There was a time when Michael Shaffelburg, father of Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team Player Jacob Shaffelburg, wasn’t sure his son was going to crack the Canadian roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “Jacob was so close to not being part of this team because of a fluke hamstring injury four or five weeks ago,” says the father of the Nova Scotia striker. “Now for him to be part of it and to get a goal, sort of a goal yesterday, that was that was special for all of us.” Shaffelburg was not credited with the goal as it was an own goal, but it was still a proud moment for the entire Shaffelburg family along with the rest of the country. His father said when the goal went in, his older brother was hanging over the rails screaming with excitement. The fifth tally off Shaffelburg’s boot was the fifth of six goals scored by the national team in a 6-nil drubbing of Qatar. The victory marked Canada’s first ever win at the Men’s FIFA World Cup and puts the team at the top of the table in their group. A win or draw against Switzerland in their final ground stage on Wednesday would clinch the group’s top seed, and secure a round of 32 game on home soil for the Canadian squad. When asked how the sea of over 50,000 Canadians garbed in red inside the stadium compared to past games, Michael Shaffelburg says it’s near the top. “Jacob summed it up nicely for afterwards when they were walking around and the fans were applauding the players and the players were applauding the fans,” he says. “He said it just felt tickly all over his body and there was so much love in that stadium. That’s a wonderful thing to see and be a part of.” The wave of pride for the men’s national team was blanketed much of the country, including the Maritimes. A watch party for the Canada-Qatar came was standing room only in Halifax, while Moncton had the chance to host a “FIFA Fan Fest” downtown that saw plenty of fan support. Smaller watch parties also took place around Saint John. John Santy watched the game at a local restaurant. “Then, like boom, they scored, I was like, “Yeah, yes, let’s go,’” says the emphatic young fan. “I thought it was a great game,” another Saint John soccer fan told CTV. “I feel like we did really good I mean, great score 6-0.” Barry Morrison is the director of soccer for the Fredericton District Soccer Association. He says the World Cup has had plenty of young soccer stars buzzing around the local pitches and has drawn more fans to the soccer community. He says it’s been great to see the men’s program catch up to the country’s women’s national team, which is among the top ranked teams on the planet. He says it’s even more special that the men’s team is doing what they are doing in front of the home fans. “We’re just going to see more and more people connect over watching the sport,” Morrison says. “We’re seeing more and more opportunities for players, so it’s drawing people into the game, creating excitement and getting more players playing here and abroad.” He points out while Shaffelburg is the most well-known Maritimer on the Canadian squad, there are more East Coast roots on the team than people realize. “We’ve got Joe Hamilton, our executive director, is an analyst with the team,” Morrison says. “We’ve got former player and Pat Cormier, who’s on the strength and conditioning staff. It’s really amazing to see that even a small little club in Fredericton is connecting directly onto the fields at the World Cup.” Canada will wrap up their group stage on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Vancouver, with top seed in the group on the line. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
