As a soccer country, Canada is often perceived as a modern project compared to historically dominant giants like Argentina and Germany. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Canadian men’s team made the nation proud, beating South Africa 1–0 to secure its first-ever knockout-stage victory in the tournament and advance to the round of 16. 

As the world celebrates an emerging soccer nation, it’s a great time to look beneath the surface and uncover a little-known yet foundational part of Canadian soccer history.

On June 14, Knox College held a ceremony in its chapel to celebrate the “first Canadian soccer champions” and their induction into the Ontario Soccer Hall of Fame. 

On February 21, 1877, the Dominion Football Association (DFA) was formed in Toronto, becoming the first national soccer association outside the British Isles. The 1878 DFA championship is widely regarded as Canada’s first national championship in the sport, and it was a group of young male athletes from Knox College that won this historic competition. 

The victory cemented the college’s place in the history of soccer in Canada during a period when the sport was becoming increasingly popular through intercollegiate and club competitions. 

The first recorded soccer game in Canada — then called association football — was actually played in Cabbagetown, a neighbourhood in Toronto. The match was played on October 21, 1876, between teams representing the Toronto Lacrosse Club and the Carlton Cricket Club. According to the 1879 text Association Football: The Game, and How to Play It by David K. Brown, the game emerged as a counter to the more aggressive sports of the time, particularly rugby, and the rules were governed by existing Scottish association guidelines.

“A Scottish Annual was sent for, a meeting of clubs was summoned and the result was that the Dominion Football Association was formed and the rules of the Scottish Association adopted entirely.” What began as a simple attempt by local club members to escape the rough-and-tumble of rugby inadvertently laid the foundation for the future of soccer in Canada.

Knox College played a key role in anchoring club soccer in Canada as more associations formed over the years. Today, Canada is achieving historic results on the world stage. At the same time, particularly as U of T students, we can rest assured that we are not new to soccer — it is a movement that has been brewing right beneath our feet for nearly 150 years.