Ahead of matches in Toronto against Iceland and Tunisia, the message from Canada is clear – these are not friendlies.
They might be friendly in name, but they’re so much more than that as Jesse Marsch’s squad convened for its final camp ahead of submitting the official 26-man roster for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
As a co-host, Canada automatically qualified for the tournament and was not subject to a gruelling qualification campaign, some of which are still ongoing, and the kind of emotional journey that took them to Qatar in 2022.
You can catch Canada vs. Iceland from Toronto’s BMO Field on Saturday with coverage getting underway at 12:30 p.m. ET/ 9:30 a.m. PT on TSN1/4, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
But even with that part already handled, the battle before June’s tournament is far from over.
“We know we qualified already, but all the games we’re playing, we don’t see them as friendlies,” Sassuolo midfielder Ismaël Koné told TSN.ca. “This is preparation for us. We know that if we don’t take those games seriously, we have nothing to prepare us for the biggest competition of our lives. We’re always aware of that, so every game we go into we try to apply everything we’ve learned and go in with the best mentality and the biggest fight.”
With the matches at BMO Field set for Saturday and Tuesday, Canada will complete its nine-match schedule, including January’s B-level friendly with Guatemala, for the 2025-2026 season. Canada enters having lost just one of its previous seven matches with wins in four of them. The team was a 2-0 winner over Venezuela last time out in November.
Marseille centre-back Derek Cornelius, who is on loan at Rangers, says adopting that mindset comes from a top-down approach.
“Number one, I think it comes down to the coaching staff,” the Ajax, Ont. native said. “Jesse, whether it’s friendly match or a Copa America semifinal, he puts the same intensity into the group, whether that’s in training on the pitch or how he communicates with the team.
“We don’t really look at these games as friendlies. These are solid, preparation games that we need to be ready for a World Cup. It comes down to the mentality of the coaches and the mentality of the players, the group. We want to win every game that we play. We kinda put the pressure on ourselves, whether it’s a friendly game or a high-stakes qualifying game. We try to put the same pressure, the same expectations, the same professionalism on ourselves and continue to take steps in the right direction.”
Canada has been particularly selective with its opponents during the stretch between last summer’s Gold Cup and the World Cup. Opponents have come from all over the globe and reflect different tactics and styles. The team believes it’s the perfect way to prepare for the summer.
“In the World Cup, you’re gonna face teams from all over the world,” Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur said. “You play CONCACAF [regularly], you play regionally, you know these teams, you’re familiar with them, but on the world stage you might play an African team that has an entirely different way of playing compared to a European team or a South American team or an Asian team. So I think it was important that we had some variety in the opponents we played. They each brought different things that we analyzed and tried to improve upon going into the tournament.”
The current international break comes during the stretch drive in Europe’s top leagues. There are fewer than 10 matches remaining in the campaign with teams jockeying for position in title races, fights for European places, and in relegation battles. For some, this camp provides an opportunity to refocus on common goals in a positive space with people they trust.
“This is the best locker room I’ve ever been in,” Koné said. “I’ve said that multiple times. I feel like one of the older guys on the team now, but yeah, our locker room is welcoming because I guess we understand people. We understand that you need to be in a good environment to bring out the best in yourself. All of us, we know the other players coming in and we want to give them the best environment so they can bring their best selves.”
The elephant in the room, though, has been the laundry list of injuries afflicting the team with some fresh and others having been long-term absences.
While players like wingback Alphonso Davies (hamstring), forward Promise David (hip) and centre-back Alfie Jones (foot) didn’t make the trip, others such as right-back Alistair Johnston (hamstring) and centre-back Moïse Bombito (leg) are in camp as observers.
“We’re just trying to manage,” Marsch said. “I say I’m very solutions-based when it comes to injuries and just trying to figure out what else we can do and how to push the envelope and how to make sure that we’re giving each guy the best opportunity to be at 100 per cent. So that’s been the focus.”
The injury situation puts certain players in awkward positions. Perhaps it sounds callous, but one player out of action means another gets to step up in his place. There is personal benefit on offer at the cost of a friend’s bad luck. Acknowledging that nobody wants to see a teammate hurt, players are still approaching the circumstances with a dispassionate lens.
