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VANCOUVER — For the first time at the 2026 World Cup, Canada's players experienced rainfall.
Vancouver, a city renowned for its wet fall and winter seasons, seemed to mourn as the Canadian men's national team said goodbye to its base camp, with rain falling for the first time during this tournament.
After falling short against Switzerland in their final Group B fixture, Canada's home World Cup journey came to a deflating conclusion. Rather than competing in up to two home knockout matches, they headed south to the United States.
On Sunday, Canada will contest its first-ever knockout match in men's World Cup history, and while Vancouver's skies may have turned grey on their last day there, positive energy and strong optimism surround Les Rouges as they gear up to face 60th-ranked South Africa.
"We would have loved to stay in Vancouver ... but at the same time, if you told us a month ago that we were going to finish second in this group, I would have shaken your hand for that," said defender Alistair Johnston, after noting the strange atmosphere following the Switzerland defeat, rather than the celebratory mood that could have accompanied Canada's first-ever World Cup advancement.
"I think a lot of the fans in Canada, who have a solid understanding of soccer and have followed this team, know how significant finishing second in a World Cup group really is. I don't care if it's the home World Cup or if the World Cup was being played on Mars. It's an incredible achievement."
Departing the Home World Cup Spotlight
While South Africa's shock result against South Korea gives Canada a more favorable matchup than anticipated — though not one they can overlook, given their struggles in high-stakes games — the move to the U.S. may not be entirely unwelcome.
Unlike the USMNT, which has enjoyed increasingly supportive home crowds in tournaments and friendlies over recent years, Canada rarely hosts matches on home soil. Between the 2022 World Cup and this 2026 edition, only 13 games were played in Canada.
As much as the players and coaching staff praised the crowd and expressed a desire to remain in Vancouver, could there be an unexpected benefit to playing away from the intense spotlight?
Jonathan David, not typically one to offer candid reflections, said "the fact we're playing at home almost makes it like it's not a World Cup," and that "the feeling of scoring in Vancouver is something I've done in the past," following his three-goal performance in Canada's first-ever men's World Cup win against Qatar.
🇨🇦HERE COMES CANADA!
10:00am on a Wednesday and the March to the Match is in full force ahead of #CanMNT vs Switzerland.
Plenty of #8 signs for Ismaël Koné. pic.twitter.com/AUj9IJJc49
And Jesse Marsch, the energetic manager who, despite his efforts to avoid becoming the team's public face, will be more prominent than ever in the U.S., also acknowledged that stepping away from the Canadian public's intense attention could be beneficial, even as support back home remains strong.
For a team unaccustomed to this level of attention, scrutiny, and fanfare, the pressure may have weighed on them, contributing to slow starts against both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland. The home leg concluded with Marsch reportedly telling his players to "wake the f--k up" after the group stage finale, according to striker Promise David.
At the outset of this campaign, the 52-year-old manager brought the squad to Charlotte, North Carolina, for pre-tournament training camps.
There, Canada focused on training in the heat while, notably, keeping hotel decorations minimal, as "calm" became the group's guiding principle. Sunday's match, and the rest of the tournament run, will be the most-watched Canadian soccer games ever, but the players won't have to face those pressures head-on — and perhaps that's a blessing.
"As much as we've really enjoyed the home crowd ... I think even our team has been physically and mentally pushed to its limits, and I think we need three days to be calm and to focus," Marsch said Thursday, adding that the team asks Canada Soccer video crews to leave the locker room during emotional team discussions.
"[Now] It's going to be about recovery, rehabilitation and re-energizing to really go again in the biggest game that we've had as a program."
The Alphonso Davies Enigma
One defining trait of Marsch is that he is deliberate to a fault. As home excitement and local pressure mounted, he told fans and media that star left back and captain Alphonso Davies would feature against Qatar and Switzerland. After the Switzerland defeat, he admitted Davies had been used as a "decoy" and was "never going to play."
He has since stated that Davies will play against South Africa, but there is little reason to take that at face value anymore.
The full picture is more complex, however. Davies, despite making progress in his recovery, has continued working with an independent German trainer, Mathias Blankenburg, in separate sessions, while gradually integrating into full team training.
The #CanMNT's last day in Vancouver and their first in the rain before heading to LA for 🇿🇦
Davies in deep conversation with Jesse Marsch, alongside his personal trainer to start off.
The Canada Soccer branding around the ad boards has been taken down. pic.twitter.com/AeFlsYE8W8
The murky situation surrounding Davies provides cover for other pressing questions within the Canadian camp — and Marsch is drawing scrutiny upon himself, even as some of the goodwill he accumulated over the past two years begins to erode.
"As much as I'd love to give you guys all the inside information, we are trying to win a tournament here," Johnston added when asked whether players were being kept in the dark as part of Marsch's tactical mind games. "Most teams in sports keep some cards close to their chest. So, we'll see if he's ready to play this Sunday, but yeah, that's still up in the air."
In truth, Davies is not the type of player who will single-handedly make this Canadian side unbeatable. He may be the most gifted player and biggest attraction, but since his last appearance for Les Rouges in March 2025, Canada has shown it can progress without him.
Embracing the Role of Favorite
Davies or not, it is rare for Canada to enter a match as a genuine favorite.
One such occasion ended in a 1–1 draw with Curaçao in the 2025 Gold Cup group stage, before an early exit on penalties against Guatemala — all following a painful Concacaf Nations League semifinal defeat to Mexico at the very same stadium where they'll play on Sunday.
Against South Africa, Canada must be sharp and clinical, leaving no room for errors or strong performances that still end in defeat. This is the most significant match in Canadian soccer history, with the potential to deliver the greatest result and leave a lasting mark on the sport in the country.
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Much of that will hinge on a standout display from Jonathan David, an improved outing from Tajon Buchanan, a possible starting role for Promise David, and fitness concerns surrounding vice-captain Stephen Eustàquio and Davies. Each of them will need to deliver.
While Vancouver may have shed tears as the team departed for the States, the dream of a deep Canadian World Cup run has never felt more real. Now, they must go out and seize it.