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Luke Reece never played hockey growing up in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto. Instead, he played football, like many now-adult Canadians.
The sport is so popular that it has surpassed hockey and all other sports in youth participation, according to a recent report from Jumpstart, a Canadian charity that helps low-income youth participate in organized sports. It says half of the country’s youth participate in organized soccer activities.
Reece was one of several locals to wear Canada’s soccer gear Thursday ahead of their country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I wish I had tickets for tomorrow’s game, but I don’t,” Reece said. “I’m going to see a game in Vancouver. It was cheaper to get a ticket there.”
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“It already has a good influence in this country in terms of participation. I think we all expect it to grow. These tournaments inspire so many people of the next generation to find their heroes and play,” said Christina Linz, president of the Northern Women’s Super League. “I think it’s really going to create those emotional connections.”
Thursday in Toronto felt a bit like the day to wear your favorite soccer jersey as the tournament opened in Mexico. Canada’s red tops, like the one worn by Reece, were among the most popular.
Toronto was a sea of red ahead of Friday’s Group B match between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Photo by Ezra Shaw – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Mexico (13th) and the United States (17th), the other World Cup co-hosts, each occupy a higher place 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 sparking passion for sport.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Thursday he had “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 from so many different nations to be here in North America and Canada, and playing with all the greatest players in the world and some of the greatest coaches, I think there’s a real excitement behind what this will be,” Marsch said.
The absence of star defender, striker Alphonso Davies, who was ruled out of Friday’s match as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury suffered in Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6, could stall the potential of Marsch’s side.
Marsch hopes Davies can return at some point in the group stage. He said Davies had an MRI on Wednesday.
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“We are preparing to speed things up,” Marsch said Thursday.
Davies is one of several Canadian players dealing with injuries. Defender Moise Bombito is recovering from a broken leg, but Marsch said Bombito is “ready to contribute.”
No matter who is on the field for Canada, they are ready to make a statement and the players are eager to prove that their country is a soccer nation.
“Each of these boys is incredibly Canadian and they are proud to put on the jersey, represent the country and hear the national anthem,” Marsch said. “These guys are singing the national anthem, singing it at the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians and to represent what Canada is.”
