Find Out Who Canada is Playing at the 2026 World Cup
Today’s draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place live in Washington, D.C., as fans around the globe tuned in to see how the expanded 48-team tournament will take shape. With six teams still to qualify, nations were sorted into 12 groups ahead of what will be the biggest World Cup in history for North America.
The tournament will kick off on June 11, 2026, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. After years of qualification battles around the world, today’s draw set the stage for the group phase, with the top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-place finishers, advancing to the knockout rounds.
So, what does Canada’s World Cup path look like?
Here at home, fans gathered in the country to find out who Canada will face on their return to the world’s biggest stage. Canada was drawn into Group B alongside the Winner of UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Qatar and Switzerland. Canada enters the tournament ranked 27th in the world, the highest FIFA ranking in the nation’s history.
“This is a moment we’ve been building towards for a long time and it’s awesome to finally see it come to reality,” said Josh Heard, Pacific FC Captain. “It is an exciting moment for Canada Soccer as we welcome the world and it is just the beginning”.
Canada will first take on the winner of the European playoff featuring Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12, 2026. They will then take on Qatar on June 18, 2026 in Vancouver, BC and Switzerland for their final group stage match on June 24, 2026, also in Vancouver, BC.
“There’s no such thing as an easy game in the World Cup, but I have full belief that Canada can make a run in this tournament,” Heard added.
In just a few months, millions of fans from around the world will travel to North America for one of global sport’s biggest events. For the first time ever, Canada will co-host the World Cup, a milestone moment for the sport’s growth in this country and a chance to inspire a new generation.
Full Group Draw:
Group A:
Mexico
South Africa
Korea Republic
Winner of UEFA Play-Off D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic or Republic of Ireland)
Group B:
Canada
Winner of UEFA Play-Off A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Qatar
Switzerland
Group C:
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Group D:
USA
Paraguay
Australia
Winner of UEFA Play-Off C (Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo)
Group E:
Germany
Curaçao
Côte d’Ivoire
Ecuador
Group F:
Netherlands
Japan
Winner of UEFA Play-Off B (Ukrain, Sweden, Poland or Albania)
Tunisia
Group G:
Belgium
Egypt
IR Iran
New Zealand
Group H:
Spain
Cabo Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Group I:
France
Senegal
Winner of Intercontinental Play-Off 2 (Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname)
Norway
Group J:
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Group K:
Portugal
Winner of Intercontinental Play-Off 1 (DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia)
Uzbekistan
Colombia
Group L:
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama
With the completion of the draw, nations can now turn their attention towards prepping for next summer. For Canada, Group B presents a challenging but compelling opportunity to build on recent progress on the international stage.