Predicting the Canada Roster for the 2026 World Cup

A Young Team Set to Get Even Better

What will give Canadians hope of a better World Cup in four years is how several squad members were younger than 27 and many players are likely to be even better in 2026. 

Of course, all attention in this regard falls on the 22-year-old stars, Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David. Should they stay on track and avoid major injuries, the two Canadian youngsters could get at least another two World Cups under their belts. Tajon Buchanan and Ismaël Koné are two other names under the age of 25 who should be on the roster in 2026.

Liam Millar is another 23-year-old playing well in Europe who should get picked for the 2026 roster. Better yet, six of the seven defenders named on the 2022 World Cup roster were all under the age of 28 and they should be confident in making it to the 2026 finals, but 35-year-old Steven Vitória will likely not be in attendance. 

Canada also has to deal with the fact that Milan Borjan, 35, has probably played out his last major tournament. The two 25-year-old goalkeepers, James Pantemis and Dayne St. Clair, should be on the 2026 roster, however, while Maxime Crépeau will be 32 and hopefully not injured in 2026 like he was in 2022.

While there are plenty of young defensive players and goalkeepers for the Canadians to keep an eye on, the midfield is a little concerning. Captain Atiba Hutchinson has not yet retired from international duty, but at 39, it would be nothing short of a miracle if he made it to the World Cup at 43 in four years. Samuel Piette should still be there, however, as he will be 32 and likely captaining Canada. 

Mark-Anthony Kaye will also be 32 and he will be hopeful of making it onto the 2026 roster. At the same time, Toronto legend, Jonathan Osorio, will be 34 and the 2022 World Cup may have been the one and only in which he plays. 

The Canada under-20 team also has a bunch of players who could be with the senior team in four years. Lowell Wright and Kamron Habibullah have been impressive for the under-20 team as offensive players, while the likes of Lucas Sarakinis, Luca Koleosho and Theo Afework are all playing in some of Europe's top youth programs. 

Jessé Costa and Gabriel Pellegrino are two names who ply their trade in Germany with Wolfsburg U19s and Freiburg U19s, respectively. These two will be on the radar of the senior team over the coming years, while there are players like Rida Zouhir already playing MLS games with Montreal at 19.

Matthew Catavolo has played for Canada at under-17 and under-20 level at major competitions already and has three goals in six Canada under-20 games. He also plays regularly for Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League and he is arguably the biggest star coming out of the Canadian national youth teams right now. 

Matteo Campagna would argue his case as being the most promising Canadian youngster out there, however, with the defender standing at 6-foot-2 at just 18 and he is likely to break into the Vancouver Whitecaps team very soon. Also in defence, Jamie Knight-Lebel is another 17-year-old to note, as he plays for Bristol City U18 and Bristol has a fantastic reputation for bringing young players from its youth teams into the senior team.

Finally, we expect to see more European-based players make their way into the Canada senior team over the next few years, like Jordan Alvarez (Boavista U19), Jeronimo Sabbatasso (Empoli U19), Matteo Schiavoni (Bologna U19), Theo Afework (Nurnberg U19) and Lucas Dias (Sporting CP B).

Ultimately, with the best players for Canada all being under the age of 26, just as a few youngsters look promising in the youth programs, Canada should be confident in having an even better roster for the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

World Cup 2026 Canada Futures