The World Cup will be played on Canadian soil in 2026.

Andersen Williams’s 88th-minute header bounded right through a pack of Haitian defenders before it crossed the line — giving Canada a 2-1 win and a berth in the U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Sunday wasn’t what we’d call a banner day for the Canadian women’s program.

Canada lost its final group-stage game of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship to the United States by a 1-0 scoreline. But, if not for the heroics of Canadian keeper, Anna Karpenko, the scoreline would have been a lot more severe.

Canada resumed play in the CONCACAF Women’s  U-17 Championships on Wednesday, beating Costa Rica by a 2-1 score thanks to a brace from Andersen Williams.

Even though Canada went through Group C place undefeated, it will not proceed to the tournament semifinals.

Just a little more than a year ago, when the United 2026 bid was made official, it felt like CONCACAF had what amounted to a sitter at its feet. A tap-in. There was no way a push to bring a World Cup to the United States, with a little help from Canada and Mexico, could fail, right?

A goal from Noah Verhoeven, a dual citizen who just returned to the Canadian program after spending the last couple of years flirting with the American national set-up, gave Canada a 1-0 win over Turkey on Thursday.

It’s often difficult to take anything out of tournament-opening matches. National teams are still getting used to their systems and their combinations, and there’s often a cautiousness about them.

“I think, for young Canadian players, it will be the same story for them like it was for me,” Radzinski said.