Canada's incredible 2026 FIFA World Cup journey has come to an end.

In many ways, it was everything I'd hoped that this World Cup would be for Canadian soccer. The squad experienced so many historic firsts throughout this tournament. They earned their first-ever point and win, reached the knockout stages for the first time and hung in with two national teams that reached the quarterfinals, all while having thousands of passionate Canadian fans backing them at every turn.

I know that many fans hoped for a deep run on home soil; I did too. But, all in all, I'd consider this World Cup a huge success and a big step forward for our national team program.

Signs of progress

As I said, when I take a step back, I truly believe the team surpassed expectations at this World Cup.

We knew that a European opponent like Bosnia and Herzegovina would be a challenge in the first game, and we showed great fight to take a point from that match. Then, in a must-win vs. Qatar, we brilliantly handled business and really showed off our goalscoring prowess.

Yes, in the final Group Stage game, we fell to a strong Switzerland team, which showed us a level of play that we can aspire to. But we bounced back in the Round of 32 with a gutsy 1-0 win over a South Africa side who played extremely tough and were difficult to break down, before falling to a top-10 ranked squad in Morocco.

I believe facing two eventual quarterfinalists, in Switzerland and Morocco, was a great measuring stick for our group. Both of these teams are among the world's elite, and their achievements should give Canada a blueprint for how to take the next step in the international game. 

Morocco, for example, have been one of the strongest breakout national team programs in the entire world since 2022. Not only have they sprung into one of the best sides at the men's senior level, but are also dominating at youth levels, recently being crowned FIFA U-20 World Cup champions. There's a lot to be admired about their program's setup, and how they rose the ranks so quickly.

This was just Canada's third World Cup appearance in the program's entire history. I think it's fair to say that with so much riding on a World Cup at home, our boys held up their end of the bargain with some really great play. 

Collectively, the players and staff stepped up well as a unit, and I think this World Cup will be looked back on as the gateway to the Canadian men's national team's future success.

Who impressed?

Now, it's hard to take one week away following Canada's elimination and immediately look ahead four years to the 2030 World Cup. But it's equally important to highlight some areas and players who really boosted their stock at this tournament and put us in a good place to continue building toward the next World Cup.

Firstly, I would be remiss not to address the injuries that the team had to deal with throughout the tournament. We had key players constantly battling injuries during this World Cup.

Who knows how things could have changed if Alphonso Davies was 100% healthy, if Ismaël Koné had not suffered a brutal leg injury, or if players like Moïse Bombito and Stephen Eustáquio weren't forced to manage minutes.

With that said, I was extremely impressed with so many young players who stepped up in their places. Luc de Fougerolles played significant minutes and was excellent all tournament at center back. He looks to be a truly dependable defender for years to come.

Similarly, Nathan Saliba stepped in brilliantly following Koné's injury. He filled so many gaps in the center of midfield without missing a beat. He showed incredible heart and passion in a really important role and personally, I think he was one of the best center midfielders in the entire World Cup.

Even Jacob Shaffelberg, Jayden Nelson, Ali Ahmed and Niko Sigur put their best foot forward and provided a spark in the limited minutes they received! I'm really happy for those guys.

Finally, going into the tournament, the goalkeeper position was one of the most talked about positions on the field for Canada. I think that our goalkeeping group more than answered the bell at this tournament. Maxime Crépeau came through in a big way numerous times throughout the World Cup. Let me tip my cap to that group from top to bottom; they were superb both in the on-field play and their support for one another.

Next steps

Now that Canada's 2026 World Cup has come to a close, it's time to look at how this team can make that jump up to competing for a quarterfinal spot, or better, at the 2030 edition. 

It starts at the grassroots level. Soccer is a sport that will continue to grow in our country, especially off the back of such an amazing experience in a home World Cup. We need to be taking advantage of that opportunity.

In order to bridge the gap between Canada and the France's, the Germany's and the Argentina's of the world, we need to focus on making the game available to everyone, of all ages. I just hope that we spend the resources focusing on that, focusing on working with the coaches who want to drive the program and young players from all different ways of life forward.

Canada is a nation made up of so many different backgrounds, but bringing players from all different lifestyles together at an early age, to play, regardless of where they're from, has the potential to shape a powerful soccer culture in this nation.

Fans and athletes alike are interested in our sport now. They want to learn more. They want it to grow.

We also need to make watching and loving the Canadian national team more accessible to the fanbase. So many fans got the chance to watch the team in person this summer and fell in love with not only the sport, but with their national team, as well. We have to make sure those people who experienced soccer for the first time and enjoyed it so much can watch the CanMNT again, whether in person or on TV, to continue growing our fanbase.

We're still just scratching the surface of what soccer is capable of in our nation, but we've come such a long way in a very short time. If we create good habits, we create good fan bases, and if we support the fan bases and let them authentically support their clubs, I believe a true soccer culture and identity will be born in this country.

That can take Canada to the next level.