The ex-Leeds United manager and the injured hero hoping to write Canada into World Cup history
Co-hosts Canada have kept out of the headlines ahead of the World Cup - and almost nobody really know just how good they’re going to be.
The World Cup is getting underway against a deeply political backdrop. Civil unease across Mexico, and the ceaseless controversies of the Trump administration have heavily overshadowed the build-up in two of the there host nations. In Canada, by contrast, everything seems rather more serene.
There has been wrangling over ticket prices – an issue which has extended beyond the American border – and concern over the cost of hosting the tournament, but when Canada take on Bosnia & Herzegovina on Friday it will represent a rare opportunity for football fans to follow FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s patronising advice and “chill” for a little while. Unless, of course, you’re Jesse Marsch.
The former Leeds manager leading Canada into the unknown
The former Leeds manager was widely pilloried for his efforts at Elland Road, but his struggles in the Premier League didn’t dissuade Canada from handing the head coaching job in 2024 – and his reputation has been rehabilitated under the maple leaf flag.
Although born on the other side of the American border in Wisconsin, the 52-year-old Marsch has been outspoken about his pride in his adopted country, and last year attacked Donald Trump’s call for Canada to become the ‘51st State’ as “unsettling and frankly insulting.”
“Canada is a strong, independent nation that’s deeply rooted in decency.” Marsch said in February 2025. “It’s a place that values high ethics and respect, unlike the polarized, disrespectful and often now hate-fuelled climate that’s in the US.”
So much for chilling out and keeping the politics out of it, then. Marsch will hope he’s able to focus on the football, but it would be no surprise if he found himself dragged into whatever debates rage south of his side’s tournament base in Vancouver – so long as they can stay in their first home World Cup for long enough for it to matter.
This will only be Canada’s third World Cup, and they have never made it past the group stage. They face an intriguing mixture of opponents as they work to right that wrong: A Qatari team that have won just won game in the last year, a stolid Swiss side that conceded just two goals in qualifying – and Bosnia & Herzegovina, Friday’s opponents and the nation that knocked Italy out of contention back in March.
Despite that historic victory, this Bosnian side is unfancied as the competition begins but between thrilling teenage winger Kerim Alajbegović, veteran striker Edin Džeko and centre-back Tarik Muharemović - one of the standout defenders in Serie A over the past season – they have the spine of a team that could easily stop Canadian hopes cold.
It’s not so very long ago that Canada Soccer was paying networks to televise their games, but football has been thrust into the limelight in a country that’s normally more concerned with ice hockey. Alanis Morissette signed on as a team ambassador in April, and Drake has designed new Nike tracksuits for the squad to wear. The result is a dizzying blend of optimism and uncertainty. Few pundits feel certain about just how good Canada are going to be.
What are Canada’s chances of a good World Cup run?
Look at Canada’s pre-tournament form from one angle, and it looks promising – since they were knocked out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup by Guatemala on penalties a little under a year ago, they have lost just one of 11 matches. Look at it all from the other side, however, and there is clearly a lot of work to be done: They have only scored nine goals in their last 10 games.
That latter statistic is slightly surprising given that they have some serious firepower up front. Juventus striker Jonathan David endured a disappointing debut campaign in Serie A but still boats an excellent career scoring record, and his pace and finishing make him lethal when he can get in behind the defence. His namesake but not relation, Promise David, is a powerful target man and a rapidly rising star of the Belgian league, while Southampton’s Cyle Larin scored 13 goals in 16 games in qualifying ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Behind a pacy and potentially dangerous attack, there is plenty of industry. Marsch seems to think about his team’s shape out of possession first and foremost, and there is a strong focus on pressing and counter-pressing. He demands a lot of hard yards from his midfield – fortunately, they are prepared to give them to him.
Sassuolo’s Ismaël Koné is a player could make a big name for himself if Canada do well this summer. An energetic box-to-box midfielder who may also be his country’s technically-gifted playmaker, the 24-year-old has become the beating heart of the side over the past year or so. If he plays to his best, Canada have a very real chance to progress and create a small piece of history on home soil.
It would all be a lot easier if they could count on the fitness of Alphonso Davies, comfortably the finest player that Canada has ever produced. The versatile Bayern Munich star, who will most likely play at left-back if he can, has been bedevilled by fitness issues over the past two seasons and enters the tournament carrying a lingering hamstring injury. He hasn’t played in over a month and is a doubt for their opening match in Toronto.
Some of the foundations for a first-ever run to the knockout rounds seem to be firmly in place. Others look a little bit wonky. This could be a disaster or a roaring success and neither outcome would be much of a surprise. All that can be certain is that Canada has never been quite so excited about a World Cup before – and that they might just offer an oasis of calm away from all the controversy. Perhaps.