Want a crazy stat? There are just ten Mondays left until the World Cup kicks off.

The Canadian men’s national team’s first action of 2026 highlighted another exciting week of Canadian soccer action, and had all the drama imaginable packed into 90 minutes at BMO Field.

We recap that match, look ahead to the Tunisia friendly, recap a wild week in the UWCL and plenty more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

CanMNT’s first official match of 2026, against Iceland at BMO Field, was kind of a rollercoaster ride.

The first half saw everyone’s spirits take a big drop as Canada conceded twice inside the opening 21 minutes on some ugly errors. The 75th-ranked nation in the World, Iceland, who are not going to this summer’s World Cup, cut them open far too easily. Nightmare fuel.

Canada, however, regrouped at half-time and came out and converted not one, but two Jonathan David penalties to equalize.

On his debut, Marcelo Flores was certainly a highlight, winning the second penalty and showing why he can be a game-changer for Canada. This guy can dribble for days, and with Tajon doing his thing on the other wing, defenders are going to HATE seeing Canada coming this summer.

But there was one last twist as Tajon Buchanan was sent off in the 81st minute for an elbow. It was Canada’s third straight game with a red card — hopefully something they get out of their system before the summer. That was a big blow for Canada, who looked almost certain at that point to find a winner.

Without Davies, Bombito, Eustáquio, Koné and Johnston, among others, it was a good chance for Marsch to really key in on who can handle the pressure this summer.

Next time though, can we just win comfortably and settle everyone down? Canada will try to do that on Tuesday against an even better opponent, Tunisia, also at BMO Field.

The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on TSN and OneSoccer.

With the men’s game on pause, club football was still alive and well this week, with the first legs of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals.

The matches were shown live in Canada on OneSoccer, which announced this week they have signed a multi-year deal with the competition, exciting news for Canadian soccer fans.

There were plenty of Canadians in action, especially in Wednesday’s 3-2 win for Vanessa Gilles’ Bayern Munich against Jayde Rivière and Simi Awujo’s Manchester United. The two United players entered in the 76th minute, while Gilles went the full 90 for Bayern in the win. They meet again on Wednesday in the second leg.

Also on Wednesday will be the second leg of Olivia Smith’s Arsenal against Kadeisha Buchanan’s Chelsea. Smith’s squad drew first blood vs. their London rival in a 3-1 win. Smith came off the bench while Buchanan went the full 90.

Finally, on Tuesday, Ashley Lawrence went the full 90 for Lyon in a 1-0 loss to Wolfsburg. Plenty of work to do for a few Canadians in leg two. A lot of work to do for a few Canadians in leg two.

Lock in for a double-header on Tuesday.

Canada may be playing Tunisia at BMO Field on Tuesday night, but arguably an even bigger match comes earlier in the day at 2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT when Italy take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia.

The winner of that match will play Canada in their opener at the World Cup in Toronto. Italy are the favourites, having beaten Northern Ireland 2-0 in their semi-final, and given their history at the World Cup.

But the four-time World champions have missed out on the past two World Cups, and there will be a significant amount of pressure on them in this match — especially on the road.

Bosnia, meanwhile, beat Wales on penalties to advance after a late equalizer from the legendary Edin Džeko. They also have not been to a World Cup since 2014, which is their lone appearance since the federation was founded in 1992.

The biggest question for Canada since the World Cup draw will be answered on Tuesday.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Olivia Smith assists in the NLD. Sorry, Spurs fans, but no Arsenal match, especially not a North London Derby, is complete without Liv on the scoresheet. The Canadian assassin picked out Alessia Russo with a neatly threaded through-ball as the Gunners smashed Tottenham, 5-2, this weekend.

👑 Cloé Lacasse is smashing it in Utah. Sure, perhaps nobody knew where this ball was going until it ended up in the back of the net, but they all count the same at the end of the day. Cloé picked up her second assist of the NWSL season, helping to open the scoring in a 2-1 win over new club on the block Boston.

🌉 Sydney Collins making things happen. Against her Canadian compatriot, no less. The CanWNT defender — and Bay captain — played in Alex Pfeiffer for a nasty individual goal against Canada number one Kailen Sheridan on Saturday.

🧂 Sam Salter scores for GAIS. Saltbae sprinkled some Canadian scoring magic on GAIS’ Sunday friendly against Halmstad, getting the start and the opener in a 2-0 win. While Salter (and Matteo De Brienne)’s GAIS were knocked out of the cup semi-finals last week, the goal and the win are both positives against a fellow Allsvenskan side.

🇮🇹 Évelyne Viens, automatic. Just as recent editions of the newsletter haven’t been stamped and delivered without Olivia Smith somehow involved, the same can be said of Viens. It could be high time to talk about a move to a bigger club, as she scored again with Roma moving on to the Coppa Italia Final with a 2-1 win over Inter.

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🦅 Lys Mousset joined Vancouver FC. The 30-year-old French striker comes to the CPL with 99 Premier League appearances with Bournemouth and Sheffield United between 2016 and 2021. Mousset arrives to Vancouver from top flight Irish club Bohemians. He also played for Salernitana in Italy’s Serie A and Vfl Bochum in the German Bundesliga.

🦅 Vancouver FC signed a 19-year-old Brazilian. VFC have signed Brazilian attacker Vitor Lucas through 2028. Lucas has spent his entire career in professional youth organizations and his venture with Vancouver will be his first experience as pro.

🐴 Cavalry FC have added Adam Pearlman. The 20-year-old defender has signed a loan deal with the Cavs from Toronto FC. Pearlman has spent last season on loan with the Halifax Wanderers and is a product of TFC’s youth academy.

🦖 Wesley Timoteo has signed with Atletico Ottawa. The 25-year-old fullback has signed a contract through 2026 with an option for 2027. Timoteo has spent the last three seasons with the Halifax Wanderers and a product of CF Montréal’s youth academy.

⚜️ FC Supra have signed Marcoux and Calaidjoglu. Supra have officially signed their top two draft picks to a CPL-U Sports contracts. Both players are highly rated and have impressed in both L1 Quebec and University soccer. Moreover, Supra have added Eliakim Awonongbadje, Isaiah Byer, Jolan Faury and Alexander Makarova George — on Development Contracts. There are three weeks left before the start of the season and the club’s roster is not yet complete.

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🏔️ Kosi Thompson to Colorado. TFC have traded the 23-year-old defender to the Colorado Rapids for $400k in GAM plus a sell-on %. The Toronto native will be seeking greater game in time in the club that has made Moïse Bombito a household name.

🔵 Frankie Amaya to Montreal? Rumours have been speculating that CFM are closing on loan deal to sign the 25-year-old midfielder. The US-born Mexican currently plays for Deportivo Toluca in La Liga MX. If signed, Amaya will be a huge boost for MTL and will be a viable option in the CM position. Moreover, Amaya is a proven MLS veteran having spent time with FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls, and LAFC.

🇫🇷 Antoine Griezmann is officially an MLS player. Sorry CF Montréal, the Frenchman wants to stay warm. The 2018 World Cup winner and Atletico Madrid legend has signed with Orlando City. Grizzou has signed as Designated Player and it has been rumoured that the contract will last through 2027-2028 season with an option for another season. Griezmann will arrive to MLS in July after the close of the European season.

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This week’s FanDuel fan of the week is Henry Standage. We caught up with Henry to talk about his beginnings with the game and his love of football. Check out the full interview here.