Canada’s FIFA World Cup team reflects country’s vibrant multiculturalism

Donning the Maple Leaf was a conscious decision for many of the athletes representing Canada at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Like much of the country, the team is composed of people whose families came from abroad, and many of the players had offers from other national squads.

They chose Canada and are now they’re making history.

“This is for us, I think it’s a way we feel we can get back to the country that’s given us and our parents a new life,” said midfielder Ali Ahmed.

Ahmed was born and raised in Toronto after his parents moved to Canada from Ethiopia.

“Ultimately it’s given our parents a new life, a life they dreamed of,” he said. “Maybe other countries we’ve all come from, maybe you lack some of the resources this country is able to provide and everything they dreamed of, of raising a family in a country like this, in a country like Canada.”

The Canadian team — which will face Morocco in the round of 16 in Houston on Saturday — can trace its roots all across the globe.

Stephen Eustaquio, who scored the lone goal in the nation’s history-making 1-0 victory over South Africa on Sunday, is originally from Leamington, Ont., and moved with his family to Portugal at age seven. Jonathan David was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and lived in Haiti before coming to Ottawa as a child. Jonathan Osorio’s parents are from Colombia, while Moïse Bombito’s hail from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Luc de Fougerolles and Alfie Jones were both born and raised in England.

Even head coach Jesse Marsch is a self-proclaimed foreigner.

“I am American, and I’m proud to be American,” he said after Canada’s win on Sunday. “But I do think that the ideals and the characteristics of Canadian people fit me really well. They value kindness, they value generosity. I think it’s a country that is very welcoming to outsiders, appreciates you for the things you do that more than the things you say.”

Canada captain Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled civil war in Liberia. The family came to Canada and eventually settled in Edmonton.

He shared his story at the 2018 FIFA Congress as part of Canada’s bid to co-host this summer’s tournament.

“It was a hard life. But when I was five years old, a country called Canada welcomed us in,” Davies told the crowd. “And the boys on the football team made me feel at home.

“Today I’m 17 years old, and I play for the (Canadian) men’s national team. And I’m a proud Canadian citizen. And my dream is to someday compete in the World Cup, maybe even in my hometown of Edmonton.

“The people of North America have always welcomed me. If given the opportunity, I know they will welcome you,” he added.

For striker Tani Oluwaseyi, being born outside of Canada hasn’t changed the way he views playing for the country.

His parents moved their family of five from Abuja, Nigeria, to Mississauga, Ont., when Oluwaseyi was a child.

“I’ve been here since I was 10 years old, so for me, as much as I was born Nigerian, I still consider Nigeria home, from 10 to now, this has been home for me,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s any different than if I was born here. It carries the same weight.”

Some of the national squad’s talent spent time with other countries, including midfielder Niko Sigur, who played for Croatia at the youth level.

Others were approached but ultimately decided to represent Canada.

Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was in college when he was asked to play for Trinidad and Tobago, where his father, Fabian, is from.

“I think in my heart I always knew I wanted to play for Canada first, although I’m very close with my Trinidad roots,” St. Clair said. “I’m definitely very happy with my decision to play for Canada, and I wouldn’t have changed it, waiting that one or two extra years in order to make it here.”

The diverse heritage represented by the Canadian team isn’t surprising, St. Clair said. It’s what he always saw growing up in Toronto.

“If somebody asked you where you’re from there, you would say where your parents are from or where your grandparents are from. You wouldn’t just say, ‘Oh, I’m from Pickering.’ You would say where your heritage is,” he said. “And I think when I came to America, that’s when I really realized that’s a very much a Canadian thing.”

The country’s multiculturalism is part of what makes it so beautiful, St. Clair added.

“Everyone says, ‘Oh, Canada is a melting pot.’ But for me it’s a mosaic, because you get to still represent what your heritage is, and you don’t only have to be Canadian — you can be Canadian, you can be Trinidad, and you can be Scottish, you can be all the things,” he said.

“You don’t have to just wipe all that history in your family, and it can still be celebrated. So that’s why I find it so special.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.

— With files from Daniel Rainbird in Montreal.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press