We are just under three months away from the start of the biggest sporting event on the planet — maybe even the biggest sporting event in history — the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This time, Canadian soccer fans won’t have to pack into crowded bars and coffee shops to watch it. For the first time, they can do so in person here at home.

Canada is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Mexico. A total of 104 games will be played in an expanded 48-team tournament, making it the largest World Cup ever. Seven of the matches will be played at BC Place in Vancouver and six more will be played at Toronto’s BMO Field. Canada will play its first match on June 12 in Toronto and then two more in Vancouver: June 18 versus Qatar and June 24 against Switzerland.

Now, comes Winning Pitch: The Canadian Men’s Soccer Team at the World Cup and Beyond by Murray Mollard. The book is part chronicle, part call to action — aimed at both neophytes and aficionados alike.

Mollard is a former player, coach, governor, supporter, and observer. He is passionate about the game and knows it well. He calls soccer his most enduring love affair.

“I don’t think I ever fell out of love [with it]. It’s been a long-time passion,” he said.

“I think the first World Cup I saw was the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. I lived in Calgary at the time, and I had to go to the Max Bell Arena to watch games on closed circuit TV. I think the games in Vancouver were [televised] at the Pacific Coliseum because I have friends who tell me about that.”

“Nobody then would have imagined one day that we’d have a World Cup in our backyard. So, this is extraordinarily exciting for soccer fans and sporting fans generally.”

“I would suggest it’s the biggest cultural event in the world. It brings together more people from more nations at one time in a relatively focused tournament.”

But Mollard bristles at Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim calling the city hosting World Cup matches the equivalent to “30 to 40” Super Bowls.

“I don’t really like to compare soccer to American football, to be honest. I don’t think it’s a fair comparison,” he said.

“Sure, in Canada and the United States, we get focused on the Super Bowl, but in the rest of the world, it’s the World Cup and football, what we call soccer. We know that millions will come to North America to watch it, and billions more will watch it on TV.”

“In Vancouver and in Toronto, we’ll have really diverse representatives from different nations. I think there’s about 18 different nations that are going to be playing in Toronto and Vancouver. So, we’re going to see those cultural examples of those people [bringing] their songs, their chants, their dress, their food, and they’ll celebrate.”

A lifelong student of the beautiful game, Mollard charts the bumpy road Canadian men’s soccer has travelled from the late ’60s to the present day, from the North American Soccer League (NASL) era through Canada’s first World Cup appearance at Mexico 86, what he calls “a long and mostly potholed path.”

“There’s a lot of history of failure, to be honest,” he said. “And it’s really only, I’m going to say since 2019 when John Herdman took the men’s national team and finally beat the United States in Toronto in 2019, that the team has been on an upswing.”

He says Canada enters this World Cup with arguably its best squad ever, going from a ranking of 111th in the world in 2013 to 29th as of this past January.

“I think the big question that I try to answer in Winning Pitch is, are we going to be able to maintain that level? Are we going to be able to even elevate from that level to become a true soccer nation? So, that’s a big question that I seek to explore in the book.”

He feels the 2026 World Cup provides a spotlight to set up the game in Canada for years to come.

“There needs to be more foundational elements of the game in Canada for us to really maintain a high level in terms of our success on the international stage and at the domestic club stage. We need better and more qualified coaches to develop better players. We need better infrastructure.”

“We need more media attention. We need more money and investment. So, there’s a lot of elements that still need to be worked on. We can’t say that we’re a football nation like others in Europe or in South America yet. We’re on a path in that direction, but there’s still lots of work to do.”

Mollard points out Canadians already participate more in soccer than any other team sport in the country, even hockey. So how do we build on that? He says Canada should look at what smaller nations have done to develop their football programs for success.

“We know small nations like Croatia, Uruguay, and Portugal, they produce incredible players year after year. I think we need to take some of the lessons from other nations but also adapt it to Canada.”

“I think we can do it, but we need to take very intentional steps to make that happen.”

Mollard provides a thorough review of the state of soccer in this country that is both a chronicle and a call to action. His passion for the game comes through on every page.

Winning Pitch: The Canadian Men’s Soccer Team at the World Cup and Beyond is available from Harbour Publishing.