Canada’s “Golden Generation”: Myth or Reality Heading into 2026?
Calendar icon Updated 24 Oct 00:53

Canada’s “Golden Generation”: Myth or Reality Heading into 2026?

Juan Pablo Aravena Juan Pablo Aravena

The term “Golden Generation” must be one of the most common in soccer when describing a country’s level of talent. It’s also among the broadest labels one can use, because the “golden” status is often tied more to a nation’s history than to actual titles or accolades. Sometimes, it only takes a few strong performances or some impressive results at the club level to start calling a group of players a Golden Generation.

That very broadness is the reason why it’s so hard to apply that term to the current crop of players in Canada’s national soccer team. On one hand, they fit the textbook definition of the term just by looking at where some of them feature at the club level every week. On the other hand, have they really done enough and achieved enough success to be considered the country’s Golden Generation? 

The fact that Canada are a nation with a minimal success history in soccer bodes well for their chances, but make no mistake: what happens in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup will ultimately determine their status in the long term.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the current group of starters and first-choice replacements in the Canada national team. We’ll see whether this team have enough quality and success at the club level to be rightfully called the Canucks’ Golden Generation.

Goalkeeping

This is perhaps the weakest area of the squad. The starter will likely be either Maxime Crépeau or Dayne St. Clair, two MLS veterans who don’t offer much upside and are already in the prime years of their careers. James Pantemis and Luka Gavran are depth pieces, but neither can be considered a sure-fire option between the posts.

Defence

Moïse Bombito is the gem here, as the 25-year-old centre-back is a regular starter in the Ligue 1 with Nice. Derek Cornelius is also used to playing in Europe, now featuring for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. Beyond those two, there’s depth at the MLS level with players like Kamal Miller, Joel Waterman, Zorhan Bassong, and Zac McGraw. But the overall quality dips once you move past the European-based defenders.

The full-back roles are anchored by two players with European experience – Alistair Johnston and Richie Laryea – although Alphonso Davies can also play at left-back if needed, as that’s his regular position at Bayern Munich as well. Similar to the centre-backs, the depth gets really tested once you get past the starters.

Midfield

We’ll only include the central midfielders here, and we’re starting to see a pattern. The starters are Porto’s Stephen Eustáquio and Sassuolo’s Ismaël Koné. After that? Several players who ply their trade in MLS and in lower-level leagues in Europe, such as Nathan Saliba at Anderlecht, Mathieu Choiniére at LAFC, and long-serving veteran Jonathan Osorio, who continues to captain Toronto FC. There’s depth here, but not a lot of versatility.

Attack

The main reason Canada are considered a Golden Generation is their attacking talent. Jonathan David was one of the most prolific strikers in Ligue 1 before moving to Juventus. Cyle Larin has been productive in several top European leagues. Davies can also play as a left winger if needed. Tajon Buchanan is a consistent starter at Villarreal. Liam Millar has spent most of his career in the UK, and Tani Oluwaseyi, a 25-year-old forward, was one of Villarreal’s latest signings.

Canada typically line up with two strikers, meaning that David and Larin will lead the line when fit. But there’s no doubt this team boast outstanding depth and talent in the final meters, as they have enough options to even play with a front three if the situation calls for it.

What is Canada’s Best XI right now?

The Canucks haven’t been able to field their Best XI for quite some time due to injuries. The main issue is that Alphonso Davies has been sidelined with an ACL problem and isn’t expected back with the national team before March 2026, even in the best-case scenario. 

If you were to select Canada’s Best XI on a combination of talent, experience, and representation at the club level, though, that lineup would look like this:

Máxime Crepeau; Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, Moïse Bombito, Richie Laryea; Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustáquio, Ismaël Koné, Alphonso Davies; Jonathan David, Cyle Larin.

Call it what you will, but there’s no doubt that this lineup is full of talent across the board. One could make a strong argument that Canada have the second-best starting XI in the CONCACAF region in terms of club representation – probably tied or competing with Mexico for that spot, just behind the USMNT. 

Canada have never had this kind of talent before, with players regularly featuring and holding prominent roles in some of the best competitions in Europe.

Are there any accolades to back up the Golden Generation claim?

Some may argue that Canada’s greatest team was the one from the early 2000s that won the Gold Cup in 2000 and finished third in 2002. However, the competitive levels of that squad were nowhere near the current one, as evidenced by the fact that Canada couldn’t make it to the 2002 FIFA World Cup – or any other major tournament, for that matter.

The current squad compete in the CONCACAF Nations League, which includes every team from the North and Central American regions. Canada finished as runners-up in the 2022-23 edition and in third place in the 2024-25 campaign. One could argue that the Nations League carries a bit more value since it’s a tournament held over a longer period of time, unlike the Gold Cup, where one or two weeks of a hot streak can take you to unprecedented heights.

Furthermore, Canada finished fourth in their first-ever Copa America in 2024 despite posting a W1, D2, L3 record. They used a win over Peru in the group stage and a string of draws to make it to the semifinals, where they lost to Argentina before falling to Uruguay in the third-place match.

As if that weren’t enough, the team will also play in their second consecutive World Cup in 2026, following their qualification for the 2022 Qatar. Even though their participation in 2026 comes through their co-host status, the fact remains that this marks the first time in history that Canada will play in back-to-back World Cups, an achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked. 

With the talent they have and the age of some of their key players, Canada should be in firm contention to continue participating in the next two World Cups as well.

Final take on Canada’s Golden Generation

There’s no question that Canada have talent, and it only takes a quick glance at the current and recent squads to see that. However, the jury is still out on whether it’s fair to call this crop of players a Golden Generation. Their club-level achievements are impressive, but for them to go from a successful group to being a true Golden Generation of players, one that fans will remember vividly, they need to do something big in the World Cup. 

If that doesn’t happen, especially at home, that label will fade quickly, and they’ll simply join the long list of countries that had great players but were unable to do much at the biggest stage.

It’s unfair to say whether Canada’s current crop of players will go down as a myth with the World Cup eight months away. They’re already a reality based on their club-level achievements, but they have yet to accomplish something big together as a national team. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will determine their ultimate status.

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