‘I think it’s unbelievable’: Canada’s World Cup rise stuns former Windsor player

Canada players celebrate after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between South Africa and Canada in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The rise of Canada’s men’s soccer team at this summer’s World Cup is an almost unthinkable assent for Windsor’s Stephen Ademolu, who remembers a less glitzy time in the program’s history.

On Saturday, Canada is set to take on Morocco in a Round of 16 knockout match at 1 p.m. EST, already the best result the team has ever achieved in its history in the sport’s premier competition, and Ademolu is watching on as one of the thousands of newly converted fans.

“I think it’s unbelievable,” said Ademolu of the team’s success in the tournament being hosted by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, stressing the program has made incredible strides from his time in the team. “From the training grounds to the media, to the scouting, to the training sessions, I think everything just like went up.”

Ademolu turned a successful collegiate soccer career in the U.S. into a professional career in Europe that took him to Sweden, Norway, and Lithuania.

His performances earned him 5 caps with the full Canadian men’s national team setup, including two starts.

But the Team Canada he was a part of in the mid-to-late aughts and the one that’s winning the hearts of fans across the country in 2026, are worlds a part.

“It was not the same. Our facilities were okay, we didn’t really get too [many] news reporters there,” said Ademolu. “Only the U.S. team had that limelight. We weren’t respected at all. We were just ‘hockey players.’”

Canada struggled for soccer relevancy for years, bottoming out at 122^nd in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings in Aug. 2014.

Canada now sits 30^th in the world and reached its highest ever ranking of 26^th in Sept. 2025.

Things have changed dramatically, with the side rattling off a string of firsts at this edition of the competition, including achieving the country’s first ever point, first ever win, and first ever knockout round victory at a World Cup.

A marked turnaround for a program that had gone winless in its only two previous outings in the World Cup, in 1986 and 2022, amid decades of hope and disappointment.

“I’ve been like a critic of Canada. But to see it now, it’s like, man, I’m a fan,” said Ademolu. “I’ve always been a fan, but now I’m like, ‘These are my people.’”

Big moments

Ademolu was recruited to the Canadian U23 Olympic Team, which failed to qualify for the Athens Games, before earning a senior call-up to the Men’s National Team.

Getting the call is a moment Ademolu says is always hard to believe, especially for a player from Windsor.

“To get all the Canadian gear for me was probably the best thing ever, because I think I gave it to half of my friends and my family,” said Ademolu. “So, for me, that was a big moment.”

The moments have only gotten bigger for the national team.

From star Alphonso Davies scoring the country’s first goal at a World Cup in 2022 to Canada’s rout of Qatar to secure the team’s path out of the group stage for the first time this year, the program’s progress has become a point of pride for many longtime soccer fans.

Ademolu points to Canada’s midfield lynchpin, and Leamington native, Stephen Eustaquio, as providing possibly the best moment for ‘Le Rouge’ at the tournament and a memory for young soccer fans to latch onto for years to come.

“He’s a Leamington boy. He’s close. He’s our guy,” said Ademolu. “That’s big for Windsor, [and] especially the kids from Leamington.”

He says the team will be soaking up the moment ahead of a major test in Morocco, the 6^th ranked team globally.

It’s in those moments Ademolu says the ‘ballers’ turn up focused and ready.

“For me to say I played against Argentina, man, like you feel nervous,” said Ademolu, recalling the pre-game ritual of walking the pitch before the match. “There was 15,000 people already in the stadium. Then it goes away and you don’t hear 20,000, you don’t hear 30,000. You just hear the whistle.”

Ademolu says the Canadian team looks sharp, together, and cohesive and expects they’ll be ready for the big moment.

Growing the game

The uptick in goodwill for soccer in Canada is something Ademolu hopes Canada Soccer can capitalize on with grassroot supports and facility funding.

“It’s the resources,” said Ademolu. “They have to start pumping money into the programs. I think if you can offset prices, I think that will get some of the kids that can’t afford it.”

Ademolu believes the Windsor-Essex region needs another indoor facility to allow more kids to play year-round in the Rose City to continue building skills in competitive environments.

The former pro runs his own youth coaching program, Ademolu Training, and says kids are looking for aspirational examples to find pathways to the professional game – following stars like Davies and Eustaquio.

He says there are now better opportunities in Canada than ever before that will continue requiring support from both institutions and fans.

“I think that’s the number one thing is to get back behind the team and support Canada in the Canadian leagues from League 1 [Ontario] to the Canadian Premier League. Like, kids now have hope,” he said. “My biggest thing is to get some of these kids on a bigger platform and to see Canada doing so well, the kids are playing harder, and now they have more belief that, ‘I can be pro.’”

Fans have turned out by the thousands in the streets of Toronto and Vancouver to back the team during the World Cup.

The Voyageurs, Canada Soccer’s official supporters’ group, helped to lead a sea of red to the games to boost the team and help steady the squad during difficult moments through the group stage.

Ademolu says it’s been an incredible sight, seeing fans both at home and at the stadium back the team, and hopes the ride isn’t over just yet.

“I never thought I’d see that. So, I’m very proud of Canada for now appreciating soccer a bit more,” said Ademolu. “If we beat Morocco, I think everything changes even more.”

When it comes to offering a prediction, Ademolu concedes Morocco represents a tough test, but believes Canada now has the ingredients to pull off an upset.

He’s predicting a 2-1 win for Canada.