Before the World Cup: Canada’s Youth National Team

Looking back on Summer 2025 after the 2026 World Cup

The question is not whether a 15-year-old can already reproduce the output of a senior international player.

The question is whether we can establish the developmental trajectory required for that athlete to approach senior international standards by 2030 and potentially enter the 2034 cycle as a more complete player.

At the senior international level, outfield players may cover approximately 10 to 12 kilometres during a match, with substantial positional variation. Within that total, players must also accumulate high-intensity running above 20 km/h, sprinting above 25 km/h and repeated accelerations and decelerations throughout more than 90 minutes.

FIFA’s World Cup analysis has also shown that the demands of the game are continuing to increase at higher intensities. From the 2018 to 2022 World Cups, distances covered at higher speeds increased by approximately 16 to 19%, even though overall match distance remained relatively similar.