RADAR
The Rise of Soccer in Canada
Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup has given Canada the world stage, but for youth interested in the sport, it’s provided opportunity, community and so much more.
By Steven Sandor
More young Canadians are taking to the sport of soccer than ever before — and Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup should boost popularity even more. | VIDEO: VINCENT2004/ENVATO
When a nation has the opportunity to host or co-host a major international sporting event, most of the talk is about the immediate economic impact of the big games. But the real measure of success is the legacy that continues long after the whistle has blown and fans from around the world have gone home. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not just about tens of thousands of fans packing stadiums as Canada takes on the world. It’s about seeing community fields filled with kids for years to come. It’s about how the World Cup boosts the profile of a game in a country where hockey still dominates the headlines. “We want more kids [to get the] opportunity to have a great experience in the game,” says Dave Nutt, Canada Soccer’s director of development. Building lasting legacies As Canada prepares to host 13 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — seven in Vancouver, six in Toronto — the people in charge of growing the game in this country understand that this tournament is just a stepping stone, not an end goal. This will only be the third time that Canada has played in the World Cup.
“What our key focus needs to be is, how do we translate the interest (in the World Cup) to actual impact?” says Nutt. “How do we get from ‘Okay, soccer is coming and this is something we’re paying attention to’ and then translate that into more players, more coaches, more volunteers, more opportunities and more engagement?”
While Canada has hosted major tournaments before, such as the FIFA Under-19 Women’s Championship in 2002 (which made Christine Sinclair a national icon) and the 2015 Women’s World Cup, according to Nutt, the 2007 Under-20 World Cup can be seen as Canadian soccer’s coming-out party. To convince FIFA that this country was right to host the tournament, a soccer-specific stadium — BMO Field — was built on Toronto’s lakeshore. And with that came Toronto FC, the first Canadian team to join U.S.-based Major League Soccer (MLS). The hype — and packed stadiums — led the Montreal Impact (now known as CF Montreal) and the Vancouver Whitecaps to move from second-division soccer to MLS.
Now, on top of three MLS teams, there are Canadian men’s and women’s pro leagues. Having these leagues gives local opportunities for players to excel — and be paid. And from that ecosystem, players can move to Europe, just as Alphonso Davies did when the Whitecaps saw him leave for Bayern Munich in Germany.
In June 2026, BMO Field in Toronto will be the site of the first Canada Men’s National Team World Cup match on home soil. | PHOTO: COURTESY DMCA
Dave Nutt Canada Soccer’s Director of Development
“How do we get from ‘Okay, soccer is coming and that this is something we’re paying attention to’ and then translate that into more players, more coaches, more volunteers, more opportunities and more engagement?”
Developing local talent Davies, whose family escaped Liberia via Ghana, came to Edmonton as a refugee. He quickly turned heads in minor soccer, getting spotted by Vancouver Whitecaps scouts before he was old enough to drive. Davies made his MLS debut with the Whitecaps at just 15 years old. Since moving on to Bayern Munich, he’s won the Champions League and has become recognized as one of the best fullbacks on the planet. In 2022, playing against Croatia, he became the first Canadian to score in a World Cup game. Hosting the U-20 World Cup put Canada on a trajectory to co-host the men’s World Cup. And with that came a change in philosophy. Canada put in place a national strategy for long-term player development. At the minor soccer level, small-sided games (such as five-a-side) were introduced so players got more touches on the ball. Drills that emphasized passing, dribbling and shooting replaced running through cones. “If we look at the players who are in their late teens [or] early 20s, those are the players that came through the [Long Term Player Development] environment,” says Nutt. “That really speaks to the value of small-sided games and the value of changing the structure as we did back then.” Perhaps the most stunning example of soccer’s rise can be found in Edmonton. BTB Soccer Academy was founded in 2013 and catered to kids who couldn’t afford to play the game. Now, the club has turned into a national giant, sending players to MLS and Europe. Its youth clubs have made nine appearances in national championships, winning two of them.
(From left) Young Canadians are getting their start in soccer early; women’s soccer is on the rise in Canada; training focuses on fitness, as always, but also on leadership and academics. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BTB SOCCER ACADEMY
(From top) Young Canadians are getting their start in soccer early; women’s soccer is on the rise in Canada; training focuses on fitness, as always, but also on leadership and academics. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BTB SOCCER ACADEMY
Setting higher standards
Even though BTB has become known for Canadian talent, its mission is still about developing young people through soccer. Not every player will go on to a pro career; so, success is measured by how soccer is used to make a child’s life more well-rounded. At the end of the year, the club gives out awards for not only skills on the field, but also for leadership and academic excellence.
Nutt says that it’s important that programs align “to what you’re hoping to get from the game.” Meaning, having elite programs for those who dream of being the next Davies or Sinclair, but still having engaging programs for the players who will one day play in Sunday leagues with friends and make soccer a part of their lives.
Kondeh Mansaray, BTB’s co-founder, said that the expectations around soccer have changed over the last decade. One of the goals, down the road, is for Canada’s qualification for both women’s and men’s World Cups to be considered automatic, as it is for countries with multiple wins, such as France or Argentina. “Now, I feel we’ll be [a] regular at the World Cup,” says Mansaray. “Before, it never used to happen. Every time we went to the World Cup before, it was like a miracle. But now it’s an expectation. That’s the standard.” As the World Cup hype increases, Canadian soccer registration numbers are finally starting to rebound, after a slump that began even before the COVID pandemic put a massive damper on group activities. In its most recent annual report, issued in 2025, Canada Soccer stated that there were 758,741 total registered players in the country. That was up from 739,642 a year before. To compare, Hockey Canada’s registration numbers for the previous winter were a little over 600,000 nationally. The World Cup has given Canadians a platform to unite as a nation, and provides kids the hope that there’s space for them — all of them — in the sport of soccer.
Canada begins World Cup play June 12 in Toronto. CAA
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