Canada’s World Cup Journey Leaves Home, but the Dream Lives on in the United States

VANCOUVER — The unrelenting buzz of the crowd, the streets packed with red smoke and thousands of fans, accompanied the joyful explosions whenever a key moment took place. On Wednesday, Canada embraced it—they also said farewell to it all, without a moment to celebrate.

While the U.S. men’s national team has joined its fans in belting out “Country Roads” after winning group stage matches, and Mexico has gotten to embrace its home crowd in victory, the northernmost co-host hasn’t had the chance to rejoice.

The team’s mood was dire after thrashing Qatar 6–0 to secure the country’s first win at a men’s World Cup, as they settled with the news of star midfielder Ismaël Koné breaking his leg. The first game, a momentous day in Toronto, saw them settle for a draw in the World Cup opener against Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

And on Wednesday, Les Rouges bid adieu to their home World Cup. After a pair of errors in the first 17 minutes of the second half, Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi scored, leading Switzerland to a 2-1 victory and the top of Group B. 

Now, Canada won’t get another home game. Instead, it’s off to the United States and Los Angeles. Despite making the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s men’s soccer history, they haven’t yet become the team they’d imagined.

“It was nice to have a pro-Canada crowd that pushed us on every game,” star forward Jonathan David said, postmatch. “We’re a bit disappointed, and it’s mixed emotions. Obviously, we wanted to stay in Vancouver, so not getting that is a blow for everyone, but we'll talk about it and get ready for the next one.”

Weeks That Mattered at Home

While the end to Canada’s World Cup story will come south of the border, either in the knockouts or by lifting the trophy miraculously, the past two weeks in Toronto and Vancouver—and the pre-tournament friendlies in Montreal and Edmonton—mattered. 

At just 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Vancouver’s streets flooded with red and white, and an hour later, thousands formed a sea of red to walk to BC Place, led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

For the third time this summer, the country paused in a way that only men’s ice hockey has sparked in the past.

The viewership numbers have backed that up. Although statistics were not immediately available for Wednesday’s game, the previous matches averaged 3.2 million and 5.3 million viewers on TSN, with over 11 million or 26% of Canadians tuning into at least part of the win over Qatar. 

“I’ve been supporting this team for the last 30 years, and it used to be all long balls, but now we have a controlled style and everything has improved, and just look around at the response from the Canadian public,” said Rick who traveled to Vancouver for the game from Timmins, Ontario, and held up signs saying “My Swiss watch says it's Canada’s time,” alongside Wednesday’s march to the match. 

“Seeing this makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck; it’s so cool to see the country embrace something that we’ve never really seen.”

Those statistics and the outpouring of support, compared to the recent Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, trailed only the 8.7 million Canadians who watched the gold medal men’s hockey game, the first in 12 years to include NHL talents. 

“When I first came into this team, even making Qatar 2022 was a pipe dream,” said defender Alistair Johnston. “We made it there, and it didn’t go exactly how we planned it, but everything was always building towards this moment... and we’re not going to look at this as the end of our journey.”

For a country that for years played in front of effectively away crowds on home pitches—even Caribbean bands were invited out for some games against Island nations to create a welcoming atmosphere—having a bona fide home crowd mattered. 

And the performances, along with the gatherings in public spaces, have invigorated the country’s soccer spirit like never before. 

“We desperately wanted to continue being here and continue the momentum that has been built around the team and around the tournament in the country, and I’m obviously disappointed,” said an effusive Jesse Marsch after the match. “We still have a massive opportunity ahead of us to find a way to push for the next match and find a way to electrify the nation still, even though it will be from Los Angeles.”

Finding a Way, Away

All hope isn’t lost. While the journey will continue away from home, Canada finds itself in a position to make a deep run and will have learned from the disappointment against Switzerland. 

At the same time, they went toe-to-toe with the elite UEFA side without the likes of Alphonso Davies—who Marsch admitted was “never going to play,” and his availability was simply a “decoy,”—as well as Koné, and a fully-fit Stephen Eustáquio who only managed 32 minutes. 

Eustáquio, after the match, said he’d be ready to go for Sunday’s knockout game, while Davies’s status remains in question. 

Canada’s energy in the Group B clash was timid from the start. The moment, in some ways, seemed to have gotten to them, until the behemoth attacking force that is Promise David came in and scored on his first touch.

“We started passive,” Marsch said, after telling his team to “wake up” at the end of match. “We had very few sprints and very little intensity, and then we became more susceptible and open.” 

From that, they’ll have learned. After not playing a World Cup qualifying campaign, there haven’t been many must-win moments for Canada, and getting that experience, amid the home pressure, will have fine-tuned them for the do-or-die moments. 

---

U.S. Games Nothing New for Canada

On Sunday, the country will pause again. Fan zones will be packed as Canada takes on its first must-win game at a men’s World Cup. 

Playing in the U.S., even at SoFi Stadium, and in front of a crowd likely brimming with opposition support, isn’t anything new. If anything, it’s normal, and the pressure might even be less intimidating than playing in front of the home crowd. 

“I think with the knockout, things become a little bit more tender and important,” Promise David added. “It’s not like we can rely on the next game. You’ve got 90 minutes to gas it out and secure a win. Obviously, we’d like to stay in Vancouver and do that. We came second. Oh well.”

For this Canadian group, which won a knockout game to make the 2024 Copa América semifinals, there’s still a chance to celebrate. They’ve proven to themselves and 41 million Canadians that they can compete, and on Sunday, despite a short rest, they’ll continue writing history. And those viewership numbers? They’ll keep rising. 

---

READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

---

Published 1 minute ago | Modified 1 minute agoBEN STEINER

Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.

Follow BenSteiner00

---

Home/Soccer