FIFA provides glimpse of what could await Canadian men's team for 2026 World Cup

Canada could kick off its 2026 World Cup campaign against No. 66 Jordan, No. 68 Cabo Verde, No. 72 Ghana or No. 86 New Zealand. But the Canadian men could also face No. 12 Italy in their June 12 opener at Toronto's BMO Field.

And Jesse Marsch's team would face co-host Mexico in the Round of 32 if both teams finish runner-up in their groups.

While the exact tournament pathway won't be known until the Dec. 5 draw at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., FIFA released details of the draw procedure on Tuesday, providing a hint at what could lie ahead.

The draw will flesh out the 12 groups at the expanded 48-team, 104-game soccer showcase with the three co-hosts assigned positions -- No. 15 Mexico in Group A, No. 27 Canada in Group B and the 14th-ranked United States in Group D.

The three co-hosts and the nine top-ranked teams will be placed in Pot A, with the remaining entries divided by descending ranking in Pot B, C and D.

But Pot D will also include six potentially higher-ranked teams that emerge from the FIFA Playoff Tournament and European playoff matches.

Four teams will come from the 16-country European playoff field, which includes No. 12 Italy, No. 21 Denmark, No. 25 Turkey, No. 28 Ukraine, No. 31 Poland, No. 32 Wales, No. 43 Sweden, No. 44 Czechia, No. 45 Slovakia, No. 47 Romania, No. 59 Ireland, No. 63 Albania, No. 65 North Macedonia, No. 69 Northern Ireland, No. 71 Bosnia-Herzegovina and No. 80 Kosovo.

Two more will come from the six-country playoff tournament that features No. 56 Congo DR, No. 58 Iraq, No. 70 Jamaica, No. 76 Bolivia, No. 123 Suriname and No. 149 New Caledonia.

Canada cannot face another team from CONCACAF in its opening group.

FIFA says the decision to