll discuss trade."

The FIFA World Cup tournament, which runs every four years, is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, with viewership eclipsing most other sporting spectacles.

FIFA estimated nearly 1.42 billion people watched the 2022 final in Qatar between France and Argentina on either television or digital platforms, the highest viewership ever for a World Cup final.

To put that number into perspective, it’s almost 20 per cent of the global population and more than 10 times the 127.7 million estimated to have tuned in to this year’s Super Bowl.

Over the entirety of the 2022 tournament, FIFA has estimated close to five billion fans watched in some form or another.

Only the Olympics come close to that kind of global viewership. Research conducted for the International Olympic Committee suggests around five billion people watched the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris at some point.

As the Village People went on stage to perform Y.M.C.A., soccer/football fans across the world are studying the groups for the opening round of the 2026 World Cup.

Here’s the result of today’s draw:

Canada was only in Pot 1 by virtue of being a co-host, along with the U.S. And Mexico. By FIFA's measures, the 27th-ranked Canadians would have normally been a low Pot 2 or high Pot 3 seed, and every Pot 2 team was ranked higher.

It's an uncomfortable truth, but every country, from Colombia to New Zealand, would have wanted to find itself in Group B, given Canada's relative weakness as a top seed. The alternatives were the greatest soccer sides on Earth, including Argentina, France, Spain and England.

Switzerland won the prize. There could have been worse draws for Canada — Croatia and Morocco among them — but a result against the Swiss in the last group-stage game won’t be a given.

Qatar was close to an ideal pick for Canada. The 2022 host was the first team eliminated from its own World Cup, and only Saudi Arabia and South Africa were lower seeds in Pot 3.

The men’s World Cup draw was going well for Canada until Pot 4.

Instead of one of the weakest teams, Canada drew the winner of UEFA Playoff A, which will see favourite Italy, the 12th-ranked team in the world, compete against Wales, Bosnia and Northern Ireland in March.

Canada had already drawn 17th-ranked Switzerland and 51st-ranked Qatar — favourable picks given the possibilities.

But the spectre of facing Italy — in Canada's opener in Toronto on June 12 no less — left head coach Jesse Marsch grim-faced in the glittering crowd at the Kennedy Center, with his arms folded tight across his chest.

It had been a nervy-enough afternoon already.

None other than Wayne Gretzky made the fateful pick. When he opened the ball and unfurled the ribbon that revealed Canada's difficult fate, it felt like the best and worst possibilities.

Should Italy emerge from that playoff, they’ll be Canada’s toughest test.

But that first game in Toronto will be a party to end all parties — so long as it doesn't end Canada's knockout-stage dreams first.

Wayne Gretzky is the final assistant to draw countries. Here's what he pulled:

That meant that the final country — New Zealand — joined Group G.

We're heading into the final draw. Here's a breakdown of the teams in Pot 4, which isn't fully set yet: Jordan (66), Cape Verde (68), Ghana (72), Curacao (82), Haiti (84), New Zealand (86), UEFA Playoff A, UEFA Playoff B, UEFA Playoff C, UEFA Playoff D, FIFA Playoff 1, FIFA Playoff.

As mentioned earlier, those last six spots that won't be determined until March.

Four European teams will qualify via the UEFA playoffs, and the additional two FIFA playoffs will include teams from all over the world.

Qatar is close to an ideal pick for Canada out of Pot 3. The 2022 host is the 51st-ranked side in the world and was the first team eliminated from its own World Cup. Only Saudi Arabia and South Africa were lower seeds in Pot 3.

This eliminates Jordan from the possibilities for Canada in Pot 4. Canada also can’t draw Haiti, Curacao or either FIFA Playoff lot, because Jamaica and Suriname are in contention there. That leaves three of the weakest teams — Cape Verde, Ghana and New Zealand — or one of the UEFA Playoff lots available.

Aaron Judge was in charge of picking for Pot 3. Here’s what he pulled:

As a reminder: Paraguay, Tunisia, Cote D’Ivoire and Egypt couldn’t go to Group C because only one team per football confederation, save for UEFA, can be placed in a group.

The same thing happened to Algeria, originally pulled for Group I; Algeria and Senegal can’t be in the same group.

Canada does not want Norway out of Pot 3. The Norwegians went undefeated in qualifying, relegating Italy to the playoffs, thanks to the goal-scoring heroics of Erling Haaland, one of the titans of the game.

Even though Canada drew Switzerland out of Pot 2, another European team is still possible. Panama is the only team that isn't.

The weakest teams, by a considerable margin, are Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Jesse Marsch, Canada's head coach, would be just fine to see their lots pulled.

---

---