A World Cup of firsts, but what comes next? Jesse Marsch, rising young stars and the major questions facing Canada soccer

Canada’s historic home World Cup raised expectations and captured the country. Now the CPL, Whitecaps and player pathways must ensure it was more than a month-long party. If one word defined Canada’s 2026 World Cup, it was “firsts” - even a second-place group finish made them the first host nation to play a match abroad. This was Canada’s first men’s World Cup on home soil. The group stage brought their first point, first win, and first multi-goal performance. A dramatic victory over South Africa then delivered their first knockout win, before Morocco ended the run after a promising first half. Soccer in Canada is not where it was before the tournament kicked off. More Canadians had never watched a World Cup. By the time the Canadian men’s national team bowed out of the tournament, a total of 28.2 million unique viewers had tuned in to at least part of it, accounting for 69 percent of the country’s population. Vancouver and Toronto were among the cities heralded as some of the finest World Cup host cities, with nearly every match selling out, and featured a landmark three home games for Les Rouges. As much as this World Cup could be a game-changer for Canadian soccer, there are reasons to be both hopeful and skeptical about where it could go next. Here, GOAL takes a look at them. GOOD: Interest at an all-time high Canada played in two men’s World Cups before this, and as one of the most multicultural countries, it has always had an immense interest in the World Cup. This time, as in the United States, it hit a fever pitch like never before. Each of the group-stage matches ranked among Bell Media’s most-watched soccer telecasts and was among the most-watched TV programs of 2026, with select games surpassing the viewership of men’s hockey from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, the first tournament with NHL players since 2014. The Round of 16 loss to Morocco drew an average of 5.4 million Canadians and reached over 11 million, meaning that over 20% of the country was glued to the game. Compared to the 30 million who set a U.S. soccer broadcast record for USA vs. Belgium, it was a much larger share of the population, with the U.S. number at only 8.5%. While viewership numbers are the most quantitative measure of interest, the sheer normalcy of Canadian soccer in the country was also evident. Suddenly, every sports show focused on the World Cup, even as NHL Free Agency - a key facet of Canada Day and July 1 - took plenty of focus. The new kits also flew off the shelves, with Canada Soccer and Nike projecting their highest sales rate in history for any kit. The sheer interest in Canada at the World Cup was unlike anything seen before. There’s hope now that it can translate into further media coverage of the team moving forward and potentially put Canadian soccer in a more regular spotlight, even without the allure of the World Cup. GOOD: Jesse Marsch raising standards and expectations Two years ago, when the CanMNT were on the verge of missing the 2024 Copa América, it looked as though the 2022 World Cup may have been the team’s high-water mark. Then, they qualified and made a semifinal run, raising the standards and expectations at the home World Cup. Yet, the expectations probably weren’t quite as high as what the team achieved, especially without Alphonso Davies, Marcelo Flores and Ismaël Koné. By making the Round of 16 and easily beating the teams they were expected to, the expectations have risen for Marsch’s men. While they were a Pot 1, seeded team, they will feel that with four more years of preparation, they can get back to where they finished in 2026, or potentially the quarterfinals, in 2030, and also chase a regional trophy, a feat that has eluded Canada since the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Luckily, they’ve got the right man for the job locked in through 2030. Jesse Marsch, as much as he can rub some people the wrong way with his rambunctious and passionate style, has pushed Canada to new heights in the two most important tournaments he has coached. While adjustments might be needed - like a potential cooldown period after the final whistle before doing an interview - he’s the right coach and approach for the job and will have the opportunity for a full World Cup cycle. “We have a lot more work to do,” Marsch said. “I knew my job was to help the national team be as successful as possible, and I knew that that was the best thing we could do for the sport: to help these young men be their best, and they've done that. We're not done, and I think there'll be a massive ripple effect as to what the possibilities can be for the development of young players and young coaches in the sport in the country.” Higher expectations will make it more challenging for the team to get excited about small results, but they also allow for big, bona fide dreams of trophies and deep runs like never before. And anything but that should be seen as a massive failure. More quotes and/or the reaction on social media This World Cup provided the stage for plenty of Canada’s young core to break out and establish themselves as the next era of the national team program, with the number of stars all under 25 years old, including Luc De Fougerolles (20), Ismaël Koné (24), Nathan Saliba (22), Promise David (25) and Niko Sigur (22). Other potential key players for the future from the current group include Davies (25), who, if he can return to full health, will be 29 at what could be his third World Cup, and Bombito, who will be 30 and at the prime age for a starting center back. Those U25 talents, though, largely showed that they can be among the elite at a World Cup level and will have plenty more opportunities as they form the next core of the national