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Luke Reece never played hockey while growing up in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. Instead, he played soccer, like many Canadians who are now adults.
The sport is so popular that it has surpassed hockey and all other sports in youth participation, according to a recent report by Jumpstart, a Canadian charity that helps low-income youth play organized sports. He said half of the country’s youth participate in organized soccer.
Reece was one of many locals wearing Canadian soccer gear on Thursday ahead of his country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener on Friday against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“I wish I had tickets for tomorrow’s game, but I don’t,” Reece said. “I’m going to a game in Vancouver. It was cheaper to get a ticket there.”
Is Canada about to have a football moment?
“It’s already well established in this country in terms of participation. I think we all hope that will grow. These tournaments inspire a lot of people from the next generation to find their heroes and play,” said Christina Linz, president of the Northern Women’s Super League. “I think it will really make those emotional connections.”
Thursday in Toronto felt a little like wear your favorite soccer jersey day when the tournament opened in Mexico. Canada’s red blouses, like the one Reece wore, were among the most popular.
Toronto was a sea of red awaiting Friday’s Group B match between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Photo by Ezra Shaw – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Mexico (No. 13) and the United States (No. 17), the other World Cup co-hosts, are each one place higher in the FIFA rankings than Canada, which is 30th, but that means there is more to gain for the Canadians. Especially when it comes to generating passion for the sport.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Thursday that he has “felt real momentum behind this team and behind this moment” as Canada Soccer, the sport’s national governing body, looks to capitalize on hosting the World Cup for the first time.
“Canada has become more and more multicultural, and I think the excitement of so many different nations being here in North America and Canada, and playing with the best players in the world and some of the best coaches, I think there’s a real excitement behind what this is going to be,” Marsch said.
Potentially dampening the potential of Marsch’s team is the absence of star defender, striker Alphonso Davies, who was ruled out of Friday’s game as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury suffered during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6.
Marsch is hopeful that Davies can return at some point in the group stage. He said Davies underwent an MRI on Wednesday.
Stories related to Canada
“We’re getting ready to speed things up,” Marsch said Thursday.
Davies is one of many Canadian players battling injuries. Defenseman Moise Bombito is recovering from a broken leg, but Marsch said Bombito is “ready to contribute.”
Regardless of who is on the field for Canada, Canada is ready to make a statement and the players are eager to show that their country is a football nation.
“Each one of these guys is incredibly Canadian and the pride they have putting on the jersey, representing the country and listening to the national anthem,” Marsch said. “These guys sing the national anthem, they sing it at the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadian and to represent what Canada is.”
