Canadian men’s soccer coach Marsch says team hopes to crack top 24 in world rankings

TORONTO — The memorable FIFA World Cup buzz has long dissipated from BMO Field and the temporary grandstands have been taken down.

The Canadian men’s soccer team’s wild ride to the round of 16 in the tournament began with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina at the lakefront venue in west-end Toronto last June.

The team returns to the same pitch Saturday night against Chile to kick off a new four-year cycle as it aims to return to the tournament in 2030.

“It was an incredible experience for all of us,” Marsch said Friday. “And I’m very proud of the team and I’m proud of the country for how we showed up. But now it’s time to get back to work.”

The 30th-ranked Canadians face No. 49 Chile in the first of three international friendlies over the span of two weeks.

Saturday’s game will be Canada’s first since dropping a 3-0 decision to Morocco on July 4 in Houston. It was the first time Canada had reached the knockout stage of the tournament.

With a new quadrennial at hand, Marsch said the team has set a long-term goal of reaching the top 24 in the world rankings as it looks to qualify for 2030 in Portugal, Morocco and Spain.

He added that would give Canada a seeding in the second pot of teams and a better chance of drawing a more manageable group. Qualification matches will take place later in the quadrennial.

Canada made huge strides last summer in its third-ever World Cup appearance. As tournament co-host with the U.S., and Mexico, Canada was fuelled by raucous home crowds in Toronto and Vancouver en route to its first Round of 32 appearance.

Canada defeated South Africa 1-0 in Los Angeles to secure a berth in the Round of 16.

“I think it was a great moment in history for this country and for this team,” Marsch said. “But I think we all want to continue to use that experience to catapult us to making new history and setting new standards.”

That process begins Saturday with a lineup missing a few big names.

Captain Alphonso Davies (honeymoon) was not named to the 26-man roster. Defender defender Derek Cornelius (hip) and midfielder Jeevan Badwal (hamstring) are out after recent injuries. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau (personal) was also unavailable.

Marsch did provide an update on the Cornelius injury suffered during a training session earlier in the week.

“It was a bit of a gruesome injury,” the coach said. “It was just the way that it happened and we all could see and hear right away that Derek was severely injured.”

Marsch said doctors were able to “sort of pop his hip back in,” adding the injury was not as severe as first feared.

Canada’s roster for Saturday features 17 veterans of the World Cup squad, including the recently married Stephen Eustaquio, who scored the lone goal in the win over South Africa.

Striker Cyle Larin, who tallied in the draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Canada’s opener, also returns after a hot start to the English Championship season.

Younger players include 21-year-old Motherwell defender Jamie Knight-Lebel and 18-year-old Toronto FC defender Richard Chukwu.

“I feel it’s up to a lot of us who have been around for a long time to help the new players coming in adapt to the style and what they need,” said midfielder Liam Millar, who played at the last two World Cups.

Canada will entertain No. 50 Peru in an Oct. 3 friendly in Montreal before taking on the 16th-ranked United States on Oct. 6 in St. Paul, Minn.

Winger Junior Hoilett, who plans to retire from international duty after the friendlies, will be honoured Saturday for his 11-year run with the national team.

He said he’s proud of the strides the team has made over the last decade.

“We’ve made history,” Hoilett said. “But there’s a lot more barriers to knock down and a lot more history to be made.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press