Canada is headed to World Cup 2026 as a co-host nation, set to compete in Group B. Could they be one of the qualifying teams alongside Switzerland despite the uncertainty surrounding standout DF Alphonso Davies’ fitness?
Below, we’ll break down Canada’s projected starting lineup, best players, group outlook, strengths and weaknesses, and top World Cup picks on PrizePicks.
Over on PrizePicks Team Picks, you can make a prediction on how national teams will perform in the 2026 World Cup, including tournament winner, group winner, and knockout-stage advancement markets.
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Canada Projected Starting Lineup for World Cup 2026
Canada enters World Cup 2026 with the hope of creating history in front of their home fans. Finding a running mate with F Jonathan David up front is vital for the Reds’ attack.
The team’s success could also be partly dependent on the health of Davies, who has had to recover from a torn ACL he suffered in 2025 and a hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League this season.
MF Marcelo Flores sadly suffered a ruptured MCL ahead of the World Cup, so his absence will be felt throughout the tournament.
Plus, DF Moise Bombito has been replaced in the 26-man roster due to the team prioritizing his long-term health, so Canada’s back line could be more shorthanded than they’d prefer.
Projected Canada Formation: 4-4-2
- Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau
- Defense: Richie Laryea, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Alistair Johnston
- Midfield: Alphonso Davies, Ismael Kone, Stephen Eustaquio, Tajon Buchanan
- Forwards: Jonathan David, Tani Oluwaseyi
The Canada World Cup XI could change based on form, injuries, and matchup, but Canada’s focus could be on Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David. Ismael Kone is another name to keep tabs on.
How Canada Qualified for World Cup 2026
As one of the co-host nations of the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, Canada automatically qualified for this year’s tournament.
Best Player for Canada: Jonathan David
With Davies potentially missing the start of the World Cup or being limited throughout the tournament, F Jonathan David is a player to watch for Canada.
Although David netted only 8 goals in 46 matches across all competitions in his debut campaign for Juventus in the Serie A in 2025-26, he supplied at least 25 goals in three consecutive years at Lille in Ligue 1 before that.
David is the biggest goal-scoring threat for Canada, and he possesses a 33.33x payout to win the Golden Boot, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
What to Expect From Canada at the World Cup
FIFA World Ranking: 30
Canada Best World Cup Result: Group stage in 2022 and 1986
Entering the World Cup, Canada will be desperately seeking ways to generate more goals from open play, as they’ve tallied only 2 over their last eight matches.
The Reds are also an aggressive team that isn’t afraid to press their opponents, attempting to force their foes to make mistakes. At the same time, Canada can be overly aggressive and allow counterattacks while players can be caught out of position.
If Davies is active for manager Jesse Marsch’s side, he could be deployed as a midfielder out wide to maximize his speed and playmaking ability. This could be extremely beneficial for David up front.
Canada has failed to make it out of the group stage in their previous two World Cup appearances, but expectations are for them to qualify from a favorable Group B draw.
While Canada has gone unbeaten in their last seven international friendlies, scoreless draws against Colombia, Ecuador, and Tunisia aren’t ideal during that span.
Canada Picks for 2026 World Cup
Here are some Canada picks on PrizePicks for the 2026 World Cup. Check out more of our soccer picks and predictions on Playbook.
The World Cup payouts listed below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry pays out $200 on PrizePicks Team Picks. Payouts are live as of writing but are subject to change.
Canada to Win 2026 World Cup
Yes 33.33x | No N/A
A lack of experience and success — among other factors — in the World Cup has made Canada a major long shot to win this year’s tournament.
It would be quite the shocker to see Canada win the 2026 World Cup, let alone make an extremely deep run.
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Canada to Win World Cup Group B
Yes 2.85x | No 1.38x
Canada will be competing against Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar in Group B. Although Switzerland is the favorite to win the group, Canada does have an edge over Bosnia and Qatar, who are both 55th or worse in the FIFA World Rankings.
Winning Group B could be a tall task for Marsch’s squad, but the goal at the very least should be to make it out of the group stage for the first time in Canada’s history.
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Canada to Advance to World Cup Knockout Stage
Yes 1.11x | No 5.88x
It would be quite the disappointment for Canada not to qualify for the knockout stage, especially with the top two teams from each group and the top eight third-place teams across all groups advancing.
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Make Canada World Cup Picks on PrizePicks
It would be viewed as a big win for Canada if they are playing beyond the group stage at the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Canada doesn’t appear to have the talent or the form to compete with the premier nations in the tournament, but they could have enough to earn results in Group B.
You can make your Canada and 2026 World Cup picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money on World Cup games. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats like shots or goals, and cash in if you’re correct.
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Stick around with the Playbook for continued World Cup predictions, picks, and analysis through the end of the tournament.
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