Jesse Marsch opens door to contract extension ahead of World Cup: "Six years doesn't seem too long"
As he slowly approaches the end of his second full year as CanMNT head coach, Jesse Marsch has now suggested that he could be open to extending his time as Canadian head coach to beyond the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Originally signed a contract through July 2026, he revealed to OneSoccer this week that he remains in discussions with Canada Soccer CEO, Kevin Blue, about potentially extending that contract into 2027 and beyond.
Having established a good working relationship with Blue, who hired Marsch in May 2024, he looks open to continuing that partnership long-term, as he explained this week.
"I do (expect to stay on). Kevin (Blue) and I are having these kinds of discussions every week, right?” Marsch told OneSoccer’s Kristian Jack in an exclusive interview. “But there's no real pressure. We're calm. I'm calm about all of this. I'm calm about this camp, the preparation, my future here, and the reason is that I have full confidence in everything that's being done.
"I have full confidence in Kevin Blue's ability as a leader, in the foundation of what's already been built in this country and what we're going to continue to build in this country for this sport. I have full confidence in the relationships I have inside the CSA, the relationships I have in the media, with the players, with the agents, with everything going on with this sport in the country. I have full confidence in what's happening. And at the core of it all, I have full confidence in this team.”
Would Jesse Marsch like to continue on with the CanMNT 🇨🇦 after the 2026 World Cup? 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) January 14, 2026
"Six years doesn't seem too long from where I sit right now!" pic.twitter.com/0vVIWoHPG5
Now, it remains to be seen whether Marsch pens a new deal before the World Cup. Ultimately, while there appears to be confidence in Marsch’s ability to lead this team long-term, things can change quickly in this sport.
All it takes is a disastrous World Cup, and things could flip. Conversely, a strong tournament for Canada could also further cement the need to keep Marsch around long-term, however.
Of course, if the latter happens and Marsch isn’t inked to a long-term contract, the door always opens up for him to depart - but Canada could also find themselves in a bit of a pickle if they struggle after having inked Marsch to a long-term deal.
All of that to say, this is no straightforward decision, which is why it’s unlikely to see either side rush into hammering out a new deal - that might not come until this summer.
What we do know right now is that Marsch has developed a strong connection with this group, on and off the pitch, and that he has the program trending in the right direction ahead of this tournament, which is all you could’ve asked from him at this stage.
"What a great feeling to have as a coach. I still insist that this team has never played poorly for me – 27 games, we have had 27 above-average performances,” Marsch said. “Not always perfect, but games where I can walk away and go 'Yeah, I'm proud of that group. This feels like my team. This feels like a team that represents what we want to be.' It means that I can just go about my business and be confident in what we're establishing."
We have an announcement...#CANMNT🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/TMW6f2LU51
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) May 13, 2024
Should Marsch stick around after the World Cup, he’d still have plenty still to accomplish - qualifying for a third straight World Cup in 2030 would be an immediate priority, as would snapping Canada’s 25-year trophy drought with either a Gold Cup or Nations League victory.
Given how young this team still is, though, those are very realistic tasks, especially if Marsch can continue to foster growth within this group, while transitioning the team into a bit of a new era as some key players age out.
Before looking that far ahead, however, look for him to accomplish his short-term goals, which are to have a good run at this summer’s World Cup, much like they did in Marsch’s first tournament, the 2024 Copa América, where they reached the semi-finals.
After failing to reach the final of both the Nations League and Gold Cup in 2025, this group will be extra hungry for a chance to make some noise at the World Cup, especially when considering how long they’ve been waiting for this tournament.
Because of that, while Marsch is proud to reflect on the solid record of 13W-7D-7L that his team has achieved in his first 27 games in charge, he knows how vital the next seven-plus games are in the grand scheme of what he hopes to achieve in this job… no matter how long that ends up being.
"I love this job, I love this team, and I've really grown to love Canada," Marsch said.
"I understand the responsibility of being their coach and representing the Canadian national team for the home World Cup. It's a team that really responds to who I am, what I think about football, and even life. And it's a team who I respond to really well and I really enjoy and whether it's been visiting these guys at their clubs, having people come to my house, the impression that I think we've made together on the Canadian community and the international footballing community, I think that we've caught people's eye in terms of now understanding that Canada can be a football nation and that this team has really good players and plays really good football.
"It makes me enjoy the process with them and know that it's an important role that I'm fulfilling. That makes me proud to be part of this. But... talk to me in August!"
He added: "You can't do a national team job forever because at some point you have to turn the reins over to a different custodian. However... six years doesn't seem too long from where I sit right now."
