Highlighting the operational and diplomatic success of co-hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026, Canada's Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden writes that sport serves as a powerful nation-building tool and an engine for international cooperation between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
International sport events in 2026 have captured the attention of millions around the world, and the FIFA World Cup 2026™ was no exception. The final whistle on July 19 marked the conclusion of the largest event in the world this year, drawing in football and soccer fans alike. But for those with a keen interest, over the past few years there was another story at play. Work off the pitch was advanced to deliver a welcoming, safe, and secure tournament across three unique and distinct neighbours: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This was also an opportunity to emphasize the most enduring and successful trilateral relationship in the world.
Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people and communities in ways that very few things can.
Whether you play on a local sports team, cheer on your favourite athletes, or volunteer in a community game at a recreation centre, sport brings us together. It is about places where people can build community and connection. In fact, it can be one of our most powerful tools for social connection. And when done well, these partnerships are built on trust, teamwork, access, and belonging.
In Canada, we know that when we come together through sport, we are a country united. We’ve seen it most recently in hockey and baseball, just to name a few, and now cheering on the Canadian men’s national soccer team. From playground to podium, sport is a proven nation-building tool.
Canada is a sporting nation. We are a soccer nation; Olympic champions in women’s soccer —the highest scoring athlete ever in soccer, Christine Sinclair, is Canadian. Millions of Canadian kids, families, and adults enjoy the game. But this World Cup, we had something to prove. Winning a group stage match would do just that, finishing ahead of some very notable countries was an achievement. Nearly 31.5 million Canadians (77 percent of our population) watched the FIFA World Cup 2026, with over 67 percent backing a future bid for hosting again and more international sport events in Canada. As we rallied around the maple leaf once more to cheer on our team, Canadians both on and off the pitch showed up with extraordinary character, pride, determination, and joy.
As Canadians, hosting sport events matters. It’s important for our place in the world. It’s a diplomatic asset, an engine of economic growth. It’s a lever for infrastructure development and an invitation to the private sector to invest in projects that build our nation. This helps local businesses, tourism, construction, and the media.
Canada was prepared to be a great co-host. From the experience of the 2010 Winter Games to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to countless other events: hosting is in our roots.
This tournament demonstrated the enduring value of cooperation among Canada, Mexico, and the United States in delivering a complex and ambitious undertaking through practical cooperation and shared purpose and trusted relationships.
By any measure, the FIFA World Cup 2026 was extraordinary. Over 39 days, 48 teams competed in 104 matches across 16 cities in three countries. Canada welcomed more than 626,000 spectators to matches in Toronto and Vancouver, while FIFA Fan Festivals, watch parties, and community celebrations brought millions more together across the country. More than 30 million Canadians watched tournament coverage, and Canada’s Men’s National Team made history, creating moments that will be remembered for generations.
Yet the significance of the tournament lies not only in its unprecedented scale and the excitement it generated. As the first FIFA Men’s World Cup jointly hosted by three countries, it underscored what governments can achieve when they invest in relationships, coordinate thoughtfully, and remain focused on objectives that none could accomplish alone.
That cooperation did not begin in 2026. It was embedded in the United Bid submitted eight years earlier, when Canada, Mexico, and the United States proposed bringing the tournament to North America together. The bid recognized the complementary strengths of the three countries and made early commitments to collaborate while respecting each country’s institutions, responsibilities, and approach to hosting. Those foundations mattered, especially in the context of significant challenges facing Canada, the US, and Mexico. While hosting the World Cup did not resolve these challenges, it highlighted that years of partnership across policy interests and operational realities had created relationships strong enough to support a shared undertaking of remarkable scale and complexity.
Behind the scenes, cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States extended well beyond sport. Throughout planning and delivery, government officials worked closely on issues where coordination across borders strengthened our collective approach, from border management and transportation to public safety and emergency preparedness. Rather than pursuing identical approaches, the three countries exchanged expertise, aligned where it made sense, and relied on trusted relationships to address shared challenges.
This is something that would only make front page news if we got it wrong. The point, and fundamental to the tournament's success, was that this was a no fail mission. We had to get it right.
The three host countries organized their support differently, while FIFA maintained its own structure for coordinating tournament delivery across the 16 host cities. Cooperation instead relied on established diplomatic and professional relationships, exchanges among government experts, and new forums created to address shared concerns – demonstrating that effective international cooperation does not always require new institutions or centralized authority. It depends on clear roles, consistent communication, and trusted relationships.
In practice, this meant recognizing where the decisions of one country could affect the readiness or experience of the others. Supporters travelling across the continent needed clear information and efficient border processes. Public safety partners benefited from exchanging expertise on common risks, including human trafficking and emerging threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems. Competition authorities understood that protecting the economic opportunity created by the tournament required cooperation to deter anti-competitive conduct.
