It was the kind of pitch-perfect evening amateur soccer players and their parents dream of all winter. Months of withering brutal weather gave way to soccer abandon on the turf, as two of Ottawa’s best junior teams clashed in the sunlight.
Watching on the sidelines was Nathaniel Salhani, a soccer-obsessed 8-year-old who could not wait to get the words out when asked if he was excited about Canada hosting the World Cup .
“I’m going to the Canada, Ireland soccer game!” he beamed.
His mother was beaming too.
“We deserve this, to finally be recognized as a soccer nation,” said Nathaniel’s mother, Nathalie Salhani, adding, “Honestly, it’s that Canada finally gets recognized as a country that can play soccer.”
And play, they do. Salhani’s sentiment speaks to the millions of players, coaches and parents devoted to amateur soccer in Canada.
The Canadian government declares soccer, not hockey, to be the nation’s most popular sport among Canadian children.
Canada may lack the near-religious devotion Mexico shows to the sport, or the high expectations of the US, but the sublime joy of just being able to host a World Cup is setting in.
World Cup headlines in Canada bear the same gripes and cynicism about high ticket prices , lack of a tourism boost, stadium and transport issues, but for so many players and fans in Canada, this World Cup is hitting different.
“I think for us to even have a chance to do this is great because we haven’t had it and now we’re going to take the opportunity,” said Salhani.
Vancouver and Toronto are sharing hosting duties and both cities are decked out for fan festivities.
Vancouver has transformed its skyline and its streets. The city’s Science World has unveiled ‘The Beautiful Dome,’ a massive soccer ball perched on the waterfront. It’s a 360-degree, 40-metre-diameter recreation of the Adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The city’s Yaletown district has been blanketed with ‘Beautiful Game’ murals along walls and patios, showing the game’s most iconic moments from soccer stars legends like Lionel Messi, Pelé, and Canada’s Alphonso Davies.
“The mural celebrates more than 70 years of soccer history through iconic players at moments in the game but also reflecting Vancouver’s own World Cup identity,” Sarah Vallely, executive director of the Yaletown Business Improvement Association that commissioned the artwork, told CNN in a phone interview this week.
The city is prepping for what it calls a once-in-generation opportunity for residents, visitors and local businesses from dozens of cultural backgrounds. Vallely sees it as bigger than the Super Bowl or the Olympic Games given the extraordinary viewership and engagement from fans around the world.
“I think what you’re really seeing is a celebration of the world’s game and that was very important to us,” said Vallely.
Beyond the economic boost, hopes, if not expectations, are high for Canada’s national team too, even though this is only Canada’s third World Cup appearance.
Even making the quarterfinals would be a dream scenario for Canada’s national team.
“We do have very talented players and I think this is a team that definitely should come out of their group, I think this is a team that at minimum should participate in the round of 32,” said Julian de Guzman, a Canada Soccer Hall of Fame and former national team member who is currently Head of Sport for New York’s Red Bull MLS team.
De Guzman said a solid performance by the national team will build momentum for future teams and send a message to the world about Canada’s soccer potential.
“It’s going to be eye-opening to know that, ‘wow’, soccer does exist north of the border, said de Guzman, adding, “there’s a lot of cool things to appreciate about where Alphonso Davies comes from, where Jonathan David comes from.”
Davies is Canada’s national team captain and a star player for Bayern Munich , David is a standout striker for Canada who currently plays for Juventus in Italy. Both are the children of Canadian immigrants and emblematic of how and why soccer is so popular in Canada.
Canada is home to soccer fans whose roots span every continent and team. Toronto and Vancouver will be performing a “double pivot,” cheering for Canada even as many fans will have a “side-hustle,” rooting for the teams of their heritage.
Restaurants and bars are gearing up for Canada’s games but also hosting viewing parties for nearly every one of the 48 teams competing.
It is a fact not lost on Canadian musical superstar Drake, a committed soccer fan who in a recent interview with FIFA declared that Canada will be ready.
“Canada as a whole, we have just such an incredible melting pot of people, but Toronto especially, there are so many cultural experiences so when the World Cup hits, … it’s a beautiful, beautiful, time.”
