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Canada’s road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will include a stop in Edmonton.
Edmonton will play host to a friendly soccer match between the Canadian and Uzbekistani men’s national teams on June 1 at Commonwealth Stadium.
The game will come before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to see the first-ever men’s tournament matches played on Canadian soil in Vancouver and Toronto.
The World Cup, which runs from June 11 to Jul. 19, is the first time the Uzbekistan team qualified for the tournament. Edmonton lost a bid in 2022 to host the 2026 World Cup.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said the game is expected to generate $21 million in total economic impact for the city.
Hometown hero and Canadian team captain Alphonso Davies will take the pitch in the first men’s national team appearance in Edmonton since the qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.
Men’s national team member Richie Laryea said the team is excited to play in Edmonton again.
“Just between the crew, we’ve always spoken about feeling a lot of love and appreciation when we went to Edmonton. It really did feel like the people of Edmonton were very excited to have us,” said Laryea.
Canadian men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch said he thinks the game could be something special.
“Given the moment in time and given how good the team is and given that our captain is from Edmonton, I think we are going to see a sold-out stadium, and we are very excited for that,” said
Canada will play host to 13 matches in the largest tournament in FIFA history with 48 countries participating in games across 16 North American cities.
Laryea said home-crowd advantage is important to the Canadian team, having played a major role in its 2021 qualifying win against Mexico, dubbed Iceteca.
“We feel like, like Jesse [Marsch] likes to say, the biggest deals in the country while we’re playing in those matches because we all need to realize a moment like this may not come again in our lifetime to be able to host a World Cup in our home country.”
Canada coach Jesse Marsch joins CBC Sports to discuss squad depth, transfers, Champions League opportunities, and the upcoming Romania friendly as Canada builds toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Ali Majed, a coach at Soccer Elite Academy in Edmonton, said recent success from the national team and in Major League Soccer have inspired young athletes, increasing the sport’s visibility in Canada.
“Coming to North America is a big step towards the right direction,” said Majed. “It’s very nice especially to have an exhibition game before the tournament so fans can go out and have a great time.”
Commonwealth Stadium has been the site of previous FIFA events, including the 2015 Women’s World Cup, the 2014 Under-20 Women’s World Cup and the 2007 Under-20 World Cup. It also served as the location for a friendly World Cup warm-up match in 1994 where Canada and eventual FIFA champions Brazil went 1-1.
To prepare for the exhibition game, Knack said the city and Canada Soccer will work with the Edmonton Elks to ensure Commonwealth Stadium will have a natural grass pitch for the match.
When asked by a reporter if Edmonton is an appropriate choice for a Canadian national team game despite Alberta separatist rhetoric, Knack said Edmonton is ready to give the team the “crowd they desire.”
“At the end of the day, there’s always going to be a small percentage of people who are doing those things on the side. But … this city is all about soccer. This city embraces the Canadian National team. We are Canadian here in Edmonton,” said Knack during a news conference.
June’s match will be the second time the 27th-ranked Canadians have played against Uzbekistan. Canada last defeated the 50th-ranked team 2-1 in a Jun. 2016 friendly in Austria.
Marsch said playing against Uzbekistan will serve as good World Cup preparation for the Canadian squad.
“They’ve become an Asian powerhouse, they’ve developed as a nation, they’ve climbed the FIFA rankings. I think their trajectory is very similar to ours … but I think a really good challenge and a really good team” said Marsch.
Tickets for the Edmonton friendly will be available for purchase starting Jan. 23.
