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Four Key Takeaways From Canada’s March Friendlies Ahead of the 2026 World Cup

Canada will face Ireland and Uzbekistan before kicking off the 2026 World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.
Ben Steiner|
Jesse Marsch was upbeat despite drawing both matches in the March international window.
Jesse Marsch was upbeat despite drawing both matches in the March international window. | IMAGO/Captive Camera Cover Images

TORONTO— The next time the Canada men’s national team hits the pitch in Toronto, it will be for the 2026 World Cup opener on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

While the Balkan nation was navigating the UEFA playoff, securing upset wins against Wales and Italy, Canada was preparing with two friendlies at the stadium that will host the first men’s World Cup game in the country. 

After facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, manager Jesse Marsch's men continue their hopes of a storybook World Cup summer against Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver to wrap up Group B play.

Still hampered by injuries to key players Alphonso Davies, Promise David, Moïse Bombito, Alistair Johnston and Alfie Jones, among others, Canada played to a 2–2 draw with No. 74-ranked Iceland and a scoreless draw against World Cup-bound No. 47-ranked Tunisia in Toronto over the past week. 

Lightning and heavy rain pushed the matchup against Tunisia back to an unusual 9 p.m. ET start, but the stadium still provided a raucous atmosphere between Canadian and Tunisian support, while the weekend’s Canada vs. Iceland match drew over 26,000 fans on a cold afternoon. 

The March international window showed that Canada still has work to do before taking on the World Cup, but also showcased some critical growth in Marsch’s outlook. 

Sports Illustrated takes a look at five key lessons learned. 

Marcelo Flores Could Start World Cup Games

Marcelo Flores
Marcelo Flores impressed in his first camp with Canada. | Leonardo Ramirez/Eyepix Group/Imago

Marcelo Flores had long been a target of Canada Soccer, with former manager John Herdman publicly calling him out during the 2022 World Cup qualifying, hoping to attract the Mexican-Canadian to Les Rouges. 

Herdman never landed him, but Marsch, who made several trips to Mexico to visit Flores and his family, managed to secure the coveted dual-national. The 52-year-old American boss’s approach pushed Flores to make the decision on his own, eventually leading him away from an El Tri program he had made three senior friendly appearances with. 

“I was always in the Mexican system. Since I was like 15, I’ve only ever been with them,” Flores told OneSoccer, having lived in Canada for 12 years. 

“The little time that I spent here in Canada felt way more like me being at home than it did feeling me all those years in Mexico with that team. Not saying anything bad about the team and all that, but I feel like it also is like a cultural thing that doesn’t match with me, like my style and obviously the bond that I felt between each national team.”

After a few false starts to his Canada career, he finally made his Canada debut—and he’s a game-changer. 

With ferocious and energetic off-ball movement, smooth dribbling, a deft first touch and the ability to wiggle out of defensive situations, the versatile 22-year-old Tigres midfielder and winger is a profile unlike any other Canadian.

He made his debut with 16 touches and two successful dribbles in 13 minutes against Iceland, before a commanding performance against Tunisia, where his runs, skills and moments provided an unparalleled energy.

In the image below, he maintained possession by dribbling through several defenders before regrouping and launching a second attacking wave. Throughout the night, he also made slicing runs from wide areas to open space for fullbacks bursting through, before playing a ball down to the touchline, as indicated in his dribble map against Tunisia, also below.

Marcelo Flores, Canada
Marcelo Flores maintained possession despite heavy pressure from four defenders. | TSN/OneSoccer
Marcelo Flores dribbles
Marcelo Flores’ darting dribbles and ability to find overlapping players are key, as can be seen by the successful (green) dribbles and his failed attempts (red). | SofaScore

There’s a fearlessness and bravado that Flores brings, unlike many of Canada’s other wingers, whose prowess lies in exposing spaces with speed. As such, there’s a legitimate chance Flores’s first competitive game for Canada comes in a start in a World Cup opener. 

“Marcelo was one of the bright spots,” Marsch said. “We’re really excited about the possibility of what he can mean to the team, and even more so, to have another weapon that’s a little bit different than maybe we can use differently for different types of moments and different types of opponents.”

Canada’s Open Play Needs Work

Canada Soccer, Jonathan David
Canada’s only goals in the camp came from Jonathan David’s penalty kicks against Iceland. | Vaughan Ridley/Getty Images

Since a 3–0 September win over Romania, Canada has scored just twice from open play in seven games. 

Despite some strong showings, they have lacked finishing and, more critically, high-quality chances. Over the two March friendlies, they amassed just 1.625 non-penalty xG on 27 shots, for an average of 0.06 xG per shot, indicating how poor the areas from which the team is shooting are. 

While Flores was lively, and Hull City winger Liam Millar brought a tenacious element to his performance down the right against Tunisia, neither was able to create high-quality chances. Flores, in particular, did not muster a single shot in his 66 touches and heavy attacking involvement. 

