In a unique promotional move, Canada’s national soccer federation is reaching out to the country’s sizable Italian community ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting.
This Saturday, Canada Soccer will set up a booth in Toronto’s historic Little Italy neighborhood, offering a direct exchange: fans can bring an Italy national team jersey and leave with a brand-new Canada jersey at no cost. The event is framed as an invitation for Italian-Canadians to support the host nation this summer.
The initiative follows Italy’s failure to qualify for the tournament after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a European playoff. Had Italy qualified, they would have been drawn into Canada’s group.
Organizers are hoping to capitalize on the local passion for soccer. Toronto and its surrounding regions are home to a significant portion of Canada’s estimated 1.5 million citizens of Italian descent. The city’s BMO Field will be the venue for Canada’s opening match of the tournament on June 12th.
With ticket prices for that opening game reaching several thousand dollars on the secondary market, the free jersey swap represents one of the most accessible ways for local fans to participate in the World Cup atmosphere. The federation has noted that the offer is available only while supplies last and has encouraged early attendance.
The campaign’s message, also conveyed in Italian as “Questa volta è il Canada” (“This time, it’s Canada”), explicitly encourages fans to turn the page after Italy’s qualification disappointment and rally behind the Canadian squad as it prepares for its group stage matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland.
