| Canada U20 Football Team | |
| Full Name: | Football Canada World Junior Team |
| Nicknames: | True North |
| Short Name: | Team Canada/Equipe Canada |
| Sport: | American Football/Canadian Football |
| Founded: | Organization 1882, U20 Team 2000 |
| League: | IFAF |
| Division: | IFAF Americas |
| Owner: | Non-profit |
| President: | Jim Mullin |
| Managing Director: | Kevin McDonald |
| Coach: | Warren Craney |
| Manager: | Jamie Geisler |
| Affiliations: | IFAF |
| Divisions: | IFAF Americas |
| Championships: | NFL Global Junior Championship 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, IFAF: 2012, 2016, 2018, 2024. |
| Anthem: | O Canada, Fight song: The Maple Leaf Forever |
| Broadcasters: | IFAF.tv, TSN |
| Record: | NFL Global Junior Championship 22-4, IFAF: 17-3, Overall: 39-7 |
| Website: | footballcanada.com |
The Canada National Football Junior Team a.k.a. the Football Canada World Junior Team represent Canada in international gridiron football competitions. The football program is part of the football development program and is controlled by Football Canada and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). It is the premiere team in male development for the organization. While Football Canada is the governing body for amateur Canadian football, IFAF-sponsored games are played using American football rules. Team Canada first competed on the world stage in the NFL Global Junior Championship in 2000 with a championship victory over Team Europe. They competed for their first IFAF Junior World Cup in 2009.[1]
Canada developed the Football Canada World Junior Team as an elite program which participated in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Under-19 World Championship which was scheduled held every two years from 2012 until 2020. This tournament was previously known as the IFAF Junior World Cup.
The IFAF U20 World Junior Championship replaced the U19 format and was staged in June 2024 in Edmonton, Canada.[2] With the 2020 championship cancelled due to COVID-19, there were efforts to restage that event in 2021 as a U20 aged event in Vancouver, but was still subject to Pandemic cancellations.[3]
Football Canada became a full member of the IFAF in 2004.[4] Thereafter Canada competed in international junior, flag, and women's football events.[5]
Team Canada is the most successful team at the IFAF World Junior Championships, with four championships and two silver medals. Canada is the only national team to win three consecutive championships in 2016 in Harbin, China over the United States, followed up with a 2018 win in Mexico, 13–7 over the host Mexicans in front of 30,515 at Mexico 68 Estadio Olympico and a 20-7 win over Japan at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on 30 June 2024.[6]
The roster of the Canada national football junior team is players aged 20 and under and are typically from U SPORTS, Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL), Quebec-based CEGEP schools, high school or community football programs. The head coach for the program is selected by Football Canada and appointed prior to selecting the remainder of the tournaments coaching staff or players.Warren Craney was appointed head coach of the 2024 team, reprising his role from 2016. Craney is the most decorated coach in IFAF football with two gold medals as a head coach (2016, 2024), one gold as an offensive coordinator in 2012, and two slivers (2009, 2014). In the 2024 World Junior Championship, Canada fieldeda "B" Team named Canada II, coached by former McGill Redbirds Head Coach Ronald Hilaire which finished fifth.
| WC | winner | loser | game | date and location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Canada | 55 | New Zealand | 0 | Quarterfinal | June 27, 2009 at Canton, Ohio |
| Canada | 38 | Japan | 35 | Semifinal | July 1, 2009 at Canton, Ohio | |
| United States | 41 | Canada | 3 | Final | July 4, 2009 at Canton, Ohio | |
| 2012 | Canada | 43 | Sweden | 0 | Quarterfinal | June 30, 2012 at Austin, Texas |
| Canada | 33 | Japan | 24 | Semifinal | July 4, 2012 at Austin, Texas | |
| Canada | 23 | USA | 17 | Final | July 7, 2012 at Austin, Texas | |
| 2014 | Canada | 91 | Kuwait | 0 | Pool game | July 7, 2014 at Kuwait City |
| Canada | 56 | France | 0 | Pool game | July 10, 2014 at Kuwait City | |
| Canada | 36 | Austria | 7 | Pool game | July 13, 2014 at Kuwait City | |
| United States | 40 | Canada | 17 | Final | July 16, 2014 at Kuwait City | |
| 2016 | Canada | 30 | Mexico | 16 | Pool game | June 30, 2016 at Harbin, China |
| United States | 32 | Canada | 14 | Pool game | July 3, 2016 at Harbin, China | |
| Canada | 28 | Mexico | 21 | Semifinal | July 7, 2016 at Harbin, China | |
| Canada(2) | 24 | United States | 6 | Final | July 10, 2016 at Harbin, China | |
| 2018 | Canada | 60 | Sweden | 0 | Quarterfinal | July 15, 2018 at Mexico City |
| Canada | 28 | Japan | 22 | Semifinal | July 18, 2018 at Mexico City | |
| Canada(3) | 13 | Mexico | 7 | Final | July 21, 2018 at Mexico City | |
| 2024 | Canada | 110 | Brazil | 0 | Quarterfinal | June 22, 2024 at Edmonton, Alberta |
| Canada | 27 | Austria | 20 | Semifinal | June 26, 2024 at Edmonton, Alberta | |
| Canada(4) | 20 | Japan | 9 | Final | June 30, 2024 at Edmonton, Alberta |