Despite Canada’s best efforts to work the ball wide, the team lacked movement in the penalty area, leaving nearly every cross as a hopeful ball into the box. One chance fell to Tani Oluwaseyi, but only on a second ball, which was bouncing and not a pure chance.

Outside of hopeful crosses, Canada looked to play around deep-lying backlines, with quick passing, often influenced by a winger holding the ball up at the top of the penalty area, and waiting for a slicing run from a fullback. Yet, the shot selection, angles or lack of other attacking options to pull back to meant most opportunities quickly evaporated. 

Those movements earned the penalties against Iceland, with Daniel Jebbison and Tajon Buchanan pulled down on similar plays. Yet they did not connect as planned in the game's flow.

“We were creating chances, and we are dangerous throughout games and controlling matches,” said Marsch, who spent much of the week training those quick exchanges to further break down low-blocks, a factor Canada has consistently struggled with. 

Daniel Jebbison, Canada
Daniel Jebbison (center) raised his stock with runs into the box and a drawn penalty against Iceland. | eve Russell/Toronto Star/Getty Images

“We worked on some crossing ideas. We worked on some ideas in front of the back line on how we can break an opponent down, and we were in all of those positions more ... Now it’s just, can we have a little bit more quality on the last action, the last shot, the last cross, or a last movement to make these half chances into real chances?”

While there was progress in working through stingy defensive setups in March, it still proved an insurmountable challenge for Canada, providing the blueprint for each World Cup opponent. 

Influential LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio—who missed the friendlies due to injury—could elevate the quick exchanges or be a late-arriving run on a pulled-back cross in the box, but Canada will have just two more friendlies to iron out those tactics.

The Importance of Moïse Bombito, Who Didn’t Play

Moïse Bombito
Moïse Bombito is Canada's most important center back and has not played for the national team in over a year. | Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images

If one thing became clear over the two friendlies, it’s the importance of Canada’s center back pairing, with a focus on OGC Nice’s Moïse Bombito, one of Europe’s fastest defenders and a critical piece to Canada’s pressing abilities. 

Without the 26-year-old, Canada can get caught out by counterattacks, especially when the team opens itself up to Marsch’s high-pressing tactics, softening the demands on defenders to push forward. 

While Bombito has not played for Canada in the past year due to several injuries, he was a training player in this camp and is expected to be ready for the World Cup. Although Marsch admitted that his progress was less than expected. 

Luckily, Canada has developed center back depth that should cushion the problems they faced in the pairing of Joel Waterman and Kamal Miller this camp—notably, their lack of speed and Miller’s struggles to thrive in Marsch’s tactics. 

The injury bug didn’t let up, however, as 23-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ralph Priso joined a growing trend in his first start for Canada—Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles and Alfie Jones others to not be available.

Copa América Blueprint for the World Cup?

Alphonso Davies, Canada, Copa América
The return of Alphonso Davies (center) could bring Canada back to the form they showed at the 2024 Copa América. | Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images

The most formative moments of Canada’s tenure since the 2022 World Cup came at the 2024 Copa América, where they advanced to the semifinal before falling 2–0 to Argentina in front of a sold-out MetLife Stadium. 

Two years ago, they leaned on a 1–0 win over Peru and a scoreless draw against Chile to advance from the group, before advancing to the semifinals with a penalty shootout win over Venezuela following a 1–1 draw. And as much as the team has evolved since then, the goalscoring struggles have largely persisted. 

Since then, Canada has improved. Jonathan David remains the key attacking piece, and the race for the second striker role likely favors Oluwaseyi, after some promising moments against Tunisia. 

Southampton’s revitalized striker, Cyle Larin, had flashes against Iceland, and Preston North End’s Daniel Jebbison had more notable moments in a combined 58 minutes across the two games, offering size and drawing a penalty against Iceland. 

Even if the goals don’t increase, the Copa América is the blueprint for Canada's Group B journey, given the potential for stingy defensive performances against each opponent and further attacking developments, elevated by Davies’s potential return.

“At the World Cup, not giving goals away is the most important thing if you want to have a good tournament, if you want to get out of the group, or if you want to make a run, you have to be a strong defensive team that doesn’t give much away,” Marsch said. “We hardly let teams into our box.”

Having avoided a clash with Italy after Bosnia and Herzegovina’s playoff win, Canada, currently ranked No. 30, will be favored to advance from the group on home soil this summer. Before then, however, Marsch faces a momentous task: naming a 26-player roster, making challenging cuts and hoping for the best possible health. 

“I’ve got some tough decisions to make,” he said. “I know that, and with a heavy heart, I’m going to make some people disappointed to not be in the World Cup. But the competition in the squad is as strong as it’s ever been here in Canada.”

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Ben Steiner
BEN STEINER

Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.

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