MONTRÉAL, June 5, 2026
Canada’s Men’s National Team represents a generation of players that has helped transform soccer in Canada and inspired fans from coast to coast to coast. Tonight in Montréal, the team will play its final home match before the FIFA World Cup 2026™, giving Canadians one more opportunity to rally behind the maple leaf before Canada welcomes the world and competes on home soil.
The Honourable Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport) and Canada’s FIFA Sherpa, will attend tonight’s match, where young players and families will be among the fans taking part in this important send-off moment for soccer in Canada. Their participation is supported through the Government of Canada’s $300,000 investment in Canada Soccer, which is helping expand youth engagement initiatives across the country. These include school outreach and opportunities for approximately 5,000 young players and their families to attend Canada Men’s National Team matches in person, including tonight in Montréal, earlier this week in Edmonton and last March in Toronto.
Also today, Canada Celebrates the FIFA World Cup 2026 reaches Whitehorse, Yukon, as part of its cross-country tour bringing free, community-based soccer celebrations to 39 stops in 35 communities. The Government of Canada is supporting this national initiative to help ensure the excitement of the tournament reaches Canadians beyond the host cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
Sport brings people together, and this is exactly what these initiatives are designed to do. By supporting youth soccer experiences and community celebrations across the country, the Government of Canada is helping turn this send-off into a national moment, one that brings Canadians together behind the team today and inspires the next generation to see themselves in the game. As Canada prepares to welcome the world, these initiatives are helping ensure the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026 is felt in communities from coast to coast to coast.