Complete Commitment: Canada Ready for Pivotal Summer One Year Out from Home World Cup | OneFootball

There is complete buy-in for the Canadian men’s national team as it prepares to take on the world at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

While several teams in Concacaf, including the U.S. and Mexico, have struggled to secure commitments from their top talents for summer friendlies and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, Canada has been able to rely on its stars, hoping to capitalize on each opportunity.

On Saturday, Canada will kick off its summer with the Canadian Shield, an invitational tournament featuring Canada, Ukraine, the Ivory Coast and New Zealand, with the Canadians taking on Ukraine and the Ivory Coast.

That sets the stage for the Concacaf Gold Cup, which Canada will open in Vancouver against Honduras on June 17, followed by group matches against El Salvador and Curaçao.

It’s all part of the bigger plan, of making a deep run at next year’s main event.

Jonathan David, on the premise of making a career-defining move at club level, is set to captain the squad through the summer, while other stars, including FC Porto’s Stephen Eustáquio and Stade Rennais’ Ismaël Koné, are also joining the team despite gruelling seasons in Europe.

“I didn’t have one player call me and say maybe they needed the summer off or needed a break, I think every player understands the gravity and the importance of the situation that we are in as a national team,” Canada head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters Friday.

“No one wants to let the national team down, and no one wants to miss the opportunity to play in a home World Cup. So the motivation and inspiration for the team is clear, and for me, it’s just now about raising the standards and demands for how good we can be as a team.”

Although the larger goal of being ready and in top form for next year’s World Cup is of utmost importance, the Canadian group is also clear about the significance of the building blocks that make up the greater effort.

This summer, it’s about winning the Gold Cup, which would be their first trophy since they won the tournament in 2000, and also making strides against every opponent.

That starts with the four-team invitational tournament, with an emphasis on a first UEFA challenger on home turf in 24 years, and a strong rising African team in the Ivory Coast.

“You’re always looking ahead to the World Cup. It’s now about imagining the types of opponents that you could be getting in that tournament from all around the world and what those games feel like, what those opponents play like, and those kinds of tactical nuances,” Marsch said.

“There are differences between all the different teams in the various regions, but I think for all of our teams and players to experience what it is like to play in these levels of games is important for the overall development.”

Since Marsch took the lead with the men’s national team, the long-term vision has consistently centred on the World Cup. Last year, his reign began with high-profile friendlies against France and the Netherlands, before Canada went on to face Argentina and other strong South American opposition at the Copa América.

Without the pressure of a World Cup qualifying cycle, it fell on Marsch and Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue to seek out other opportunities in 2025, such as the Canadian Shield, which Canada Soccer is hosting in tandem with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group of the MLS side Toronto FC, as well as the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

While the sporting side of the invitational tournament is clear, pitting already qualified Canada and New Zealand against challenging opponents—Ukraine ranks No. 25 in the World and the Ivory Coast No. 41—it is also a dress rehearsal for Toronto’s BMO Field as a World Cup host, given its where Canada opens its 2026 tournament, before playing the rest of the group stage in Vancouver.

Who Will Play for Canada at the Canadian Shield?

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's Promise David recently switched to represent Canada instead of Nigeria and could earn his first cap at the Canadian Shield. / Courtesy of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

While most of the players, except for the injured Alphonso Davies and Moise Bombito, are with the group, team selection at the Canadian Shield could be fluid due to the status of several players.

For David, who has been linked to Napoli and other European giants, there will be playing time, with the awareness of not wanting to push him to play the full 90 minutes in both matchups, not only to keep him fit for a new club but also for the Gold Cup.

“He’s ready to go. He’s ready to play. We’ll be looking to use our entire squad, so don't expect him to play 180 minutes,” Marsch said of the former Lille striker. “I expect him to feature in one of the matches, and maybe off the bench in the other. He is calm and ready to perform for the national team.”

At the same time, the three Vancouver Whitecaps players, who recently returned from losing the Concacaf Champions Cup Final 5–0 to Cruz Azul, could be in doubt to start the summer after contracting a virus that has caused gastrointestinal symptoms, which Marsch alleged was a deliberate act against the Whitecaps.

“I’m still recovering, but I’m feeling okay....the first couple of hours, we realized it was a bad sickness and everything that went in just came out,”  Whitecaps and Canada midfielder Jayden Nelson said Friday. “For me, it’s not a coincidence that two years in a row the same situation happened, but what can we do now?”

Other potential roster questions loom at the striker position, including how Canada could utilize striker Promise David, who recently led Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian league title in 93 years.

Additionally, Celtic's Alistair Johnston and Davies will be unavailable in Toronto, leaving questions about who could fill in alongside OGC Nice’s Derek Cornelius and Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea on the backline

After Canada kicks off the tournament on Saturday against Ukraine at 3:30 p.m. ET, they look ahead to Tuesday’s clash with the Ivory Coast, before eyeing a trophy run at the Gold Cup.