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.
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 by artist Seth Book 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.
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