Canada will feature at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as co-hosts alongside Mexico and the United States, returning to football’s biggest stage for a third time and stepping into the global spotlight on home soil.
Under the guidance of American head coach Jesse Marsch, Les Rouges enter the tournament buoyed by a strong run of form, their highest-ever FIFA ranking of 26th, and the expectation that they can, for the first time in their history, progress beyond the group stage.
For Palace Under-21s ‘keeper Owen Goodman, however, the story is a personal one as much as an international one – the culmination of a rapid rise through the English football pyramid and into his first World Cup squad.
Goodman’s international story began far from South London. Born in Edmonton, Canada, he moved to Alliston, Ontario, at the age of five, where he spent his formative years and first developed his connection to the game.
Initially playing outfield, Goodman’s switch to ‘keeper came almost by accident – a decision driven by a desire to remain involved in training sessions and continue playing regularly.
Those early years in Canada proved foundational. Growing up in a small Ontario town, Goodman developed a strong sense of identity tied to the country he now represents. Although he returned to England at the age of 13 due to family circumstances, his connection to Canada endured.
As he progressed through the Palace Academy, Goodman began attracting international attention. His first youth call-up came from England at Under-18 level in 2021, before Canada handed him his Under-20 debut the following year.
In April 2022, Goodman was named in the Canada Under-20 squad and featured in two friendlies against Costa Rica U20s, marking the beginning of his involvement with the Canadian national programme.
He later returned to the England set-up, representing the Under-20 side across several camps in 2023 and making one appearance against the USA.
While his international experience continued to grow, so too did his development at club level. A defining period followed during the 2023/24 season, when Goodman made 40 appearances on loan at Colchester United before stepping up again in 2024/25 with AFC Wimbledon.
That campaign proved pivotal. Across 54 competitive appearances for the Dons, Goodman kept 25 clean sheets, including a run of three consecutive shutouts during the League Two play-offs. His performances earned him the League Two Golden Glove award and a place in the division’s Team of the Season.
The recognition extended beyond club football. Following his standout season with Wimbledon, Goodman was selected for England Under-21s' pre-European Championship training squad.
After securing a loan move to League One side Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2025, his international journey took another significant step forward.
In October 2025, Goodman officially received Canadian citizenship, bringing him into contention for senior selection under head coach Marsch. At the time, Canada were entering their final international window of the year having climbed to a record FIFA ranking of 26th following victories over Romania and Wales.
The following month, Goodman received his first senior Canada call-up for fixtures against Ecuador and Venezuela. Although he did not feature in either matchday squad, it marked his first involvement at senior international level.
He remained part of the wider squad during the March international window, with Canada facing Iceland and Tunisia. On both occasions, he was named among the substitutes as he continued to integrate into the senior set-up.
His involvement increased further during the final stages of Canada's World Cup preparations. In May, Goodman was called into the senior training camp in Charlotte ahead of the announcement of the World Cup squad.
That week culminated in the biggest moment of his international career to date, as he was successfully named in Canada’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – his first senior tournament call-up.
He subsequently joined the group for the final phase of preparation and was part of the matchday squad for Canada’s final two pre-tournament friendlies: a 2–0 victory over Uzbekistan in Edmonton on Tuesday, 2nd June and a 1–1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Montréal on Friday, 5th June. On both occasions, he remained an unused substitute.
Now, Goodman finds himself on football’s biggest stage, with Canada preparing to open their World Cup campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina tomorrow (Friday, 12th June, 20:00 BST).
Canada qualified automatically as one of the three co-host nations alongside Mexico and the United States, securing their place without participating in the CONCACAF qualification pathway.
It will be their third appearance at a FIFA World Cup, following previous campaigns in 1986 and 2022, and their first time competing as tournament hosts.
Canada’s World Cup history is limited but notable.
Their first appearance came at Mexico 1986, where they were drawn into a group containing France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.
Despite a strong qualifying campaign in CONCACAF – topping a group that included Guatemala and Haiti – Canada were unable to register a point at the finals. A narrow opening defeat to France was followed by losses to Hungary and the Soviet Union, as they exited at the group stage without scoring.
Their second appearance came at Qatar 2022, where they qualified impressively by topping their final CONCACAF qualifying group.
Drawn into a challenging group alongside Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, Les Rouges did show attacking intent but fell short in all three matches. Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal, netting early against Croatia, but the team ultimately finished without a point.
Across their two appearances, Canada are still searching for their first World Cup victory, having lost all six matches played at the Finals to date.
Canada's three goalkeepers are Maxime Crépeau from Orlando City, Dayne St. Clair from Inter Miami, and of course Goodman.
The defenders named in the squad are: Moïse Bombito from OGC Nice, Derek Cornelius from Olympique de Marseille, Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich, Luc de Fougerolles from Fulham, Alistair Johnston from Celtic, Alfie Jones from Middlesbrough, Richie Laryea from Toronto, Niko Sigur from Hadjuk Split and Joel Waterman from Chicago Fire.
Midfielders taking part are: Ali Ahmed from Norwich City, Tajon Buchanan from Villarreal CF, Mathieu Choinière from LAFC, Stephen Eustáquio from FC Porto, Marcelo Flores from Tigres UANL, Ismaël Koné from U.S. Sassuolo Calcio, Liam Millar from Hull City, Jonathan Osorio from Toronto, Nathan Saliba from R.S.C. Anderlecht and Jacob Shaffelburg from LAFC.
The rest of the squad will feature forwards: Jonathan David from Juventus, Promise David from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Cyle Larin from RCD Mallorca, and Tani Oluwaseyi from Villarreal CF.
Canada have been drawn in Group B alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland, with matches spread across Toronto and Vancouver.
Alphonso Davies’ journey to becoming Canada’s global superstar began in extraordinary circumstances. Born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled civil war in Liberia, he moved to Canada aged five.
He attended his first football training session speaking limited English and without proper boots – and is now widely regarded as the greatest player in Canadian football history.
*Broadcasters are UK