The 2026 World Cup Final Draw took place Friday afternoon in Washington, D.C., and soccer fans in the country’s capital were watching along eagerly to find out who the national team will be taking on the first round of the event. Canada is one of three nations’ hosting the tournament, alongside Mexico and the United States. Today’s draw revealed the great white north will be taking on Switzerland, Qatar and one of either Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first round of the FIFA World Cup. For the École secondaire catholique Paul Desmarais soccer team, today’s draw brought plenty of excitement. “I think Canada has the strongest team out of most of them. I think Canada has the chance to go through in the round of 16,” says Isaac, a student at the secondary school. “I think soccer is the best sport in the world.” At Paul Desmarais, soccer is more than just an extracurricular activity. It’s part of the school’s programming and students in the soccer class get to learn from Youth Atletico coach Bila Dicko-Raynauld., who says soccer’s popularity is growing in Canada. “We’re going to host the World Cup in 2026 and I think it’s important to develop young players from middle school, elementary school and high school,” Dicko-Raynauld said. Paul Desmarais student athlete Yusuf says he believes Canada has put together a strong team. “I like Jonathan David from Canada. He’s a very good player, very good striker. I’m looking forward for them to be playing. Hope Canada wins,” Yussuf said. Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo were present at today’s draw, alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The biggest soccer sporting event of the world will take place June 2026 with 48 teams from around the world competing and games will be played in Toronto and Vancouver.
