With Canada being one out of three host nations for The World Cup in 2026, there is no better time for youth soccer development to take off. Soccer certainly has a presence among sports in Canada, although it was never at the top; however, with Canada sharing a partnership with the United States and Mexico to host the international event, now is the time for soccer to grow and earn a spot among the top sports in the nation.
Although some pursue soccer until their late teens and adulthood, most kids quit at a rather young age, because either of the lack of competitiveness and motivation we see right now or because they prefer other sports. This is where the biggest soccer event comes into play. Not only will The World Cup promote tourism and interest in the sport in the future, but right now it will give young players immense motivation to pursue soccer as their “one” sport. With Canada being guaranteed a spot in the competition in 8 years, the most talented players that are 12 or 13 right now could potentially join the Canadian squad at the age of around 20. We saw this with many national teams that carried quite a few young players during the World Cup this year, like England for instance. With Canada earning its spot in the competition not only does it motivate young players to be the best, it forces each coach at high levels to push and develop players properly so that they can be noticed by the national team. It also becomes the responsibility of the National Team to start scouting and developing players now so that they can hopefully push Canada to success in the tournament like we see with the national women’s team.
Even though the tournament is still 8 years away, its impact on young players today is greater than ever. It not only creates a source of motivation and incentive to pursue soccer to the highest level, but it also will be a great example of where hard work and determination can get you in few years. The young players of today will be on the World stage 8 years from now and they will be wanting to share their stories with everyone. Hopefully this can be the spark Canadian Soccer needs and make soccer a top and favorite sport in Canada for many years to come.
