Canadian men to host Uzbekistan in June 1 friendly in Edmonton ahead of World Cup

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch signals to his players during a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match between Venezuela and Canada in Arlington, Texas, Friday, July 5, 2024. Marsch is hitting the road next month for a series of coaching workshops for provincial coaches across Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Tony Gutierrez

The Canadian men’s soccer team is returning to Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, although this time it’s for a game in June not November.

“So we’re fairly confident snow pants won’t be a requirement,” quipped Arlindo Gomes, vice-president of business development and venues management for Explore Edmonton.

Canada’s last game at Commonwealth was an infamous 2-1 frigid win over Mexico in a November 2021 World Cup qualifier before 44,212 hardy fans. According to Environment Canada, the game-time temperature was at minus-9 C, with a wind chill of minus-14 C.

Canadian defender Sam Adekugbe went viral after throwing himself into a snowbank after Cyle Larin scored to give Canada a 2-0 lead. The stadium was quickly dubbed Estadio “Iceteca,” after Mexico’s iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

“An amazing environment,” said Canada coach Jesse Marsch, who watched the game from Europe with then-coach John Herdman running the Canadian sideline.

Expect more comfortable conditions when Canada hosts Uzbekistan on June 1 as part of its final preparations for the FIFA World Cup. Marsch expects a sellout at the 56,400-capacity Edmonton venue.

It will be the penultimate warm-up for the 27th-ranked Canadian men, who will wrap up their preparations with a June 5 or 6 game in Montreal against a yet-to-be announced opponent in the June 1-9 international window.

Co-host Canada opens World Cup play in Group B on June 12 against a European qualifier in Toronto before heading west to host No. 54 Qatar and No. 17 Switzerland on June 18 and 24, respectively, in Vancouver.

Uzbekistan, ranked 50th in the world, will make its World Cup debut this summer in Group K alongside No. 6 Portugal, No. 13 Colombia and the winner of an Intercontinental playoff featuring No. 56 Congo DR, No. 70 Jamaica and No. 150 New Caledonia.

Marsch is currently holding a camp for out-of-season players in California ahead of a friendly Saturday against No. 94 Guatemala in Los Angeles. It’s the first meeting between the two since the Central Americans knocked Canada out of the Gold Cup in a quarterfinal penalty shootout in Minneapolis last June.

After the Guatemala games, Canada’s next outings will be a pair of games in Toronto in the March 23-31 FIFA window against yet-to-be announced opposition.

The Uzbekistan friendly comes two days after the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, which could make for some challenging travel for Canada captain Alphonso Davies, an Edmonton native, if Bayern Munch makes the championship game.

Marsch said he hopes Davies makes the Champions League final, adding “I can’t imagine a world where even after that he doesn’t find a way to get to Edmonton as soon as possible.

“As our captain, and at home in Edmonton, we’re going to make sure that Alphonso’s there and that he’s on the pitch at some point.”

The Edmonton game also falls on FIFA’s deadline for teams to declare their final World Cup roster.

A natural grass pitch will be laid for the Uzbekistan game with a Canada Soccer spokesman saying the surface would be temporary. The field currently has artifical turf.

Canada will hold a pre-tournament camp in North Carolina around the June international window.

It will mark the second time Canada and Uzbekistan have faced off. The Canadian men defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in June 2016 a friendly in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria.

Uzbekistan and Canada have both risen up the rankings in recent years with Uzbekistan at No. 96 in September 2018 and Canada at No. 120 in January 2017.

“I think their trajectory is very similar to ours,” Marsch told a media availability in Irvine, Calif. “So we think it’s a good team. It does now represent a bit of a similar playing style to Qatar. A really good challenge and a really good team so I think it will be great preparation for us.”

Uzbekistan split a pair of games in Asian World Cup qualifying with Qatar winning 3-2 at home (on a 112th-minute goal) and losing 3-0 away.

Uzbekistan, known as the White Wolves, is coached by former Italian star defender Fabio Cannavaro, a four-time World Cup participant and 2006 winner. Cannavaro took over from former Uzbek international Timur Kapadze in October after the team had qualified.

Uzbekistan had come close previously to qualifying but fell just short in continental qualifiers for both Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014. It booked its ticket by finishing runner-up to Iran in its third-round AFC qualifying group, finishing above the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press