12 Longest Absences From The World Cup

Last Appearance: 1986

As part of the united North American bid that has recently been awarded the 2026 World Cup, Canada may qualify automatically for the first forty eight team iteration of the finals if FIFA decide to offer spots to both them and Mexico in addition to the United States (who will host sixty of the eighty matches and will inevitably be awarded a berth). There will likely be considerable opposition to the proposition given that the world's second largest nation by area are minnows on the international football scene.

Football has grown in popularity across Canada in recent years, however, as Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps have all formed to compete in MLS, the rapidly growing American domestic league that now boasts twenty three teams. This is just a few short of the 30-32 boasted by the 'big four' sports leagues that may eventually become a 'big five' as MLS closes the gap on the NHL in terms of television viewers and revenues (neither are close to the heavyweights that are the NBA, NFL or MLB, mind).

It remains to be seen whether the addition of these teams will inspire a generation of youngsters to take up the game and become a competitive force, but any potential future appearance by Canada is long overdue at this point.