“You have to take it for what it is,” Bournemouth striker Daniel Jebbison, who is on loan at Preston North End, said. “Like, everybody here is your buddy, but at the end of the day, we have our own careers, our own goals, milestones we want to get to and you just need to look at it like football is a cutthroat sport. And not only for you, but the people who are coaching you, the owners – it’s really cutthroat and you have to accept it.”
Koné offers a similar assessment.
“First of all, it’s football – you need to be aware of that,” the 23-year-old Montrealer said. “Yes, it’s an opportunity, because at the end of the day, all of us, we need to bring our best selves to give us the best chance to be in the team. You’re there for your friends, you’re gonna be there for your teammates, you’re there for your brothers, for sure, but you have to understand you still have a job to do. You still need to be ready whenever you’re called upon. It’s been pretty easy for us to understand there’s gonna be injuries and whatever our role is, it’s gonna impact the team.”
The 28-year-old Cornelius is one of those contending with injury. He picked up a muscle injury during the Venezuela friendly and required surgery. He’s been out of action since, but is close to match fitness as camp opened.
“It was a shock at first,” Cornelius said of the injury. “I didn’t expect to be as serious as it was. But then I just had to work on and deal with what was in front of me and focus on getting back fit. I’m feeling good and getting game-sharp again, so that’s where I’m at now and it’s been a pretty smooth process.”
The former Vancouver Whitecaps player says he and his injured teammates have been staying in contact during their respective rehabs.
“We try to keep in touch with each other,” Cornelius said. “I’ve been checking in with Moise, Alistair and just seeing how they’re coming back and the obstacles that they’ve had to overcome. But at the end of the day, we all support each other. We all know the goal we have that’s at the end of the tunnel. I think we’re all in a good space right now and getting close to being back at full fitness.”
As Canada prepares for its games in Toronto, there are two teams back in Europe trying to earn a trip to the city.
Canada will open its Group B play on June 12 against the winner of UEFA Pathway A. The victor will be decided on Tuesday when Italy hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Azzurri were 2-0 winners over Northern Ireland on Thursday in the semifinal, while Bosnia-Herzegovina survived Wales on penalties.
Even with the Canadian implications, Sigur says the team hasn’t been following what’s been happening in the playoffs closely at all.
“We know it’s there in the background, but at the end of the day we’re focused on ourselves and what we’re going to do,” Sigur said. “We have a camp here before we can even get to the World Cup. We have two more friendlies, and I would say the mentality of the team is we’re calm and focused on what we can do, but whatever team we get is really not important. We need to be at our best. That doesn’t matter.”
But for Canada’s Italian-based players, the fate of the Azzurri is inescapable. Should Italy fail to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina, it will mark a third-straight missed World Cup for the four-time champions. That would be almost unfathomable for the football-mad nation.
“Every Italian media member, every Italian journalist, they’re talking about it,” Koné said of Italy’s plight. “There’s not anywhere you can go in Italy, whether it’s Rome, Milan, Bologna, wherever it is, Parma, that they’re not speaking about it because they know how big it is. For a country like that, that’s won it in the past, to not even qualify again would be crazy. I think the fact they’re already in this position, there’s a big [negative] judgment around it. They put big pressure on them to qualify, every fan [does], but for me the team is super good. We’ll see what they do.”
Even though Canada doesn’t share Italy’s desperation this weekend, they’re still out for the same outcome against their two opponents.
“Results-wise, we’re aiming for two wins,” Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, who is on loan at Dender, said. “I think performance-wise, we’re gonna try to show what we can do again. I think we’ve done well this year, but I think there’s been a few performances that could have been better. So we’re just looking for two good performances and two wins in the end.”
For Marsch, the matches are one final chance to get a good look at his group before submitting his official roster. He says most of the work has already been done. Very few places remain unclaimed.
“If everybody’s healthy, I think I’d have 24, 25 names I’d be pretty sure on and then it’d just be about how to balance out the last two spots,” Marsch said. “But we’re close to knowing who our guys are.”
But nothing is a given for the men trying to earn the right to play in a World Cup on home soil. Until they hear their name called for that final squad, it’s time to keep up the fight. Now is not the time to coast.
“This is a real stepping stone for us,” Jebbison said. “This is preparation for the World Cup and playing teams you haven’t really played before is always a good test. We’re calm, we’re ready, we’re focused for it, but it’s going to be a good challenge.”