Intense travel up to 14,603 km awaits Canadian soccer players and fans at World Cup

If the Canadian Men’s National soccer team is looking for more reasons why it is better to win their World Cup group over qualifying for the knockout rounds by finishing second or third, they need look no further than travel.

A first place finish in Group B would see the Canadian team travel 8,166 kilometres if they were to go all the way to the World Cup final, which would put them in the middle of the pack, far behind Spain (12,504 km), with four other countries (Cabo Verde, Colombia, Congo and Saudia Arabia) also looking at travel in excess of 12,000 kilometres.

Mexico, by virtue of finishing first, gains the biggest host country benefit, with the team never leaving Mexico until the quarter-final and amassing just 5,188 kilometres in frequent flyer points.

That’s more than Bosnia and Herzegovina – who open their tournament June 12 in Toronto against Canada – will accumulate in the first round alone.

Finishing second in the group – the likely outcome based on FIFA rankings – is an entirely different story for Canada, with the team travelling 14,603 kilometres, fifth among all nations behind Czechia (16,538), Bosnia (16,108), South Africa (15,410) and Algeria (15,148).

A first-place finish would see Canada fly to Vancouver for game two and three and stay in the B.C. city for round of 32 and round of 16 games before travelling to Kansas City, Atlanta and New York.

Assuming they get that far, of course.

Argentine fans at Qatar Airport in 2022

A second-place finish would see the team travel to Los Angeles, Houston, Boston, Dallas and New York for the knockout games.

A third-place finish and a wild card spot in the elimination games would be a little better, with Canada travelling 12, 250 kilometres from start to finish, marginally better that the U.S. and its 12,595 kilometres run should the Americans qualify through the back door.

Teams will travel more in the 2026 World Cup than any in tournament history, making this year’s edition the most logistically demanding World Cup ever.

As for the fans, get ready to break out the big chequebook (as if they didn’t already assume this about a FIFA-run tournament). Following your nation through every match of the World Cup – from the group stage to the final – would cost an estimated $86,000 (CAD) for two people on average across all 48 nations.

Tickets are the single biggest expense, accounting for nearly half of the total trip cost, with the World Cup Final ticket alone estimated at $21,000 for two people.

According to AceOdds.com, Iraq fans face the most expensive journey of any nation, with a total estimated cost of $103,000 while Panama offers the most affordable trip at an estimated $77,000 for two people.

The gap between the most and least expensive nations is almost entirely driven by flight costs.

Canada fans would need approximately $83,000 for two people to follow the team all the way to the final, with accommodation estimated at $20,000, flights at $16,500 and food & drinks $7,500.

Let the games – and the travel – begin.