Is soccer in Canada on an upward trajectory or in the doldrums? A case could be made either way, and this past summer perfectly encapsulates these mixed fortunes. With both the Canadian Men’s National Team (CMNT) and Women’s National Team (CWNT) having achieved monumental strides in recent years and with Canada set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a sense of occasion and optimism should have been the headline coming out of the summer off-season.
However, a cloud hangs over both national teams following a drone spying scandal at the 2024 Paris Olympics that resulted in the CWNT being punished, casting criticism over past and present results. With memories fresh over player pay disputes and broadcasting rights controversies with the Canadian Soccer Federation, the national soccer teams in Canada appear to be in flux — its future direction is uncertain.
Canadian soccer’s 2024 summer
At the Copa América, a continental tournament that hosts North America and South America’s best national teams, the CMNT — led by newly-appointed manager Jesse Marsch — surprised people by reaching the semi-finals. Despite an opening day loss to the reigning World Cup and Copa América champions Argentina, the CMNT grabbed a victory over Peru and a draw to Chile that concluded the group stages saw the team advance to the knockout stages. There, the CMNT celebrated a penalty triumph over Venezuela in the quarter-finals.
Another well-earned loss against Argentina demonstrated the team’s ability to compete with established countries. The youthful squad also offers hope of further improvement in time for the joint World Cup on home soil in two years’ time. Considering that this year was Canada’s debut at the Copa América, and that they were the only North American team to win in the quarter-finals, the summer was nothing but a success for the era of the CMNT.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the women’s team had a perfect record in their group, defeating New Zealand, Colombia, and France. They went toe-to-toe with Germany in the quarter-finals — only losing to the eventual bronze medallists and European Championship runners-up on penalties. This campaign followed successful games in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which saw the team win its first gold medal.
Drone controversy
However, revelations that the CWNT staff used drones to spy on New Zealand’s training sessions have tarnished Canadian Soccer’s reputation and impacted these on-field successes. FIFA suspended and sent home CWNT Manager Bev Priestman following the breaking of the news, and docked six points from the CWNT before their first game was played. If the team topped their group, lower-ranked Brazil would have been their quarter-final opponents, instead of Germany.
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said that “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris [Olympics].” He admitted that he was concerned over a “potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring.”
In 2021, Honduras’ men’s national team suspended a training session in Canada when they saw a drone during World Cup qualifiers. Canada Soccer has blamed former head coach, John Herdman for starting the practice of drone spying during his tenure with the CWNT. Herdman managed the men’s team from 2018 to 2023 and managed the women’s team from 2011 to 2018. Herdman has since denied any wrongdoing.
In 2019, English soccer club Leeds United’s manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted to spying on promotion rival Derby County. He said, “I have been using this kind of practice since the qualifiers for the World Cup with Argentina [1998-2004]. It is not illegal, we have been doing it publicly and we talk about it in the press.”
In the aftermath, Leeds fans chanted about the incident and the club was fined £200,000 — which Bielsa paid off himself. Canada’s fallout looks to be far more serious, and not simply because it is not an isolated incident. It isn’t the only crisis for Canada Soccer to contend with.
Financial problems
Canada Soccer has been involved in a pay dispute with its players for some time now. In 2022, the CMNT called off their friendly against the Panama men’s soccer team, demanding a more equitable pay structure for World Cup revenue, along with the CWNT. A temporary agreement was put in place, before the CWNT threatened to go on strike in February 2023 over pay cuts. The CWNT returned to the fold after Canada Soccer threatened legal action over unlawful strike action, and the pay situation has never been satisfactorily resolved. A short-term deal was reached in July 2023, but a long-term solution remains uncertain.
Much of the pay dispute simply comes down to the fact that there is not enough money to go around to satisfy everyone. The players argue that they should be better remunerated for having taken their country to prestigious and lucrative tournaments, in line with other countries. But such is the penny-pinching that the three major Canadian clubs — Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Montréal Impact — in the otherwise American Major League Soccer have agreed to partially fund men’s head coach Jesse Marsch’s salary.
In 2018, Canada Soccer signed over commercial and broadcast rights to Canada Soccer Business in exchange for at least three million dollars per year. Canada Soccer Business would negotiate deals and, in return, use the money to subsidize the growth of Canadian soccer and the Canadian Premier League. However, knowing that the World Cup was on its way to North America and a promising crop of young talent blossoming, this deal seems somewhat shortsighted and leaves Canada Soccer shortchanged. It is estimated that Canada Soccer will have a four million dollar operating deficit this year and needs at least an additional $10 million in annual revenue to achieve its aims.
These are not disparate technical issues removed from the on-field innocence. There has been speculation that the International Olympic Committee could strip the CWNT’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medal following complaints of unfair sporting advantage. The scandal immediately puts the past decade of Canada’s on-field growth under deserved scrutiny.
All the while, the pay dispute rumbles on and the penchant for drone espionage has affected player morale. Centre-back Vanessa Gilles admitted that players had been unable to eat, sleep, and were crying over the matter.
Soccer in Canada has always faced challenges, from the harsh climates to fighting for attention against other established sports. Chronic mismanagement, poor financial deals, and demoralized players risk the existing potential of Canadian soccer. Cup runs can only mask so much.
