Jesse Marsch is determined to make every international window count for the Canadian men’s national team in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the continuation through the 24-player roster for the October friendlies zeros in on his focus.
Following a disappointing quarterfinal exit against Guatemala at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, Canada rebounded as best they could with September friendly wins over Romania and Wales, claiming back-to-back victories against UEFA teams in their home nations for the first time.
Those results lifted Canada to a program-record No. 26 in the FIFA World Rankings.
Now the focus turns as Canada takes on No. 25-ranked Australia on Oct. 10 in Montreal, before heading to New Jersey as the visiting team against No. 16-ranked Colombia.
With more testing friendlies and a core group of players returning, it represents a critical opportunity for Marsch to continue building, with hopes his side can be in the best form and health possible come June 12, 2026, when Canada opens the World Cup at BMO Field in Toronto.
Here are takeaways from Canada’s roster. The full roster is listed below.
