Marsch says message getting through as CanMNT prepares for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on as Jesse Marsch continues to prepare for the biggest moment in Canadian men's soccer history. 

In less than a year since being named manager of the Canadian men's national team, Marsch has led the squad to numerous accomplishments, including a memorable fourth-place finish at last summer's Copa America, beating the United States on American soil for the first time since 1957 in a September friendly, and reaching No. 31 on the FIFA Men's World Rankings – the highest ever for the program.

Marsch didn't waste much time instilling his message to his players when he took the job eight months ago as John Herdman's replacement. 

"When I came into the job I really challenged them...I said 'grow up.' I didn't mean to insult them, but one of the things I said to them was too many of them played professional soccer because they were good at it and it was fun. And not enough real pursuit of excellence," Marsch told Bryan Hayes of OverDrive on Thursday. 

"I talked about, on the very first day we got together, I talked about the vision toward 2026 which was two years away at that point. I said we have to start the process now. We have to commit to the physicality, the intelligence of what we want to be and how we want to commit to it on a day-by-day basis of when we're together because we're not together all the time. And then through that it's building the mentality to make sure the belief system is so strong that it makes us feel that we're unbeatable when those matches come." 

Marsch, a 51-year-old from Wisconsin, who has also coached CF Montreal of the MLS as well as clubs in Austria, Germany and England, says the team has responded "incredibly well" to his initial message. 

"They see the reasons that I try to do the things I do with them, that I say the things, that I create really high demands for them because it's the only way for us of achieve the goals and the dreams they have for what it means to play in a home World Cup," he said.  

Canada, alongside and the United States and Mexico, will host the World Cup from June 11-July 19, 2026, which will see 48 teams compete for the first time in the tournament's history. 

However, before the monumental moment of next summer's World Cup, Canada will face a major test in a few months when they battle Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on March 20.

"Quietly, internally, we've had our eye on this for months," Marsch said of the Nations League.  

"We didn't want Copa America to be a one off. We wanted to make sure we used that as a platform for confidence and belief in the team to continue to push and grow and develop." 

The winner between Mexico and Canada will take on the winner between the United States and Panama in the final on March 23. 

After a winless effort at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as well as internal financial issues with Canada Soccer, there were many question marks regarding the program's future, especially after Herdman's departure to Toronto FC in August of 2023. 

Marsch was named coach in May of 2024 and would lead the team to a memorable run at the Copa America a few months later, highlighted by a quarter-final win over Venezuela and two hard-fought battles against Lionel Messi and World Cup champion Argentina.

One of the things Marsch and Team Canada learned from the Copa was the essential need for depth.

"In tournament play, you have to develop not just the identity of what we're creating, but also the breath and width of the player pool, so throughout tournament play we can draw on more players and we can depend on more players which will allow us to be more fresh and prepared for later stages of the tournament," Marsch explained. 

Giving teams like Argentina a run for the money has given Canada the confidence they can compete with the best in the world 

"Now the mentality in the team is, whoever we play, from anywhere around the world, we're not afraid. We believe on the day that we can win," Marsch said.  

So, what are they expectation for the 2026 World Cup? 

Marsch says they are "going to go after it."

"I've had questions all day today about 'What do you think about winning?' I'm like, why would we go into the tournament and not say we're going to win the thing? Obviously know we're a long shot, but the belief is growing and we're going to go after it," he said.

Canada will host 13 games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Canada's opening game in Toronto at BMO Field on June 12.