Canada will make their third appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026 as co-hosts alongside the United States and Mexico, with the national team hoping to secure its first-ever victory at football’s biggest tournament.

Drawn in Group B, Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland during the group stage of the expanded 48-team competition.

Under head coach Jesse Marsch, the Canadians are aiming to build on the experience gained at Qatar 2022 and push beyond the group stage for the first time in the country’s history.

Marsch, a former Major League Soccer player and experienced coach in both North America and Europe, took charge of Canada in May 2025. His coaching career has included spells with Montreal Impact, New York Red Bulls, Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United.

Canada qualified automatically for the 2026 tournament as one of the three host nations. The upcoming edition will be the largest World Cup ever staged, featuring 48 teams.

Canada’s previous World Cup appearances came in Mexico in 1986 and Qatar in 2022. In both tournaments, the team exited at the group stage.

At Mexico 1986, Canada suffered defeats to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union in their first taste of World Cup football.

More than three decades later, Canada returned to the tournament in Qatar after topping the final round of Concacaf qualifying. Despite impressive performances, the team lost to Belgium, Croatia and Morocco and again failed to advance.

One of the defining moments in Canadian football history came during the match against Croatia at Qatar 2022, when Alphonso Davies scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal with a powerful header just minutes into the game.

Davies remains Canada’s only World Cup goalscorer to date and is expected to play a leading role in the team’s 2026 campaign.

Canada’s overall World Cup record stands at six matches played, six defeats, two goals scored and 12 conceded. The team will now look to take advantage of home support and a talented squad as they seek a historic first win on football’s biggest stage.

Afghanistan’s U-20 national football team played out a 0-0 draw against Kyrgyzstan in the CAFA U-20 Championship on Sunday in Dushanbe.

The match marked Afghanistan’s fourth appearance in the regional tournament after earlier defeats against Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Afghanistan lost 3-1 to Turkmenistan in their opening match, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan and another 2-0 loss to Tajikistan.

The draw against Kyrgyzstan earned Afghanistan its first point of the competition.

The United States will make its 12th appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 when it co-hosts the expanded 48-team tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

Placed in Group D, the Americans will begin their campaign on home soil hoping to improve on their Round of 16 finish at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Now coached by former Argentina international Mauricio Pochettino, the Stars and Stripes are preparing for a highly anticipated tournament after automatically qualifying as co-hosts.

Pochettino took charge of the national team in September 2024 following the departure of Gregg Berhalter. The experienced coach previously managed top European clubs including Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur.

The USA will open the tournament against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles before facing Australia in Seattle on June 19. Their final group-stage match will be against Türkiye on June 25 in Los Angeles.

The Americans have a long history at the World Cup dating back to the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930. Their best performance came in that first edition, when they reached the semi-finals before losing to Argentina.

USA also enjoyed memorable campaigns in 1994 and 2002, reaching the Round of 16 on home soil in 1994 and advancing to the quarter-finals in Korea and Japan in 2002.

At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the Americans progressed unbeaten from a difficult group featuring England, Iran and Wales before being eliminated 3-1 by the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

Former captain Landon Donovan remains USA’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with five goals across the 2002, 2006 and 2010 tournaments. Donovan also holds the national record for most World Cup appearances with 12 matches.

Among the most iconic moments in U.S. World Cup history was the shock 1-0 victory over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, regarded as one of the greatest upsets in football history.

Another unforgettable performance came at the 2014 World Cup when goalkeeper Tim Howard made a tournament-record 16 saves against Belgium in the Round of 16, despite the Americans eventually losing 2-1 after extra time.

USA’s biggest World Cup victories remain the back-to-back 3-0 wins over Belgium and Paraguay during the 1930 tournament, with Bert Patenaude scoring the first hat-trick in World Cup history against Paraguay.

With home support behind them and a new era under Pochettino, the United States will hope to make a deep run at the 2026 World Cup and challenge some of the world’s top football nations on their own soil.