Things will start to feel very real for FIFA World Cup 2026™ co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA on 5 December when the final draw for next year’s showpiece takes place in Washington DC.
While the rest of the world has been fully engaged in their respective qualifying campaigns, the three Concacaf nations have been busily preparing themselves so they can hit the ground running on home soil when things kick off next June.
Prior to Friday’s final draw, FIFA take a look at the latest from the three co-hosts.
Canada
Group B
12 June – Toronto Stadium
18 June – Vancouver Stadium
24 June – Vancouver Stadium
Since their disappointing Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Guatemala, Jesse Marsch’s Canada have enjoyed a run of very good performances, especially on the defensive end, with just one goal conceded in the six friendlies since.
The September window saw them roll past Romania 3-0 and top Wales 1-0, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Australia and a goalless draw with Colombia in October. They then capped the year in November with a scoreless stalemate against Ecuador and a 2-0 win over Venezuela.
Marsch plans to have an additional camp in January to get extra time with Canada’s players based in either Major League Soccer (MLS) or the Canadian Premier League (CPL). He’ll no doubt appreciate the chance for further observation, as several position areas remain the subject of debate.
Dayne St. Clair was given the nod at goalkeeper in Canada’s matches against higher-ranked opponents (Ecuador, Wales, Colombia) during the three recent windows, but will still face stiff competition from Maxime Crepeau.
A welcome development in 2026 will be the return from injury of star left-back Alphonso Davies. In the interim, Richie Laryea has filled in nicely, giving Marsch the flexibility to possibly experiment with pushing Davies forward into more of a left midfield role, or vice-versa.
The stellar play of centre-backs Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius, along with central midfielders Ismael Kone and Stephen Eustaquio have given Canada a healthy spine, as evidenced by their five recent clean sheets.
Winger Jacob Shaffelburg was a revelation during Canada’s run to the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America semi-finals, but injuries have plagued him in 2025 and no doubt Marsch would love to see the ‘Maritime Messi’ from Nova Scotia recover his previous form. Meanwhile, at centre-forward, all signs point toward Jonathan David serving as Canada’s main marksman at the global finals.
Marsch is certainly relishing the opportunity to fine-tune his list over the next six-plus months.
“When I first came, I felt like maybe we had 12, 13 names that I could probably write on the board and say, ‘Alright, these players are probably going to be in the World Cup in two years,’” he said in a recent press conference. “Now I think that list is going to 25. It’s really going to challenge me to figure out who are the right players to include in the World Cup come next summer.”
Mexico
Group A
11 June – Mexico City Stadium
18 June – Guadalajara Stadium
24 June – Mexico City Stadium
Mexico felt on top of the world last July after conquering their tenth Concacaf Gold Cup by defeating rivals and co-hosts USA in the final. But they have endured a rocky stretch since the champagne dried, going winless in their following six matches.
A scoreless draw with Japan and a 2-2 final with Korea Republic in September was followed by a 4-0 defeat to Colombia and a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in October. November then concluded with a goalless draw against Uruguay and a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay. More of concern to head coach Javier Aguirre will be the team having mustered just four goals in that period, while yielding nine.
For a decade-and-a-half the otherworldly performances from Guillermo Ochoa on the World Cup stage kept Mexico in safe hands, and following Qatar 2022 many assumed the No1 torch would be passed to Luis Malagon. But recent mistakes have plagued the 28-year-old and it might lead to Aguirre leaning on the 40-year-old Ochoa one last time.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora continues to marvel after his breakout performance in the Gold Cup and subsequent scintillating display at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™.
Mexico still enjoy a very healthy set-up at centre-back and central midfield with defensive pair Johan Vasquez and Cesar Montes, with the indispensable Edson Alvarez playing in front of them. An injury to right-back Rodrigo Huescas was cause for concern, but Israel Reyes has allayed fears there, while Jesus Gallardo remains solid at left-back.
Up front is where Aguirre is still trying to fit all the pieces. An injury to striker Santiago Gimenez has placed a greater burden on Raul Jimenez, but Gimenez is expected back in 2026, so to have that duo firing on all cylinders, would solve some of the scoring woes. It would also greatly benefit Aguirre to see the likes of attacking players Roberto Alvarado and Hirving Lozano return to their best form.
“I’m not going to single anyone out because I shouldn’t, but it’s clear that there are players who want to and can, and others who want to but perhaps can’t, who aren’t quite there yet,” said Aguirre after the Paraguay match. “But that’s precisely what it’s all about: continuing to search for the ideal 11, continuing to search for the way to make it happen, to get the ball out of the back.”
USA
Group D
12 June – Los Angeles Stadium
19 June – Seattle Stadium
25 June – Los Angeles Stadium
2025 certainly a year of change for USA. A total of 71 players were called by head coach Mauricio Pochettino during the year, as the Argentinian tactician continues put his stamp on the Stars and Stripes.
There were painful defeats in the first half of the year, with USA falling to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League finals, plus a loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final. But an inflection point came after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Korea Republic to start the September window. Pochettino shifted to playing three at the back, and along with an energetic response from the players, USA were deserved 2-0 winners over Japan.
More positivity came from the 1-1 draw against Ecuador and a 2-1 win over Australia in October, but it was the November window that got people’s attention, as USA defeated Paraguay 2-1 and then walloped Uruguay 5-1 to give themselves a five-match unbeaten streak, all against opponents qualified for the World Cup.
Gio Reyna, a player known for his creativity but that has been riddled by injuries or a lack of playing time at club level, sparkled against Paraguay with a goal and an assist. His performance also embodied the toughness that Pochettino has instilled in the team, with an insatiable thirst to win the challenge in 50-50s and win the ball back. A fierce internal competition has expelled complacency and bred a healthy culture that is yielding results for the collective.
Like their North American counterparts, USA have a good stable of centre-backs from which to choose, with Chris Richards and Tim Ream leading the way. Wingbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman have stormed on the scene in 2025, adding depth to the position with Qatar 2022 veterans Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson.
Pochettino continues to experiment in midfield, with Tanner Tessman, Cristian Roldan, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie as some of the names rising to the surface, while going forward in attack Maik Tillman and Diego Luna have joined a mix with mainstays like Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Folarin Balogun.
If anything, the biggest transformation within the USA team under Pochettino in the last year is their mentality, and it bodes well for 2026.
“It reaffirms all the concepts,” Pochettino said after the Uruguay win. “The time invested, working for a year to be able to change things that we thought could be better. It is clear that the result, or the victory, does not give us three points. But it gives us the conviction to continue working, the conviction that we are on the right track, that we started a project with a lot of difficulty, but that little by little we have turned it around.”
