Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue, seen at the team's kit unveiling this spring, will lead Canada's next steps in building off of its World Cup momentum.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
The World Cup is over for Canada, save for Tuesday’s round of 16 finale in Vancouver between Colombia and Switzerland.
Now the focus is on building on the nationwide buzz the Canadian men attracted in falling one win short of making the quarter-finals of the expanded 48-team, 104-game tournament.
What kind of war chest Canada Soccer has to fuel that movement has yet to be revealed. While Canada earned US$16-million in prize money for reaching the final 16 of the tournament, it has yet to learn what legacy funding it will receive as co-host.
“There have been preliminary discussions that are providing rough indications of order of magnitude, but there have not been specific discussions yet and we look forward to having those with FIFA,” Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer’s CEO and general secretary, told a virtual media briefing Monday.
Blue declined to provide further details.
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FIFA traditionally provides World Cup hosts with post-tournament funding to develop and promote the sport.
The world governing body reported last August that it had contributed more than US$100-million to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Legacy Fund, for example. The fund has been used to build 15 regional technical centres in cities that did not benefit from improved infrastructure from the tournament, as well as implementing new competitions for women and youth, providing medical and public health tools and protocols and advancing a program that “promotes co-existence and education through football.”
In October, 2020, the Russian news agency Tass reported that FIFA planned to allocate US$100-million in legacy funding for hosting the 2018 World Cup. In May, 2022, the Russian Football Union claimed payments had been suspended as part of the sanctions for the war on Ukraine.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund has seen FIFA contribute US$50-million for social programs in collaboration with host Qatar, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Qatar came under fire from Amnesty International and others for its treatment of foreign workers in advance of the tournament. And Amnesty slammed the Legacy Fund, saying it did not include compensation for affected workers, while noting it provides some funding for the WHO’s “Beat The Heat” program to protect workers from heat stress in the future.
Kevin Blue said the total amount of prize money FIFA will give this year's World Cup co-hosts has not yet been determined.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Canada Soccer is looking to use such funding to help finance a national training centre, which it has called its “cornerstone legacy project” coming out of Canada’s role as World Cup co-host.
It envisions the facility as a year-round hub for national teams, player development, coach and referee education, sports science and community programming.
Canada Soccer is currently reviewing possible sites and capital partners for the project, which has a preliminary budget of $250-million to $300-million to be financed through World Cup legacy funding, government investment, philanthropy, corporate partnership and other contributions from the host community and development partners.
After the whistle: Canada Soccer enjoying World Cup renewal
Canada Soccer has already secured $9.8-million through the federal government’s Build Communities Strong Fund to support planning, design and pre-construction activities associated with the project.
“Hosting the FIFA World Cup is an extraordinary moment for our country, but the true measure of success will be the legacy we create after the final match is played,” Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso said in a June release. “The national training centre represents an opportunity to make a generational investment in Canadian soccer and Canadian communities.”
The plan is to have the site and capital partner chosen by October or November.
Fans from across the country supported the Canadian men's team at watch parties, like this one in Toronto.Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
The World Cup drives FIFA’s finances with revenue for its 2027-30 budget cycle pegged at US$14-billion. FIFA says it expects to “reinvest 89 per cent of its budgeted investments directly into football activities.”
Blue hopes the World Cup will help focus attention on what he called “Canada’s fastest-growing and most globally relevant sport.”
“I think what we just accomplished over the last however many weeks is an example of the power of the sport,” Blue said.
The Canada Soccer boss had little new to report Monday, instead choosing to pass out kudos to those involved in the tournament.
Asked about the growing controversy surrounding FIFA’s decision to lift the mandatory suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in the wake of his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, Blue pleaded ignorance, saying he had only “picked up bits and pieces” on the matter.
The ruling cleared Balogun to play against Belgium on Monday evening in round of 16 play in Seattle.
FIFA’s decision – and U.S. president Donald Trump’s admission that he had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to complain about the red card and suspension – drew harsh criticism from UEFA, the governing body of European Football, along with the Belgian federation and others.
Blue put his support behind Canada head coach Jesse Marsch, who said after Morocco's 3-0 round of 16 win that he thought his team was the better one on the pitch.Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Blue also defended Canada coach Jesse Marsch, who surprised some with his comments after the weekend 3-0 loss to Morocco that his team had been better on the day.
“I thought Jesse’s performance was obviously highly positive and you know he’s always going to back the team and I’m going to back him,” said Blue, who prior to the tournament gave Marsch a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 World Cup.
Asked why Alphonso Davies was included on the roster when a hamstring injury limited the captain to playing just 15 minutes against South Africa, Blue cited Davies’s contributions off the field with the team.
“The decision to bring Alphonso was an absolute obvious one and it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t able to play in the Morocco game,” he said. “I’m sure if you asked Jesse, he would say that he would do the same thing again.”
Marsch said while the Canadian medical staff was in regular contact with Bayern Munich, Davies’s club in Germany, the decision on whether to play him or not was Canada’s.
Davies watched as the 30th-ranked Canadian men were blanked by No. 7 Morocco in the round of 16, ending a World Cup run that saw them register their first point, first win and first trip to the knockout rounds.
He came off the bench in the 75th minute to help Canada defeat No. 60 South Africa 1-0 in the round of 32.
Canada just had its best World Cup ever. Ask us your questions
The Canadians finished runner-up in Group B with a 1-1-1 record, drawing No. 64 Bosnia-Herzegovina, thumping No. 56 Qatar 6-0 and losing 2-1 to No. 19 Switzerland in group play.
In reaching the round of 16, Canada collects US$16-million in prize money on top of the US$2.5-million each team received from FIFA in preparation money.
Under terms of its collective agreement with the men’s and women’s national teams, Canada Soccer paid $75,000 to each of the 26 players for the group stage ($25,000 per game).
The men’s and women’s team split the US$6-million earned during the knockout rounds. That payout will be repeated during the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Players also received US$20,000 – US$30,000 for the group stage and US$5,000 for each of the knockout rounds they took part in – under the “World Cup Friends & Family Program” detailed in the CBA.
Canada Soccer also has coaching bonuses to pay, Marsch said.
The Canadian men‘s next action will be in the Sept. 21-Oct. 6 and Nov. 9-17 FIFA international windows. Blue said both windows would see Canadian home games.
Canada's historic World Cup run is over. Ask us your questions
On Wednesday, July 8 at 1 p.m. ET, sports writers Cathal Kelly, Paul Attfield, Neil Davidson and David Ebner will be live answering your questions about the World Cup, Canada’s showing and where the team goes from here. Submit your questions in the box below or e-mail us at audience@globeandmail.com.