Players, fans rally in Toronto as Team Canada gets big send-off ahead of World Cup opener

Fans and players gathered at Canada House on Toronto’s Harbourfront as excitement builds ahead of Canada’s first World Cup match. Heather Wright has more.

TORONTO – Fans, friends and family members gathered at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre on Monday for an official send-off celebration as Team Canada’s men’s squad gets ready for the World Cup.

“Taking it all in at the moment,” said goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who will start in Friday’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. “A home World Cup, once in our lifetime, and we’re aware of this. For me, honestly, I can’t wait for the whistle to just start and get going.”

Fans are also eager for the tournament to kick off.

“We’ve waited for this for years and it’s finally here,” said fan Brayden McNeil. “It’s going to be surreal.”

The team heading into this tournament is a blend of veterans who played for Canada at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and younger players set to experience soccer’s biggest stage for the very first time. It’s arguably the strongest men’s team Canada has ever assembled.

“This next generation hopefully will have now a team, both on the women’s side and the men’s side, that they can look up to,” said defender Alistair Johnson, who never got to cheer for Canada at a World Cup when he was a young player. He hopes this team will inspire young players to dream big.

“If you can make it in Canada, you can make it to the biggest and best tournament on Earth, so I think that that’s something that we’re showing this next generation,” he said. “I think that’s what’s really going to pay off in terms of making this sport continue to grow and grow in Canada.”

Canada has never won a match at a men’s World Cup, nor have they advanced out of the group stage. The quest to change that begins Friday when they open group play against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.