Photo: A massive World Cup 2026 ball at Sport Chek in Toronto

The World Cup is almost upon us, and while the first couple of matches will be played in Mexico on June 11th, the festivities here in Toronto will kick off on June 12th with Team Canada facing Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Toronto and Vancouver are the two Canadian cities hosting matches alongside several other Mexican and American cities this year. Toronto will host 6 matches at BMO Field, which has been renamed Toronto Stadium for the World Cup, and Vancouver will host 7 matches at BC Place. 

This is the first time in history that Canada has hosted World Cup matches, so of course there is a lot of excitement here! Yesterday, when I was out for a walk, I came across several areas that had been blocked off for watch parties, many banners hanging from lamp posts, a big timer at City Hall counting down to the first match, and a massive ball (that you can see in the picture above). 

Of course, there is plenty of merch for sale everywhere and fans walking and driving around with jerseys, caps, flags, and all kinds of stuff to show support for their teams. Because Canada is so multicultural, we can see a lot of people who support other country’s teams here, but there are still plenty of red Canadian jerseys, too! In addition to supporting Canada’s team, I will also be rooting for Mexico and Japan this year (because of my friends).

Of course, hosting such a huge event also comes with problems. The World Cup is always a golden opportunity for criminals to make money, and at the beginning of June, Toronto Police announced that they had already seized $2.5 million worth of fake World Cup merch.

As for the Canadian team itself, well, we’ll just have to cross our fingers and wait and see! Canada’s men’s teams have never been particularly strong, but in recent years Canada has started to take soccer* much more seriously as a sport and, as Sportsnet recently reported, “The Canadian men’s team will enter the FIFA World Cup on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run and with just one regulation time loss in its previous 17 outings.” So, as Canadians often are, I’m cautiously optimistic!  

to be upon - to be starting/happening; to be taking place

to kick off - to begin/start

watch party - an event where fans can hang out and watch a match, usually on big screens

massive - very big; huge

merch - (casual short form of) merchandise

to root for - to support; to cheer for

a golden opportunity - an excellent chance

to seize - to confiscate or capture

to be cautiously optimistic - to hope for the best while remaining realistic and prepared for possible setbacks 

*”Soccer” is still the most common way to refer to this sport in North America, but “football” is getting popular, especially amongst serious fans.