Canada will be FIFA World Cup™ hosts for the first time in their history. The nation put on a record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2015 proving their credentials for hosting high-quality, prestigious sporting events.

The nation has qualified for one World Cup finals in their history, when they booked a place in the 1986 edition, hosted by fellow 2026 co-hosts Mexico.

Just as hosting the 1994 World Cup proved to be a turning point in the trajectory of football in the USA, 2026 will be pivotal in developing a lasting legacy for the future of Canadian soccer.

The newly-formed Canadian Premier League was founded in 2017 and played its first season in 2019 featuring eight clubs. The league will form an important part of the roadmap to the FIFA World Cup 2026. There are also three Canadian teams that compete in the Major League Soccer in Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps, representing the three largest metropolitan areas.

The country will be making more history with the 2026 World Cup by co-hosting with neighbours USA and Mexico, the first World Cup to feature three different host nations.

Various indigenous peoples inhabited what we now consider to be Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonisation. The country gained full independence from Britain on 1 July 1867 and became completely autonomous in 1982.

A highly-diverse nation, Canada's economy reflects that and is in the top ten in the world. Since the early 20th century Canada has seen a manufacturing, mining and service revolution take place, making it a more urban and industrial economy. The service industry comprises the majority of the nation's workforce. That said, the forestry and petroleum industries comprise two of the most important components of the economy. The country's currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD).

Canada is the world's second-largest country in terms of total area and is made up of a diverse range of geography from its Pacific Ocean coast to its Atlantic Ocean coast. The country is made up of 13 provinces and territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan - territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon). Ottawa is the capital city.

The country's climate is as diverse as its people. The nation's west coast in British Columbia is temperate while the north is subarctic. Temperatures in June and July range from mid-20s (Celsius) to lows in the lower teens.

English and French are both official languages in Canada. English is the mother tongue of about 56 per cent of the population while French is the mother tongue of about 21 per cent of Canadians.