‘Everything that we’ve built’: Team Canada reflects on FIFA World Cup progress
The mood in Vancouver on Wednesday wasn’t necessarily what you’d expect for a nation that just qualified for the knockout stage at a men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time.
But perhaps that’s a sign of how far Canadian soccer has come since the last men’s World Cup four years ago.
Canada has advanced to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, courtesy of finishing second in Group B. Their group-stage journey included a hard-fought draw in Toronto, then a lopsided win and a narrow loss in Vancouver.
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That last match, Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Switzerland at BC Place, meant that although Canada qualified for the next round, they missed out on the chance to keep playing at home.
Had they won or even drawn the Swiss, their Round of 32 match (and even a potential Round of 16 match) would have also been played in Vancouver. As it is, Canada will play no further games on home soil in this tournament.
So although Canada achieved knockout-stage advancement for the first time ever, the post-match vibe at BC Place carried a distinct hint of “what if?” among fans, players, and media.
“Obviously we’re disappointed that we didn’t win and we don’t get to continue to play here in Vancouver,” said midfielder Liam Millar. “It can be a really big advantage for us.
“[I’ll miss] the way that the crowds have been with us, I think they’ve been sensational in Toronto and in Vancouver. I’ve never seen atmosphere like this. I’ve never seen such passion in the stadiums for our games, and it’s really been helping us.”
Millar was one of the team’s second-half substitutes against Switzerland, as Canada pushed to overturn a 2-0 deficit. Fellow substitute Promise David electrified the Vancouver audience with his 75th-minute goal that brought Canada within one.
And while the striker was similarly disappointed at leaving Vancouver, he sought to add some post-match perspective as well.
“There were some negatives in this [game], but look at the positives in all three games,” said David. “We scored in all three games. We scored a lot.
“I think we did show a new level of attacking football. Everybody contributed. People that started the game and people that came into the game played a big factor in all three games.”
While Canada competed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the team departed at the group stage with three losses in three games. For Millar, who was part of that squad, the feeling is much different this time around.
“I’m trying to look at it from the perspective of how I felt four years ago: Disappointed that we didn’t get out of the group, disappointed that we didn’t get a point,” said Millar.
“Now we’ve got four points in this group and we’ve got out of the group. So I’m trying to look at it in the most positive way that I can.”
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Defender Alistair Johnston, who was also part of that 2022 team, admitted it was a “letdown” to know Canada won’t play at home again at this World Cup.
But amidst the disappointment, he was adamant that this team’s achievement is something worth celebrating.
“Of course we’d have loved to top the group, but we’re in the knockout stage,” he said. “This was the bare minimum of what we wanted and that goes to show where we’re at as a program, we’re doing knockouts.
“Anything can happen.”
Canada plays its Round of 32 match on Sunday at noon PT / 3:00 p.m. ET at Los Angeles Stadium. Their opponent will be South Africa, who leapfrogged South Korea to finish second in Group A.
The players travelling to California will be the first group of men to ever represent Canada in the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup.
For Johnston, this achievement is “everything we have built” through his five years with the senior national team.
“When I first came in here, Qatar 2022 was a pipe dream,” he said. “We’ve played against some of the best teams in the world in friendlies, [the 2024] Copa America, previous World Cups.
“This group’s really experienced now, and we’re not going to look at this as, ‘wow, that’s the end of our journey.’ No, this is exactly where we want to be now.”
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He hopes that as many Canadians as possible will make the trip to L.A. to support the team—even if the crowds won’t rival those experienced in Toronto and Vancouver.
Millar agrees that while staying at home would have been great, it’s way too early to count this team out.
“It’s an honour for us to do this stuff that Canadians have never done before, but I think we’re not done yet,” said Millar.
“I think we’ve got more history to make, and me and all the guys will be doing everything we can to make sure that happens.”
