Canada's first men's World Cup since 1986 didn't go the way the team and fans would have wanted it to, but simply getting back to the big stage was a win in itself.
The Canadians couldn't continue their momentum gained in CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying tournament, which they topped with aplomb while capturing the nation's attention in the process. A humbling return to the World Cup followed, with John Herdman's side showing moments of quality alongside stretches of play in which they were taught a harsh lesson.
Climbing atop the mountain in CONCACAF is one thing, but translating that to the world stage requires something that just wasn't present for the Canadians this time around.
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With just 3.5 years until the next World Cup — partially hosted in Canada — there's a lot to take away from Qatar 2022 that can be applied to Canada / Mexico / USA 2026, among them some reasons to believe that the next tournament will be better for the Canadians than the current one.
Experience
Canada still has one more match to play in Qatar as of this writing, but the experience factor has already proven extremely vital in the team's first two matches.
Simply put, with literally no one in the side having ever stepped onto a World Cup pitch before Nov 23. vs. Belgium, it wasn't at all surprising that Canada appeared very green at times. This was especially evident against Croatia, where the Canadians came out flying only to get worked over by a vastly more experienced team that calmly went about their business until the result was in hand.
Getting to see the masterful Croatians at work was an invaluable experience for the young Canadians that will still be around in 2026, and there are a lot of them. From the World Cup squad, here's who will still be in their 20s in 2026, and their respective ages when the first ball is kicked at either BMO Field or BC Place for Canada's opening match:
- Stephen Eustaquio (29)
- Dayne St. Clair (29)
- James Pantemis (29)
- Kamal Miller (29)
- Derek Cornelius (28)
- Liam Fraser (28)
- Alistair Johnston (27)
- Tajon Buchanan (27)
- Iké Ugbo (27)
- Jonathan David (26)
- Alphonso Davies (25)
- Ismaël Koné (24)
OK, so not everyone listed above will be on the roster in 2026, as some younger (and older) players will supplant a few of these guys, but barring disaster you can expect the likes of Davies, David, Buchanan, Koné, Eustaquio, Johnston and Miller to be there, and they'll all be that much wiser at the international level.
Having the experience of Qatar in their back pocket heading into a home World Cup is immense.
Exposure
This one is tangentially related to the overarching "experience" factor, but it's a bit more specific in nature. While Canada hasn't shown to be at the level of the absolute top tier of world footballing nations (which no one truly expected), they have proven that they at least belong — especially in their opener against Belgium.
The World Cup, and the qualification process that preceded it, opened many eyes to the talents of Canadian players who may have otherwise not had many options outside of MLS. Alistair Johnston is reportedly on the verge of transferring to Scottish giants Celtic, and while that move was said to be in the works prior to Qatar, Johnston's play against the Belgians certainly couldn't have hurt his stock in the eyes of the Celtic brass.
Other players may follow as well. Johnston's CF Montreal teammate Ismaël Koné was already linked to several English clubs before the World Cup, but his ability to not look out of place in the midfield when going up against the likes of Luka Modrić and Kevin De Bruyne will almost surely open more eyes in Europe. Similarly, Tajon Buchanan of Club Brugge stood out in Qatar and has been rumoured to have drawn the attention of teams in "big five" leagues, while Kamal Miller's warrior-like play at the back would not have gone unnoticed by scouts.
The biggest tournament in the world draws eyeballs no matter who's playing, and by the end of Thursday Canada will have played three games in front of their three largest audiences ever.
The first goal's out of the way
It may seem silly on the surface, but the obstacle of scoring Canada's first-ever goal in a men's World Cup had loomed large ever since the 1986 team crashed out of Mexico having been blanked in all three matches. After a frustrating opening match in Qatar in which Canada seemingly did everything but score, Alphonso Davies' historic second-minute header against Croatia finally put to rest the question of whether Canada would actually ever score in this tournament.
That milestone is thankfully now out of the way, avoiding a scenario in which much of the pre-tournament talk in 2026 would focus on when, or if, that elusive goal would finally happen on home soil. It's just one less distraction for the 2026 team to worry about in a tournament that will undoubtedly have many, so it's good that it has been taken care of.
To reiterate, there is still one more match at Qatar for the Canadians as of this writing, so also getting a first point — or dare I say, a first win — out of the way would be massive.