With Italy out of the World Cup, Canada eyes support of Italian residents

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·4 avril 2026

With Italy out of the World Cup, Canada eyes support of Italian residents

Trade your ‘Azzurra’ shirt for a ‘Canucks’ one: that was the proposal made this Saturday by the Canadian Soccer Federation (Canada Soccer) to Italian-Canadian fans in Toronto to “support” Canada at the 2026 World Cup.

After being eliminated against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy failed to qualify for the tournament, just as it did in the 2018 and 2022 editions. Had it secured a spot, the four-time world champion would have been in Group B alongside Canada (one of the three host countries), Qatar, and Switzerland.

Vidéos OneFootball

View this photo on Instagram A post shared by Canada Soccer (@canadasoccer)

Successful campaign

For several hours this Saturday, fans lined up outside a coffee shop in Toronto’s “Little Italy” neighborhood to trade their blue or white shirts for red ones with the maple leaf, as shown in images shared on social media.

However, the advertising campaign, which aims to support the Canadian national team, allows fans to keep the Italy shirts they had planned to trade in.

“Soccer in Canada was built by generations of players, fans, and communities, including Italian-Canadians who helped keep the passion for our sport alive,” said Paulo Senra, Canada Soccer’s communications manager.

“We want all Canadians, regardless of their historical loyalties, to join the excitement around our men’s national team, because this time it’s all about Canada,” Senra added, quoted in a Federation statement.

Canada has 1.5 million residents of Italian origin, or 4.3% of the population, according to the 2021 census, and more than 80% live in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

With content from AFP*

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.