Canada is a relative newcomer to the international soccer scene, and we’ve hit the ground running. Just a couple of weeks ago, Canada’s national soccer team made it to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup — putting Canada amongst the world’s elite teams. Cities across the country were buzzing with excitement, cheering for home and witnessing the local talent that lives here, including Calgary, home to Cavalry FC.
“We have imposter syndrome across this whole country where we don’t believe that we’re good. But the ingredients are all there: we have a strong national team, massive grassroots participation, a growing domestic league and now the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a catalyst,” says Mason Trafford, commercial director of Cavalry FC. “Soccer has arrived in Canada. Now it’s about continuing to build belief and support around it.”
Showing up for the sport
Although the FIFA World Cup is over, soccer remains strong as ever in Calgary. Cavalry FC, the city’s professional men’s soccer team, is at the top of the Canadian Premier League and exhilarating to watch.
Cavalry FC plays on the ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows, offering one of the very best natural grass surfaces in the country, a custom-built 6,000-seat stadium and fans who fill it with electric support, waving flags, singing chants and setting off colourful smoke bombs.
“Every single person that comes here — if they hadn’t already been to a game — they kind of look at you with wide eyes and go, ‘I had no idea how crazy this was and how fun it was.’ And that’s a brilliant reaction for us,” says Trafford.
The team’s season is in full swing, with upcoming finals in the fall and a potential playoff run that could lead to representing the country on an international stage against big-name players such as Lionel Messi. The team also just wrapped up the Canadian Championship, losing to the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer. The club did welcome German legend, and
World Cup winner, Thomas Muller, to ATCO Field. The match in Calgary ended 1-1. “Calgary is a soccer city,” affirms Trafford.
Inspiring the next generation
Calgarians are beginning to rally more and more around the sport at an international level, but at the grassroots level, soccer has always been popular. In Calgary alone, 35,000 kids play the sport.
With Canadian Premier League clubs like Cavalry, and a growing community of support, Calgary is helping shape future talent, producing top athletes who go on to play at the highest levels. “I believe Calgary will produce the next great global soccer superstar, like
Alphonso Davies,” says Trafford. But that’s not always the end goal, he explains. Supporting and growing the sport community offers a deeper pride in the city, offers the next generation valuable lessons and helps create a stronger city.
“I really do believe in the power of sport to teach valuable life lessons. It mimics and is a microcosm of life: how to deal with failure and success, how to deal with loss and with wins, determination, resilience, sacrifice and how to work within a team,” says Trafford. “The more people you have in a city that have a strong character, the more you’re going to develop a stronger business culture, a stronger economy, and just be a great place to live.
To be part of the action and find out about upcoming Cavalry FC games, visit cplsoccer.com/cavalryfc
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