Canada Soccer Is Here To Stay

Ready For The World Stage

For the first time since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Canada is going to the biggest stage in international soccer. After Sunday, 4-0 victory over Jamaica, thanks to goals by Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Junior Hoilett, and a Jamaican OG, Canada secured the top spot in the World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Division, ahead of the US and Mexico for the first time in years.

The crowd at BMO field went absolutely crazy throughout the 90 minutes, with qualification almost guaranteed for the boys in red. Fans belted our national anthem at a sold-out BMO field with 29,122 fans in attendance. For the first time in over 36 years, Canada is going to the World Cup and both the fans and the players were sharing their excitement.

Now we could go on to talk about how well Canada played or go over the highlights of each goal, but thankfully, there is so much more behind this momentous day in Canadian sports history that is going to cause a ripple effect of RED.

Canada is now going to be at an international tournament that rakes in billions of views from television and social media every 4 years, making it the biggest sporting event on the planet and in history. We bet there are going to be some pretty big names investing in Canadian soccer now before Qatar later this year. I mean, who doesn’t want to bet on the underdogs, placed in Pot 4, do go be the victors in a David & Goliath storyline this winter. 

Furthermore, this 4-0 victory and subsequent World Cup this winter, is going to cause an amazing ripple effect in youth soccer development nationwide. Now that Canda has shown a massive development in their ability to perform against the best in the world, with the likes of Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan, and so many more players in the squad who play at the top level, people are now starting to realize its time to invest in the next generation of soccer in Canada. 10 years ago, youth soccer investment was very minimal, as Canada had never shown anything to back it. However, times have changed, and we’re going to see Canada ride this ship to the moon and continue this success for the next however many years.

Another interesting decision for Canada Soccer, is how will they approach jersey selection? In recent years, Canada has gone for a new generation-type look, with all-red kits and all-black kits, sponsored by Nike. But, will they re-style the 1986 World Cup jerseys from Mexico? Those iconic stripes on the side and the retro Canada nameplate on the chest? Maybe Canada will stick to the new generation theme, or take it back to 1986.

Overall, this qualification is absolutely insane for us up north. The first time this generation will see our men’s team actually make an international tournament. We have some top names in world soccer and it could truly be a great tournament. All eyes will be on Canada, but our eyes will be on what this can do for Canada soccer.

Published: April 1, 2022 - Issue 32 of The Sport Marketeer