TORONTO – For the first time in history, Canada has the chance to be at the heart of the soccer loving world -- and Greg Vanney is relishing the opportunity.
“I would say it all but guarantees that the World Cup will be coming back to North America,” he told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “With the expansion of the field, there will be more than enough games. It’s smart for Canada because the infrastructure to host a massive event isn’t really here in Canada, so teaming up with the U.S. and Mexico makes a lot of sense.”
On Monday afternoon, CONCACAF member nations the United States, Canada and Mexico declared their intention to submit formally a unified bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mexico has twice hosted the event (1970 and 1986), while the United States held that honour in 1994.
If their latest bid is successful, it would mark the first time that a Men’s World Cup match would be played on Canadian soil.
“Canada Soccer is honoured to partner with fellow CONCACAF member associations USA and Mexico to bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said Canadian Soccer President Victor Montagliani. “We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with fellow CONCACAF member associations U.S. Soccer and Federación Mexicana de Fútbol under the FIFA Council principles for joint bids and to continue our tradition of hosting record-breaking international events."
Canada is no stranger to the game’s biggest matches, most recently hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015. The event was a massive success as the tournament expanded to 24 teams, with matches played in six cities over five time zones.
As previous hosts, the world has seen what both Mexico and the United States bring to the table as host nations. But as soccer continues to find its footing farther north, Vanney explained just what Canada can bring to the triumvirate.
“The fan support,” he continued. “We’ve seen it here in Toronto; there are just so many different cultures whose number one sport is soccer. They bleed for their countries and you can see it during the World Cup even when it’s not hosted here in Canada.
“In terms of stadiums and weather and infrastructure, all of that will be amazing. But to bring the event to Canada and have the fans be able to see the countries that they come from compete would be a special occasion.”
