Canada’s dream of hosting a men’s World Cup dates back to 1976 Montreal Olympics

The quest for Canada to host a men’s FIFA World Cup dates back some 50 years for Walter Sieber.

Sieber, then director general of sports for the Montreal Olympics, was sitting next to then-FIFA president João Havelange at the men’s football final at Olympic Stadium on July 31, 1976. Despite the rain, an enthusiastic crowd of 71,617 took in East Germany’s 3-1 win over Poland.

“At a certain time, (Havelange) turned to me and said, ‘Hey, by the way, you have done such a famous organization, one day Canada should have the World Cup,'” Sieber recalled with a laugh. “So that was the very first time where in my mind, (the) World Cup came up.”

The Swiss-born Sieber, who became an integral part of the Olympic and FIFA machine after moving to Quebec in 1966, tried to bring the 1986 World Cup to Canada after host Colombia pulled out in 1982, saying it did not have the economic resources to meet FIFA’s demands.

Canada, the U.S. and Mexico all bid separately to serve as replacement host, with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau signing a Canadian bid book involving nine host cities.

Mexico eventually hosted the ’86 tournament, which Canada played in — ironically making its men’s World Cup debut.

“I always said to myself there must be someone in Canada sometime, a president of the national (soccer) organization, who has the qualities to bring the World Cup to Canada,” Sieber mused.

Fast forward to 2011, when Sieber was having dinner with Victor Montagliani and Peter Montopoli, then vice-president and general secretary of Canada Soccer, respectively.

Sieber had found his man.

“That evening, I said to him, ‘Victor, it’s time. Canada should really go for the World Cup. And that’s where the whole discussion really started.'”

Montagliani became Canada Soccer president in 2012, taking over as CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president in 2016.

Sieber says Montagliani took the ball and ran with it.

“He was well respected in the circle of FIFA and among numerous national football associations around the world,” Sieber said. “The (Canadian men) did improve a lot during his presidency. These ingredients were necessary to bring the (World Cup) to Canada.

“And Victor has great diplomatic qualities and is a great communicator. He has a sense of self-confidence and was the right man for this enormous job.”

Sieber played his own part, plugged into the highest levels of world sport.

Outside of his FIFA duties, his resume also includes vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Committee (1985-2009) and Canada’s chef de mission for the 1992 Albertville Olympics. Sieber served on the organizing committees for both the 1988 Calgary and 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

After becoming Canada Soccer president in 2012, Montagliani spoke of his World Cup plans. But Canada’s intent to bid was made formal in January 2014 when the CSA released its 2014-18 strategic plan titled “Leading a Soccer Nation” at a downtown Toronto hotel.

“The process has to start now,” Montagliani said at the time of a bid to stage “the granddaddy of them all.”

Not everyone was on board.

Montagliani recalls a Toronto newspaper that called him a “whack job” for believing Canada could bid and host the tournament.

“I actually cut the article out, and I keep it in my drawer at my desk here at home,” he said with a laugh.

That dream turns into reality in June with Canada hosting 13 of the expanded 48-team tournament’s 104 games (seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto).

Canada will face a European playoff winner (from Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland and Wales) at Toronto’s BMO Field on June 12 before heading west to face Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver on June 18 and 24, respectively.

Also slated to play games in Canada are Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Ivory Coast, New Zealand, Panama, Senegal, plus a European playoff winner (from Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey) and a FIFA playoff winner (from Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq).

Toronto and Vancouver are each hosting a round-of-32 game, with Vancouver also getting a round-of-16 match.

Sieber, 84, will be watching from his home in Montreal.

“Now, I’m just concentrating on the Olympic football tournaments,” he said. “Los Angeles (in 2028) will be my last one, definitely.”

It will mark his 25th Olympics, including both summer and winter.

Sieber reckons he has worked at some 30 World Cups, including 10 men’s World Cups and numerous women’s and youth tournaments. His last men’s World Cup was in 2010 in South Africa.

He served as a general co-ordinator at many of those tournaments, a role that essentially equates to CEO of a tournament venue. At the 1998 tournament in France and the 2002 edition in Japan and South Korea, he was responsible for the host city for the championship game.

Tickets for the ’26 tournament have proved to be both hard to get and hard to afford as FIFA looks to maximize the return from its cash cow

Participating teams are guaranteed at least $10.5 million (all figures in U.S. dollars) from FIFA, with the winner collecting $50 million (plus the $1.5 million in preparatory money that all 48 entries receive).

As for the off-field rewards for serving as tournament co-host, Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue says the legacy funding Canada will receive from FIFA has not yet been finalized.

But ESPN has reported that the co-hosts will split one percent of the tournament’s gross revenue, which is anticipated to reach $13 billion, with the U.S. expected to collect $100 million in legacy funding, given it is hosting some 75 percent of the matches. If true, Canada would be looking at some $16 million as its share.

Blue has said the legacy funding will help with the construction of a national training centre.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press