Despite Trump-FIFA spat, slim chance Edmonton gets back into World Cup
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More than a decade ago, the Canadian Soccer Association, now simply known as Canada Soccer, announced its intention to host the 2026 World Cup. And, Canadian officials were adamant about going alone and competing against potential bids from the United States and Canada.
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'It's a single bid. At this moment,' said Peter Montopoli, who was the Canadian Soccer Association's general secretary at the time. 'It's Canada. The Canadian Soccer Association that will be bidding and we will continue along that line.'
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But something changed before the official bid books could be sent off to FIFA's headquarters in Switzerland. The governing body announced that it would swell the number of teams in the 2026 World Cup to 48, up from 36. And Canada simply didn't have enough international-class stadiums to host a 48-team tournament. So, the Canadians went with the 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' approach, and The United Bid was born.
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Ironically, when the bid was presented in Switzerland, Canadian soccer officials pushed forward wunderkind Edmonton's Alphonso Davies as its poster boy. And when he spoke, he didn't speak of a dream to play a World Cup game in Toronto or Vancouver. He talked about playing a World Cup match at Commonwealth Stadium.
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'When I was five years old, a country called Canada welcomed us in, and the boys on the football team made me feel at home,' Davies told the FIFA congress in Moscow in 2018, just hours before the vote on hosting duties for the 2026 World Cup were held. 'Today, I (am) 17 years old and I play for the men's national team and I'm a proud Canadian citizen. And my dream is to someday compete in the World Cup, maybe even in my hometown of Edmonton.'
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In 2022, when Edmonton wasn't selected, Davies had this to say: 'It's a little bit disappointing, but, at the end of the day, I'm just grateful we can be in the running… It's a bummer, but we know we have a job to do.'
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