VANCOUVER, BC – Canada Soccer confirmed on Friday that Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Liam Mackenzie and Vancouver Whitecaps FC BMO Academy defender/midfielder Anyole Peter have been named to Canada's Men's U-20 roster for the upcoming 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico.
The tournament runs from July 24 to August 9 and doubles as direct qualification for both the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in addition to being the marquee tournament for men’s U-20 teams in the region.
- The 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship will air live in Canada on OneSoccer, available via the fuboTV Canada streaming service, as a linear channel on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 980), and online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app
The four semi-finalists will secure their places at the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, while the highest-finishing Concacaf nation outside the United States, which has already qualified as Olympic hosts, will claim the region's second berth at the 2028 OlympicÂ
Games in Los Angeles. The tournament champion, along with the top finisher from each of Concacaf's Caribbean, Central American, and North American zones, will also qualify for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.
For the tournament, Canada is placed in Group C alongside Honduras, Panama, and Jamaica. The team opens group stage play against Panama on Saturday, July 25, followed by a clash with Honduras on Tuesday, July 28, and then facing Jamaica in their final group stage match on Friday, July 31. All three group stage matches will be played at Estadio Universitario BUAP in Puebla. The top two teams from each of the three groups, along with the two best third-place finishers, advance to the knockout stage. The quarterfinals (August 4-5) and semifinals (August 7) will take place at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, with the final scheduled for August 9 at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.
Canada booked its place at the Championship by winning Group F at the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers in Managua, Nicaragua, posting three wins from four matches to finish top of the standings. The team opened with a 14-0 victory over the US Virgin Islands, followed by an 8-0 win against Martinique and a 2-0 win over Aruba, before closing group play with a 1-0 loss to hosts Nicaragua.
This call-up marks Mackenzie’s third with the U-20 squad, having also represented the nation at the U-17 and U-15 levels. The 19-year-old midfielder most recently joined Les Rouge in May for the 2026 Maurice Revello Tournament, where he started three of Canada's four matches.
So far in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, Mackenzie has started in all eight of his matches played and has already registered a career-high five goals.
For Peter, this also marks his third call-up to the U-20 squad. Peter, 18, was also part of Canada's roster at the Maurice Revello Tournament, making one appearance. The Whitecaps FC BMO Academy product has also been called up to play with WFC2 six times so far in the 2026 season and has earned one start.
Also named to the roster as an alternate is former Whitecaps FC BMO Academy product Valder Sedin, who is currently plying his trade with Swedish side Hammarby IF.
