Canada

An acolyte of the Rangnick footballing school, manager Jesse Marsch has provided Canada with a clear tactical identity since taking charge in May 2024, drawing from his previous experience at Red Bull clubs New York, Salzburg and Leipzig. Canada under Marsch have played a Red Bull-inspired 4-4-2 / 4-2-2-2 at almost every possible opportunity. Their pressing movements typically trigger when opponents cycle the ball laterally, and when they win possession they can transition immediately to lightning-quick counterattacks thanks to the vertical dynamism of their forwards & wide players. All of this is made possible by the industrious workrate of Ismaël Koné and Stephen Eustáquio in the midfield double pivot.

The several-tonne elephant in the room is that Canada have been cursed with awful injury luck. In an ideal world, Marcelo Flores would be the left midfielder, allowing Alphonso Davies to return to his natural left-back role, but Flores had to drop out after tearing his ACL and Davies is likely to miss at least one game. Key defender Moïse Bombito is also having issues recovering from a tibia stress fracture and will likely be replaced by Luc de Fougerolles for the time being. The second striker spot next to Jonathan David is up for grabs as well, but this has less to do with injury and more to do with a lack of standout performances among the other forwards; soon-to-be Southampton forward Cyle Larin holds pole position for now.