By Paul Nicholson in Vancouver
April 29 – With less than 45 days to go to the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA and its member nations have gathered in Canada, one of the three host countries, for their annual congress.
That the Congress is in Vancouver, and not the US ,is interesting in so much as it is a timely reminder that for all the talk of FIFA’s skyhigh US pricing and its obsequious top table love-in with US president Donald Trump and his political agenda, Canada is very much a part of this World Cup. Less games perhaps but still an equal partner.
It almost feels ‘oldy worldy’ within FIFA’s new realityto be in a country embracing a World Cup to provide opportunity to grow its own game, showcase itself to the world and welcome that divided and fractured world warmly (well, at least until the Iranian delegation were turned back at the airport).
For FIFA the 2026 World Cup is all about the money, particularly in the US, for the US it has become about the political leverage (FIFA is running the event with the US Soccer federation pretty much acting as a concierge). In Canada there is a different vibe.
This has come with a greater focus on what can be achieved from the hosting (and to quite an old FIFA tagline from the Sepp Blatter era) ‘for the good of the game’.
Don’t read this wrong. The Canadians are no soft-touch and their cities want to see real benefit from hosting. But it comes with a more holistic approach to the game in their country and how this World Cup can be harnessed as a force multiplier for the game in the country as well as providing an economic and reputational boost. This certainly ain’t no 51st state – though the Iranian delegation might disagree.
Canadian Soccer has forced its way to the top of the Concacaf performance eco-system over the past eight years, and while it hasn’t won the regional titles that many had expected the national team to win with the talent within its squad – players like Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan can hold their own with anyone in the word – it has nevertheless raised expectations.
Part of the process of the past three years from a business perspective has been to build the media and commercial platforms that will give the base for the maximisation of the World Cup opportunity.
That has not been a smooth journey. With the performance of the national team stuttering under old and new coaches (the current coach Jesse Marsch could prove to be a bigger threat than a bad VAR decision to this team), the team threated strike action over pay and conditions and criticism of the newly created Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) to handle commercial rights gained national attention.
Hosting a World Cup is not necessarily a golden ticket.
The ‘turbulence’ caused the CSB to pivot, rebrand and rethink its commercial proposition and how to effectively ride that World Cup wave.
James Johnson, parachuted in from running Football Australia, to the role of Group CEO of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (CSME) has led the rethink, picking up the threads of business that needed developing a vision for the organisation.
At the core is the 12+5 year rights deal with Canada Soccer, the creation of a stronger set of media, commercial and licensing rights, the strengthening of the new launch Canadian Premier League and the establishment of the OneSoccer media platform which will be the digital engine for the business.
For Johnson this is where the legacy of Canada’s hosting of the World Cup becomes tangible.
“As a country we obviously very excited about co-hosting. From our perspective we are most excited about the legacy. For us this is to push the sport into the mainstream media and the commercial conversations. We want to make sure that we are at the centre of the sports conversation,” said Johnson.
In a hockey-mad country, with NBA and NFL franchises, breaking into that every day media space is a big task.
“We want people to be able to watch soccer wherever they are in the country. We want to be on all the back pages. It doesn’t happen overnight, we know that but we are putting a lot of pieces in place to make this out legacy,” Johnson continued.
A big step in that direction will the current legal case that should be settled in May with Canadian cable giant Rogers Communications that will give CSME’s OneSoccer platform access to their 10.5 million cabled homes and bars.
Making sure there is access to the market of TV viewers is crucial to that legacy ambition.
“We believe in importance of the broad visibility for our game and we know it will take time. Being able to watch the games wherever you are in Canada will have a direct impact on our growth,” said Johnson.
There was something of an irony in having the world’s football administrators converge on Vancouver at the same time that the MLS publicly said that they were looking of moving the Vancouver Whitecaps franchise to Las Vegas. The Whitecaps – one of the few club names that football fans outside North America instantly recognise – have been for sale since 2014.
For Johnson adversity could also mean opportunity.
“We would welcome Whitecaps in in the CPL. It is a great name, they are great on the pitch and they could be a vehicle that drives the sport in Canada,” said Johnson.
“Currently the league is at eight teams with no definite expansion plans or number of teams targeted for the league. But expansion into the right markets is on the agenda and “a 16 team league feels right. We are looking at eight additional markets”.
Big markets like Edmonton, Winnipeg and Victoria would all “be great for the CPL”.
Having a league that exports young Canadian players and creating that talent factory is also a big part of the future. Players like Olivia Smith and Tajon Buchanan who came through the Ontario systems prove there is talent. Alphonso Davies, who is from Edmonton, of course needs no introduction.
Creating an eco-system that develops these kinds of players and generates opportunities for them is similarly part of the wider legacy. That requires a “properly functioning transfer system that will incentivise clubs and players via the revenue opportunity.
“That will Clubs incentivise clubs to sign players for longer terms and take a more pro-active interest in their development.”
Underpinning the Canadian Soccer is story is 700,000 registered players, a higher number than the higher profile sports of baseball and hockey, and Johnson expects to see that number rise.
“We will have access to those participants and will build a natural home for them with the OneSoccer platform in terms of content but then building out that data.” It is a powerful and large niche group with similar interests that in the current digital world could be the silver bullet that generates true legacy.
While the Americans nickel and dime over parking prices and whether fans can tailgate or not, the Canadians have their eyes on a much bigger picture for their game.
But first comes the delivery of their part of the World Cup and while there are still obvious hurdles to overcome, the staging of a joyful and eagerly anticipated World Cup that celebrates the game, other nations, amazing moments and basic humanity, almost feels like a story from a bygone age.
It is just a shame the Canadian border authorities didn’t let the Iranians in to take part.
Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]