Canada's Jonathan David (10) celebrates his goal against Qatar with teammates during the first half of the match in Vancouver, on June 18.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Canada spent a huge amount of money to act as one of the co-hosts of the men’s World Cup, about $1-billion according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, with 13 games played on home soil. Receiving much less financial support was the national team itself, which turned out a solid performance in spite of minimal funding.
Canada Soccer, which oversees both the men’s and women’s teams, has a budget of only $41-million this year – about one dollar for each Canadian. That’s a fraction of the funding given the great soccer powers and it needs to be boosted. Ottawa’s grant of about $10-million towards a largely unfunded $300-million national training centre is a start. But only just.
More must be done to support the national teams, and also to buttress the whole soccer ecosystem that can turn junior-level players into the stars of the future.
No one watching the final this weekend could credibly imagine Canada winning this World Cup. Still, the team carried the hopes of the nation as it had its best tournament ever – albeit with an assist that won’t be there next time.
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At the men’s team’s first World Cup appearance, in 1986, the country lost all three of its games and didn’t manage to score. Thirty-six years later they returned and notched their first goal at this level. And this year, the Canadian men got their first point, tying Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then their first win, thumping Qatar. They finally made it out of the group stage – helped here in part by the fact that, by Canada paying to host, they had secured an advantageous draw that allowed them to avoid the soccer giants in that round – and won their first knockout match before being eliminated.
The women’s team has performed better. They came fourth in the 2003 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2019 and the quarter-finals in 2025, missing the knockout stages the other years. The women’s Olympic squad won gold in Tokyo and then slumped to seventh in Paris two years ago.
For both men and women, there’s a foundation on which to build. Luckily, there are useful models to draw from.
Step one, nurture young talent. The stars of today were the prodigies of years past. And these can’t emerge without a strong system of youth soccer. This is about more than just facilities and coaching, though that is a big part of it, it’s also about the approach.
Norway reached the quarter-finals because Erling Haaland is a lethal striker. But the team was also strong. How does a nation of only 5.6 million people turn out such excellent athletes? One part is the youth focus on fun. For the youngest, play matters more than results. Only once the players reach their tween years are the best selected for intensive focus.
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As Canada’s young players improve, the most promising will be signed by the feeder systems of professional teams. For those who move away from home, Soccer Canada officials must monitor their development and maintain relationships. Staying close is necessary because many will have the option of playing for one of several countries. When the Canadian squad was less good, some promising talent chose to wear the national jersey of another country. Strong ties and good support – and a good team to join – will encourage players to don the maple leaf.
At the same time, Canadian scouts need to continue looking within other nations’ development programs for people eligible to play for this country. Years ago Morocco started finding and soliciting young talent living elsewhere that could play for them. It paid off. Their team is now ranked 6th in the world and defeated Canada handily in the round of 16.
Finally, Canada needs the coaching, support and infrastructure to meld young players into a credible team.
Canada has the ingredients to do better at the World Cup. Our population is bigger than that of many higher-ranked countries. This country is a magnet for immigrants from countries where soccer is the most popular sport. More than twice as many young Canadians play soccer as hockey. There is passion for the sport.
In the television show Ted Lasso – about an American football coach in the UK, coaching the British version of football – there is a joyful young character with an unstoppable smile and the catchphrase “football is life.”
For millions of Canadians over the past month, football was life. And some of them are little boys and girls now inspired to kick a ball around. Among them might be stars of teams that Canada fields in future World Cups. The country needs to help make that happen.