Get an early take on Canada’s World Cup drawSoccer journalist John Molinaro, speaking Friday as the World Cup draw was ongoing, provided an initial look at what Canada can expect — and why we won’t know the fourth and final team in Group B until March. December 519 minutes agoA look at the underdogsAmy Husser#TheMoment Haiti qualified for first World Cup in over 50 yearsPaul Toussaint, a Haitian chef in Montreal, tells The National about the moment he watched his home country make it to the World Cup for the first time since 1974.A combination of the newly expanded format and the host countries means that World Cup 2026 could be an underdog’s dream.Just last month, the tiny island nation of Curaçao, with a population of about 156,000, became the smallest country ever to qualify for this marquee event. The former Dutch colony takes that record from Iceland, which had a population of just over 350,000 when it qualified in 2018.Curaçao qualified after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica, using a team heavily built with players born and raised in the Netherlands. It has actively recruited from its diaspora after getting permission from FIFA within world soccer’s rules to change the national-team eligibility of five players since August.Cape Verde, with a population of roughly 525,000, also qualified for the first time this year — the second-least populous country to do so. The former Portuguese colony also turned to its diaspora for recruitment.Haiti is another notable underdog, qualifying for the first time since 1974 despite significant domestic turmoil and the lack of a usable home stadium.Coach Sébastien Migné has managed some of his players from abroad, as Haiti’s main airport has regularly been shut down in a country where armed gangs control up to 90 per cent of its capital, Port-au-Prince. The team also played all its home games in Curaçao, as it was too dangerous to do so in Haiti.Other first-time entrants include Jordan and Uzbekistan, while the small nations of New Caledonia and Suriname are all still in the hunt for a qualifying spot.24 minutes agoWhere’s the ‘group of death’? Anya ZoledziowskiA screen shows the final groupings after Friday’s official FIFA World Cup 2026 draw. (Jia Haocheng/Getty Images)One of the most exciting parts of watching the FIFA World Cup draw is trying to figure out the “group of death” — the most competitive group, stacked with high-ranking teams and legitimate tournament contenders. This year there isn’t a clear group of death — though many reports are declaring Group L the most likely candidate. Group L has England (ranked No. 4) and Croatia (10) slated to play early on. Ghana (72) and Panama (30) are unlikely to challenge the powerhouses. But Ghana, a powerhouse in its own right, could be a wildcard, while Panama could pull a surprise.Group F also looks fairly competitive, with the Netherlands (7), Japan (18), Tunisia (40) and the winner of UEFA playoff B — either Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden. But overall the 48 competitors seem pretty well shuffled. It’s likely that the tournament expansion from 32 teams diluted the pot somewhat. Still, there’s lots of drama ahead, with some intense matches coming up. Croatia vs. England, a rematch of the 2018 semifinal, will be one to watch. And if Italy qualifies, Canada will have to prepare for a hard battle on home turf. 46 minutes ago3 host leaders now meeting Catharine TunneyU.S. President Donald Trump talks to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the end of the draw for the 2026 World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington. (Dan Mullan/The Associated Press)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.”48 minutes agoViewing numbers in the billionsSarah PetzArgentina’s captain Lionel Messi, sitting centre, holds the FIFA World Cup trophy on board a bus during victory celebrations in Argentina in 2022. (Tomas Cuesta/AFP/Getty Images)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.1 hour agoA look at the finalized group drawAnya ZoledziowskiAs 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:1 hour agoWhy teams would want to face CanadaChris JonesA monitor shows results of the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw at a watch party in Toronto on Friday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)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 3.1 hour agoThe road ahead for CanadaChris JonesCanada’s head coach Jesse Marsch, centre, is shown in the crowd at the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)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.1 hour agoWith Pot 4 now placed, the groups are setAnya ZoledziowskiWayne Gretzky shows the card reading Haiti during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)Wayne Gretzky is the final assistant to draw countries. Here’s what he pulled: Group A will eventually get whoever wins from the European qualifying Playoff D between Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic and Ireland.Canada’s Group B, which also has Qatar and Switzerland, will be joined by the winner of Playoff A. The playoff group includes Wales, Italy, Northern Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Haiti was added to Group C.Curacao went to Group E. Group I will eventually get the qualifier from FIFA Playoff 2, which includes Iraq, Suriname and Bolivia.Cape Verde — the third-smallest country by population to ever qualify for the World Cup — landed in Group H, and they’ll be Spain’s opening match competitor. Whoever qualifies from European Playoff C — Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo — will join Group D.The winner from UEFA Playoff B will go into Group F. Playoff B includes Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania.Jordan joined group J.Group K will eventually get the winner of FIFA Playoff 1, which includes Congo DR, Jamaica and New Caledonia. Ghana was placed in Group L.That meant that the final country — New Zealand — joined Group G.2 hours agoTeams in Pot 4Amy HusserWe’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.2 hours ago Canada’s Pot 4 possibilitiesChris JonesQatar 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.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Canada will face Qatar, Switzerland and winner of European playoff
