Victor Montagliani, Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, is overseeing the 2026 FIFA World Cup across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The tournament, co-hosted by three nations, represents a historic collaboration that Montagliani helped architect when the United 2026 bid secured hosting rights in June 2018.
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Recent match results have boosted the region.
The United States and Mexico secured spots in the round of 32, while Canada earned its first-ever tournament victory by defeating Qatar 6-0.
Regional Progress and the Nations League Impact
Montagliani praised the performance of smaller Concacaf nations.
"You saw the Curaçao result (against Ecuador), that's an amazing result, you saw how Panama battled the first game, obviously Mexico and the U.
S. are through, and even Haiti has played very well in their first two games," he said.
He credited the Concacaf Nations League, introduced in 2018, for elevating smaller teams.
"Before the Nations League, what people thought when they thought about Curaçao is 'Oh, I went there on a cruise ship and bought some blue liquor' — and now they're actually a footballing nation," Montagliani noted.
The Canadian executive expressed pride in the region's overall progression.
"It's changed everything in the last six to seven years and you're going to see more countries in our region do exactly that," he said.
Commenting on Canada's status, Montagliani said, "As a Canadian, we're obviously in a great place."
Canada faces a crucial group match against Switzerland at BC Place in Vancouver to determine its advancement into the knockout stages.
