No. 30 Canada hosts No. 49 Chile at Toronto's BMO Field in the first of three matches during the September-October international window, a fixture that marks the first step toward the 2030 World Cup. But for coach Jesse Marsch and Canada Soccer chief executive Kevin Blue, this isn't the start of something new so much as a continuation of what's already been built.
"We've always, all along, thought of the World Cup as a mile-marker and not the destination," Blue said. "We view the World Cup as an accelerant of the growth in the sport that has already been taking place."
Marsch echoed that sentiment ahead of Saturday's match, saying he sees no need for wholesale changes. "Certainly there will continue to be a development and a cycling of how we progress to get ourselves really ready for 2030," he told a news conference Friday. "But we felt like it was time to just continue to push the environment every day and continue to be great at the things we want to be great at, to introduce new players along the way to see how they fit and how they can meet the standards and challenges that we've set for what this national team is."
A Breakthrough Worth Building On
Canada's run at the World Cup gave the country plenty to cheer about, reaching the round of 16 after a dramatic first-ever knockout-round win over No. 54 South Africa, before falling 3-0 to sixth-ranked Morocco. According to initial figures from Bell Media, 30.5 million unique Canadian viewers watched live tournament coverage.
A Canada Soccer-commissioned Abacus Data poll, conducted July 14-16, found soccer ranked as Canadians' second-favourite sport at 12 per cent, behind hockey's 32 per cent but ahead of baseball, basketball and football. Among respondents aged 18 to 29, soccer actually topped the list at 19 per cent, and it also led among those not born in Canada, at 28 per cent.
Ranking Points Matter
CONCACAF could send up to seven teams to the next World Cup, and Marsch wants Canada inside the top 24 of the world rankings to secure a more favourable draw from Pot 2 — Canada was in Pot 1 as 2026 co-host but came out of Pot 4 at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. CONCACAF qualifying kicks off in September 2027, and Canada is expected, based on its current ranking, to enter the second round later that year.
Getting players regular minutes at high-level clubs remains central to that push. Canadian players were active in the transfer market this summer: Jonathan David joined Atletico Madrid on loan from Juventus, Stephen Eustaquio moved to Swansea City from Porto, Promise David joined Brighton on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, Nathan Saliba signed for Villarreal from Anderlecht, Liam Millar went to Birmingham City on loan from Hull City, Theo Bair joined on loan from Auxerre, Jayden Nelson moved to Bolton Wanderers from Austin FC, and Niko Sigur signed for Toulouse from Hajduk Split.
Canada Soccer sporting director Kenneth Heiner-Moller points out that 90 per cent of the starting lineups among the World Cup's eight quarter-finalists played for clubs in Europe's top five leagues — England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The same held true on the women's side, counting England, France, Germany, Sweden and the NWSL. "That's what took some of these guys to pretty prominent clubs," Heiner-Moller said, crediting player performance rather than any club-placement push from the federation.
Searching for an Identity
After the tournament, Heiner-Moller, Marsch and women's coach Casey Stoney discussed what style of play Canada should be built around. "It's aggressive, it's direct, it's high tempo and high energy," Heiner-Moller said. Given his Danish background, Marsch's American roots and Stoney's English upbringing, Heiner-Moller is also consulting former Canadian players to help define what he calls Canadian soccer DNA, noting that the most successful World Cup teams had a clear, distinct identity. "We need to do the same," he said.
He's also examining the development pathway for young talent, pointing out that young players in parts of Europe get more playing time than their Canadian counterparts. There have been encouraging signs already: Canada's women reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, while the men's team, with Marsch as coach, qualified for the 2027 U-20 World Cup — Canada's first appearance in the event since hosting it in 2007. Still, Heiner-Moller isn't satisfied. "We need to improve just to keep our level, just to keep our competitiveness," he said.
Money, Media and National Pride
Canada Soccer's finances are healthier too — Blue says the organization will exceed its forecast surplus of $6,555,000 this year, which should mean more funding for national youth teams. Even so, Blue has repeatedly called for more support from corporate Canada, the media and fans buying tickets.
One looming concern: while this summer's men's tournament drew big audiences across TSN, RDS, CTV, Noovo and Crave, Netflix holds the Canadian and U.S. broadcast rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, meaning just one provider unless a Canadian broadcaster comes on as a sub-licensee.
Blue frames the stakes in broader terms. "International sport is a nation-building opportunity for Canada," he said. "And it takes the form for Canadians as an opportunity to show the character, the kindness, the empathy, the diversity of our country on the biggest stage in global sport — in the men's World Cup."
Off the pitch, Canada Soccer is preparing to consult stakeholders on a new strategic plan to guide investment priorities, while talks continue with FIFA over legacy funding tied to Canada's role as co-host — money earmarked to help fund a planned national training centre.
