Ireland Overview

Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It was the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, before succumbing to Lionel Messi's Argentina in a classic.

Canada’s final World Cup friendlies offered promise and concern, as Luc de Fougerolles rose, Ismaël Koné impressed and Cyle Larin’s goal drought deepened.

The World Cup has had no shortage of iconic moments across nearly 100 years of history. Every four years, billions of fans congregate to watch a tournament that has provided more drama, heartbreak and joy than any other event in sporting history. Football's grandest stage, the World Cup has always offered a platform for legends to be born, but it has also seen reputations destroyed and the downfall of so many famous faces.

Canada face Uzbekistan and Republic of Ireland in their final pre-World Cup friendlies, with Jesse Marsch managing injury concerns after Marcelo Flores’ heartbreaking setback and searching for goals from Jonathan David and Cyle Larin.