Canada may be a host for the 2026 World Cup, but there is no real optimism surrounding their chances of embarking on a good run, let alone lifting the trophy itself.
Here, we'll look at why that is the case, and which players might help the odds against Canada's finest tumble just under two years from now.
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Current Canada World Cup odds
Since the outright market for the 2026 World Cup went live earlier in 2024, Canada have seen their odds stuck at an astronomic 200/1. That's quite a telling price compared to the likes of France, Brazil, England (all at 7/1) and reigning world champions Argentina (10/1), all of whom have yet to seal qualification for the finals.
To give some context to the 200/1 price against Canada, 17 teams currently command a shorter price than them. The 200/1 price is also available for Sweden, Ecuador and Chile, none of whom have made it beyond the quarter-finals in three decades of World Cup action since the end of the competition's last stateside edition.
Meanwhile, the best odds for a team that has never lifted the World Cup can be found with Portugal, who are currently 16/1 to finally lift the world's greatest prize.
World Cup record fuels long Canada World Cup odds
Although much can change in the typical four-year gap between World Cup tournaments, Canada's history in the competition's finals only underlines the long odds against them. Bluntly put, the Canadians have played six… and lost six.
At face value, that implies no progress was made in the 36 years separating Canada's only prior World Cup appearances. The only source of comfort will be that they at least managed to score twice in Qatar, with Alphonso Davies memorably giving Canada some fleeting hope of victory over then-silver medal holders Croatia with a second-minute strike in Al Rayyan.
Canada's best international players
At this very early point, nations with a heavier presence of players who ply their trade in a ‘big five' European top-flight league have more favourable odds. Sadly, Canada is not one of them, with a majority of the current squad being MLS players. Yet, there are several standout stars who will be in their mid-to-late 20s (their peak years as professionals) when the World Cup rolls around.
Of course, there are no surprises when it comes to speculating who Canada's MVP of 2026 could be. Alphonso Davies will still be just 25 years old when he appears at the next World Cup, and will presumably do so having won more club-level trophies, given that he is a Bayern Munich regular and a transfer target for the very best clubs, including Real Madrid by all accounts.
Lille striker Jonathan David, who will be 26 two years from now, has high potential be a feared force after an illustrious 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign over in France. Alongside Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, David was ‘best of the rest' behind runaway top scorer Kylian Mbappe with 19 goals last term. Of those 19 strikes, 10 served to open the scoring and eight were decisive matchwinners, so David is certainly no stranger to taking the initiative.