While FIFA and the host cities delivered the competition and match-day experience, governments helped create the conditions for success through safe and welcoming communities, secure borders, reliable transportation, essential public services, support for visiting delegations, public investment, and sustained political engagement.
Canada approached the FIFA World Cup 2026 with objectives measured not simply by delivering a successful tournament. Hosting presented a rare opportunity to strengthen communities, support economic activity, encourage greater participation in sport, and deepen international relationships. The tournament also provided a platform to showcase Canada's identity and values, including our commitment to inclusion, sustainability, innovation, and resilience.
I must take this opportunity to boast about the pride that Canadians felt when Vancouver and Toronto topped multiple lists of best host cities. They consistently ranked at the top, including in Sports Illustrated’s top three out of all 16 host cities. As Canadians, we often will not choose to pat ourselves on the back for such things. But this is a moment in time where our nation’s identity and place in the world resonates more than ever. Canada has what the world wants, and that doesn’t stop short of our ability to deliver, leverage, and build lasting legacies for international events.
Perhaps one of the tournament’s most enduring lessons is that regional hosting can strengthen, rather than dilute, the value and visibility of major international events. By sharing responsibilities, Canada, Mexico, and the United States were able to leverage existing infrastructure, distribute operational demands, and showcase the diversity of North America to a global audience. Rather than competing for attention, the three countries demonstrated that cooperation can amplify both impact and opportunity, creating a model of partnership that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Beyond the organizational successes, the tournament also highlighted the important role that sport can play in diplomacy. Sporting events create opportunities for dialogue, foster people-to-people connections, and build mutual understanding across cultures and borders. They provide a neutral and positive platform through which countries can project shared values, strengthen relationships, and cultivate trust. In this context, the collaboration among Canada, Mexico, and the United States served not only as a logistical achievement, but also as an exercise in practical diplomacy, demonstrating how common objectives can bring partners together, reinforce regional ties, and contribute to a broader spirit of cooperation. As international challenges increasingly require collective solutions, the tournament offered a compelling reminder that sport can be a powerful instrument for advancing both diplomatic engagement and regional partnership.
As Canada’s FIFA Sherpa, I had the opportunity to meet several times with Gabriela Cuevas, Mexico’s Representative to the FIFA World Cup, and Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House FIFA Task Force.
What was the common denominator? All three of our countries love sport.
On the domestic front, the tournament provided Canada with a unique opportunity to open its doors to the world and, in turn, introduce the world to Canada. As visitors, athletes, officials and fans gathered across the country, Canada was able to showcase the values that define it: openness, inclusion, respect, and diversity. The event demonstrated that Canada's diversity is one of its greatest strengths, reflected not only in its multicultural communities but also in the warm welcome extended to guests from every corner of the globe. Families and friends reunited on Canadian soil to cheer on their teams, celebrate their heritage, and create lasting memories together. These moments of connection helped foster a sense of belonging and mutual understanding, while reinforcing Canada's reputation as a vibrant, welcoming and globally engaged nation.
Through sport, Canada was able to tell its story authentically, highlighting the richness of its communities and the social cohesion that emerges when people from different backgrounds come together around a shared passion.
Our new government is building on this legacy with the largest investment in Canada’s sport system in all of Canadian history. Prime Minister Mark Carney is demonstrating that by investing in sport from playground to the podium, we are building a stronger Canada. And we are doing exactly that with over $1 billion over the next five years. A plan to strengthen our sport system, create new opportunities for all Canadians to participate, and build infrastructure.
The broader legacies of hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 are only beginning to emerge. Investments in infrastructure, tourism, community development, and sport participation will continue to shape host cities and communities in the years ahead. The expertise developed by public servants, volunteers, organizers, and event professionals has expanded our capacity to host future international events. Just as importantly, relationships forged through years of planning and collaboration will continue after the stadiums have emptied.
History will remember the FIFA World Cup 2026 for remarkable athletic performances, unprecedented global audiences, and unforgettable moments shared by millions of supporters. Yet its lasting significance may be what it revealed beyond the pitch: three countries, working through different political systems, institutions and operational structures, successfully advanced a common objective through partnership, trust, and shared responsibility.
If future tournaments – and future North American initiatives - are stronger because of what Canada, Mexico, and the United States learned together, that may prove to be the tournament's most enduring legacy. The true measure of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will never be confined to the matches that were played or the trophy that was lifted. It will be found in the communities strengthened, the partnerships deepened, the knowledge passed from one generation of hosts to the next, and the reminder that we all share so much when it comes to the love of sport. Those common values, and the value inherent in sport, are truer still in Canada, today.
