# World Cup 2026: Is Canada a soccer nation now?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/more-than-the-score-7480348/world-cup-2026-is-canada-a-soccer-nation-now
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/more-than-the-score-7480348/world-cup-2026-is-canada-a-soccer-nation-now.md
Podcast: [More than the Score](https://stenobird.com/podcast/more-than-the-score-7480348)
Published: 2026-06-24T10:32:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ntsp7r
Audio file: http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0ntsnwd.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/more-than-the-score-7480348/episodes/world-cup-2026-is-canada-a-soccer-nation-now
Duration seconds: 1861

## Resource

Lee James is in Toronto to find out how soccer is gripping Canada, with the men’s team winning their first ever World Cup match and on the brink of reaching the knock-out stages. Soccer is now the highest participation sport in the country according to Canada Soccer and there are almost one million registered players, in 1,200 clubs across Canada. The sport has surpassed Ice hockey and all other sports in terms of youth participation, according to a recent report by Jumpstart, a Canadian charity. So is this reflected across Canadian society - are young children now kicking footballs rather than strapping on skates? Lee speaks to Canada international Jonathan Osorio, former Toronto FC goalkeeping coach Jon Conway, broadcaster Andi Petrillo and Ice Hockey fans to find out if Canada is a soccer nation now? All this summer, More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. Search for More than the Score, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

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## Transcript

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