The Canadian men’s national team heads into next week’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and final aiming to win a major continental trophy for the first time since the 2000 Gold Cup.
But the Canadians are in good form and they can focus on development because, as a 2026 World Cup co-host along with the United States and Mexico, they know they won’t have to qualify for the world’s biggest soccer tournament.
So how does this relate to Canada sports betting? Because the Nations League gives a glimpse into the future of Canadian soccer. BetCanada.com figured out the average age of players for each of the four Nations League semifinalists and sorted them from youngest to oldest.
Canada faces Mexico in the Nations League semifinals at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, the second game of a doubleheader at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The host United States faces Panama in the first game at 7.
The Nations League is not the most prestigious competition around and it has not existed even as long as the CONCACAF Gold Cup. But for fans, it’s a chance for coach Jesse Marsch’s team to test itself against tough competition with a trophy on the line.
First up is Mexico, the most decorated team in the region’s history and a top-20 team in the current FIFA World Rankings, at No. 19 (Canada is No. 31 in the latest computations, as of Dec. 19).
Rank | Team | Average Age |
1 | Canada | 25.4 years |
2 | USA | 25.7 years |
3 | Mexico | 26.3 years |
4 | Panama | 26.6 years |
All ages are as of March 12, 2025
Each of the four teams remaining in the Nations League submitted a 23-man roster for the semifinals and final. Both semis are Thursday; then the final and third-place game are set for Sunday in L.A.
At sports betting apps in Canada, the Canadians are favored against Mexico, with +130 odds to win compared to +180 for Mexico (a draw in regulation time is +215).
Canada has the youngest team in the semifinals, with an average age of 25.4 years, just barely younger than the United States (25.7 average).
Among the most notable players for Canada starring on Europe’s biggest stages are Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, Inter Milan’s Tajon Buchanan (on loan with Villareal in Spain), Lille’s Jonathan David and Derek Cornelius of Marseille.
There are also eight Major League Soccer players in Canada’s roster including two from Toronto FC (defender Richie Laryea and midfielder Jonathan Osorio) and one each from CF Montreal (D Joel Waterman) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (M Ali Ahmed).
The youngest players on the roster are 20-year-old D Jamie Knight-Lebel and two 21-year-olds, F Daniel Jebbison and M Niko Sigur.
Canada, the USA, Mexico and Panama received byes into the quarterfinals so each only had to go through one round to get to this stage of the Nations League. Canada defeated Suriname 4-0 on aggregate in the quarters; Jacob Shaffelburg scored twice in a 3-0 victory in the second leg and the 25-year-old is on the roster for the final two games.
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USA Today photo by Gary A. Vasquez
Author
Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer for BetCanada.com specializing in sports, gambling, and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
