The stars come out in Washington today as FIFA holds the 2026 World Cup draw
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Canada finally gets to learn today who it will face at next summer’s World Cup.
The road map for the expanded 48-team tournament will unfold at the draw in Washington, D.C. A star-studded crowd including Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. president Donald Trump and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, whose three countries are co-hosting the event, will be on hand at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The draw will divide the 48 teams into 12 groups, with the teams coming out of four draw pots depending on ranking. Canada and the other co-hosts are in Pot 1, along with seeded sides like Argentina, England and Brazil.
Only 42 of the 48 teams are known at this point. The remaining six have to win their way into the field via March playoffs.
While the Canadian men won’t learn their first-round opponents until the draw, some details about their schedule are already known.
Canada will open Group B play on June 12 in Toronto against the team drawn from Pot 4 before heading west to Vancouver, where it will face the team from Pot 3 on June 18 and then the side from Pot 2 on June 24. Both Vancouver games are at B.C. Place Stadium.
The Canadians cannot face a fellow CONCACAF side in the group stage.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.