Jesse Marsch welcomed Wayne Gretzky into the Canadian team dressing-room before its most recent match, a clash with Venezuela in Miami last month.

It may be a little while until the Canada coach picks up the phone to the Great One again. Gretzky’s intervention at the 2026 World Cup draw in picking a yet-to-be-confirmed European team as Canada’s opening opponent at its tournament opener in Toronto next June is uncomfortable for many reasons.

Marsch is a meticulous planner. He must now wait until late March before finding out which of the four potential opponents is coming Canada’s way. There’s more: four-time World Cup champion Italy is the most likely of the quartet and that could taint what had looked to be a favourable draw with Switzerland and Qatar its other two opponents in Grou

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