team. Who comes in around them stands as a mystery. While the country’s pathways have grown, a player like Bombito was not discovered until he was 22 in the MLS SuperDraft, after going through junior college and never playing for Canada at youth levels. It’s likely others have fallen through similar cracks and could emerge in the next few years. “I think that the sport has come a long way, and it's still got a ways to go in terms of being ingrained into Canadian identity... but we know that with how Canada is built up as a population in terms of the actual demographics and all the different cultures, that there's no reason why soccer shouldn’t be one of the most popular, if not the most popular sport,” Alistair Johnston said. “If we keep doing this, I won't be too surprised if the game continues to grow, and that's something that as players, as the staff said, we all want to do, because we want this game to become as big as possible and also we want our national team to continue to take steps to compete at a higher and higher level as the years go by.” The most important part of the whole run, though, might not be the youth set for 2030, but rather what the increased interest has done for the sport's fandom among Canadian youth, who could be enticed to chase soccer dreams more than ever, potentially laying the groundwork for 2034 and beyond. If the previous Canadian-hosted Olympics in 1976, 1988 and 2010 are any indication of the inspiration factor laying the groundwork for future success, then there should be plenty of hope for the next decade of athletes. QUESTIONABLE: Can the CPL Last? If Canadian soccer is going to cash in on the interest boost, there need to be pathways to enter the professional game and beyond. For much of the country, that will depend on the Canadian Premier League, which is in its eighth season but has struggled to gain a foothold in the mainstream and has seen two teams fold, despite adding two clubs to maintain an eight-team league. While having a domestic league is important for any nation, the level of play and attendance in the CPL have struggled to make significant strides. It is hampered by low salaries, which means many players must pursue secondary avenues to earn a suitable income. In 2026, the league’s minimum salary is CAD $30,000, with those on developmental contracts making a maximum of $250 per week - both falling well below the median average income of CAD $42,600, according to a 2021 census. Although the CPL has not published full financial reports, few teams draw significant fan turnouts, limiting gate revenue. Previously, a lucrative deal tied Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment to the Canadian Premier League, funneled money towards the two organizations from Canada Soccer’s broadcast and sponsorship dollars, and was a key aspect in keeping the league alive. Now, however, that deal has been re-adjusted, giving Canada Soccer more of the funds, but hampering the financial situation of CSME and the CPL. With those financial concerns, the future is cloudy for the men’s top-flight, which was partially introduced - like MLS in 1996 - to secure the 2026 World Cup. “The more professional soccer in this country, the better,” said Canada Soccer General Secretary and CEO Kevin Blue after the World Cup run. “The conditions that enable professional soccer to thrive involve a robust and healthy media ecosystem that is investing in it, and corporate Canada making investments in it. “Increasingly, investors, whether they be private investors or brands that are looking for marketing return, are having the opportunity to learn about and understand that this is Canada’s fastest-growing and most globally relevant sport.” QUESTIONABLE: Worries about the Vancouver Whitecaps There is still little clarity on what the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps might look like. While there have been positive reports that a local group has prepared a bona fide bid to keep the team in Vancouver, the possibility of relocation remains very much at play as the MLS season resumes after the World Cup. If the Whitecaps were to move, it would be a massive hit on the Canadian soccer system. At the top level, it would remove Vancouver from its prominent role in the country’s soccer setup, and a potential CPL team in the city would be unlikely to rival the average attendance of 24,189 that the Whitecaps have managed this season. Yet, the grassroots issue may be even more prevalent. Since joining MLS in 2011, the Whitecaps have established local club partnerships and academy centers west of Ontario and have been able to funnel that talent through a robust Academy system, which is centered at the University of British Columbia and is integrated with the first team. In total, the Whitecaps pathway on both the men’s and women’s sides serves upwards of 35,000 children annually. Without that, there isn’t much of a professional pathway for Canadian soccer, as Toronto FC cites just 110 athletes in their top academy system, which does not reach beyond Ontario, while CF Montréal is one of the few MLS clubs to lack a second team in MLS Next Pro. While there were no current Whitecaps players on the 2026 World Cup roster, six had played for the club or the academy at some point, proving that the loss of a prominent professional team and academy pathway would be a massive punch to Canadian soccer’s hopes. “Everybody wants the Whitecaps to remain in Vancouver, and our level of concern should they leave is high for a number of different reasons,” Blue said. “The loss of a professional club would be problematic; the player development history of the Vancouver Whitecaps is significant and would need to be replaced somehow... As we consider what the future looks like, we want a future where the Whitecaps and all of the existing professional clubs, and then some, are part of it.”