Northern Fútbol Podcast

The Canadian men’s national team won’t get the chance to stay at home for the World Cup knockout stage, but will play the biggest game in CanMNT history despite falling 2-1 to Switzerland on Wednesday in Vancouver.Ben Steiner, Brendan Dunlop and Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic break down Canada’s Group B 2nd place-sealing loss, how it could impact their pathway, the CanMNT's selections and the brewing drama around Jesse Marsch and Alphonso Davies.

It was the game that fans of the CanMNT had long dreamed about, as Canada picked up their first-ever World Cup win, doing so in STYLE in a thumping 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver. Jonathan David finally had his statement World Cup performance with an impressive hat trick, Cyle Larin had a big goal to stay in red-hot form, and Nathan Saliba announced his breakout to the world. Unfortunately for Canada, however, not all went well, as Ismaël Koné was stretchered off with a horrific leg break, one that will prematurely end his tournament and keep him out of action for several months. Brendan Dunlop and Alex Gangué-Ruzic dive into all of the KEY storylines and Ben Steiner checks in with an update from BC Place, in a very special post-game episode of NFP. 

After a solid start to the 2026 World Cup for the CanMNT, who drew Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-1 in Toronto, their focus shifts towards the second game of the tournament, where they’ll take on Qatar in a massive matchup in Vancouver. With all teams in Group B tied on one point, Canada heads into this game needing a win, knowing that such a result will all but secure their spot in the knockout rounds of this tournament and put them in the driver’s seat when it comes to potentially even winning their group. In this episode, Alex, Ben and Brendan share what they’ve seen from the World Cup so far, before diving into everything you need to know about this matchup against Qatar, including why it’s such a big one for Canada, their projected lineup, predictions and more. 

For the first time ever, the CanMNT have picked up a World Cup point, drawing Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-1 in their 2026 tournament opener at Toronto Stadium. Bosnia were dangerous on set-pieces, and punished Canada early. But Jesse Marsch's CanMNT responded well, eventually finding an equalizer through Cyle Larin, who picked a perfect time to bust a near two-year goal drought with Canada. Ben, Brendan and Alex dive into all of the key storylines from the match, as they break down how Marsch changed the game with aggressive substitutions, Canada’s excellence from open play, what went wrong on the set pieces, and what this point means for Canada heading west to Vancouver.

Canada heads into Group B action at the 2026 World Cup this week, starting with a Friday match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. What are the expectations for this Canadian team back at the tournament? How will they be followed by the more casual Canadian public, and what do they need to do to deem it a successful World Cup? Ben Steiner, Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic, and Brendan Dunlop wrap up the show by sharing their Canada World Cup predictions and who they think will lead Canada in goalscoring.

Part 1 of 2 of this week's Northern Futbol dives into Canada's outlook heading into the 2026 World Cup on home soil, after playing to a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan and a 1-1 draw with Ireland in the tune-up friendlies. Ben Steiner, Brendan Dunlop and Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic dive into the injuries facing the squad and whether they are a major concern, as well as the biggest takeaways from the final lead-up matches before the big dance.

Led by Jesse Marsch, Canada Soccer unveiled its 26-man World Cup roster on Friday night, picking the group that will look to shock the world at a home World Cup. On this episode of Northern Fútbol, Ben Steiner, Brendan Dunlop and Alex Gangué-Ruzic break down their thoughts on the squad, how it was revealed, and their hopes heading into the pre-tournament friendlies against Uzbekistan and Ireland before the June 12 World Cup opener in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Gerry Dobson saw the worst moments for Canada's men's national team — and just as it started to get good, he retired. 10 years after he signed off the airwaves that brought him across CONCACAF with Canada's dismal men's program at the time, he couldn't be happier to see where the team has gotten, even if there's a small part of him that wishes he could have been a part of it. In a one-on-one with Ben Steiner, he dives into some of the stories from the dark days and his experiences calling Canadian games, Canadian soccer and Canada's first live exposure to the Premier League over the course of three decades.