Canada finished 14th in FIFA World Cup final standings after landmark first knockout round win

Canada may not have won the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the team achieved a series of historic milestones on home soil.

Canada advanced from the group stage for the first time in World Cup history and picked up their first-ever tournament knockout victory, defeating South Africa in the Round of 32. Their run ended the next match with a 3–0 loss to Morocco in Houston at the Round of 16 stage, but the performance left fans with a sense of pride.

Canada finished 14th in the World Cup final standings. According to FIFA, "In Canada's third appearance in the global showpiece, and their first on home soil, they achieved a slew of milestones. A first-ever point was followed by a first group stage win, a first knockout phase appearance, a first knockout round win and a record number of goals, as the history books of Canadian football were given a thorough update."

Canada finished just one spot shy of Portugal and two spots back of the 12th-place United States. What made their showing particularly impressive was that they played the vast majority of the tournament without Alphonso Davies. The 25-year-old played just 15 minutes all tournament, coming in as a substitute in the Round of 32 against Morocco. Despite missing one of their key players, Canada's performance demonstrates significant recent improvement for Canada Soccer.