‘We can achieve great things’: Canada calm, confident ahead of home World Cup

“A home World Cup is special. But we’re really calm and focused, and I think this group is really ready for this moment,” Marsch said at the team’s training camp in Charlotte, N.C., last month.

“We know it’s a big tournament and we know it’s a big moment, but it doesn’t help us to get all hyped up every moment of every day.”

When Canada takes the field against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday, it will mark the first time the country has hosted a World Cup game.

Soccer fans have long been anticipating the moment and are expected to form a boisterous, red-clad crowd in and around the stadium.

“It’s going to be crazy when it comes to the fans making noise and wanting to cheer,” said Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio. “But at the same time, we players, we are the ones that play. And I think that we need to be calm, we need to control the situation.”

Getting caught up in the atmosphere could lead to trouble on the field, he added.

“Because sometimes too much feeling, if you’re way too nervous or have anxiety or whatever, it can lead you to do things in the game that are big mistakes,” said the country’s vice captain. “And I think the fact that we’re calm makes us really concentrate on what we need to do, the simple things, the base things. I think that’s the only way that we can tilt the game our way.”

The national squad has grown to trust and believe not only in themselves individually but in each other, said goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

They know that when adversity inevitably strikes, it will be important for them to band together and stay focused.

“We know that calmness is what’s going to help us in some chaotic moments. Because, of course, playing at home, there’s going to be some chaos,” he said. “At a World Cup, there’s always chaos, whether it’s a bad referee call, a red card, an injury — there’s always something when you play in a tournament that’s over a month long. There’s always something that doesn’t go your way.”

Canada is making its third appearance at the tournament, but has yet to claim its first World Cup victory.

Heading into Friday’s matchup, the nation is ranked 30th in FIFA’s standings and will face No. 65 Bosnia, No. 55 Qatar and No. 19 Switzerland in Group B play.

Expectations for the team are different this year than at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when Canada returned to soccer’s biggest stage after a 36-year absence.

Four years ago, Canadians were simply excited that the country was back in, said defender Richie Laryea.

“I think everyone had their eyes set on this home World Cup and didn’t even really believe, I guess — apart from us within the group — that we’d make that (2022) World Cup,” he said. “So I think just getting there was enough for the majority of people outside looking in. But now, this time around, I think fans, ourselves, anyone in and/or related to Canada Soccer are looking for us to do very well.”

Canada lost all three of its group-stage matches in Qatar, but made history when star left back Alphonso Davies scored the nation’s first World Cup goal in a 4-1 loss to Croatia.

Hopes for this year have been buoyed by the team’s results over the past four years, including a semifinal finish at the 2024 Copa America.

“I think pressure-wise, we have done well just being able to play in tournaments like Copa America and just see what knockout soccer is like,” Laryea said. “Just narrowing it down to us once again and focusing on what we can control and not letting the noise from outside the group affect us.”

Canadian players have also broken into the world’s biggest leagues, with Davies playing for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, winger Tajon Buchanan and striker Tani Oluwaseyi suiting up for La Liga’s Villarreal, and striker Jonathan David — the men’s team’s all-time leading scorer — starring for Juventus in Serie A.

People around the globe are starting to see the nation’s soccer talent, Buchanan said.

“Obviously, growing up we didn’t have a lot of that, and I didn’t really have a lot of people to look up to in that way,” he said. “And now that we have so many Canadians playing at such a high level, playing in the best leagues, and for some of the biggest clubs, I think it’s just showing where this sport is going in our country. We’re just creating new heights for this sport. And it’s amazing to see.”

The World Cup is a “different beast” from club soccer or other international tournaments, Eustaquio said, and Canada will need to be at its highest level.

Injuries have plagued the group for months, leaving question marks hovering over some key players — including Davies — just days before kick-off.

Still, the squad remains strong and confident, Eustaquio said, with a belief that if they work hard and be themselves, they have the ability to push any opponent to the brink.

“I think we have the best group of guys possible in our country to represent Canada and to go through things properly,” he said.  ” But at the same time, we’re talking about one mistake difference that can take us out of the tournament. I just think we’re at our highest level, and if the tournament goes well, I think it’s deserved. But at the same time, it can go wrong, and we just have to wait and see.”

This year’s World Cup is bigger than ever, with 48 teams competing in 104 games in 16 host cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Each nation — including Canada — believes they have what it takes to raise the trophy following the final on July 19, St. Clair said.

“All 48 teams are now going into the World Cup with the idea and the thought that they can win it. And if they’re not, they shouldn’t be there,” he said. “Of course, only one team’s going to end up winning, but we’re all competitors.

“I think that’s why we’re at this stage. We think, and we believe, we truly do, that we can achieve great things.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

‘We can achieve great things’: Canada calm, confident ahead of home World Cup

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