Canada men’s national team manager Jesse Marsch saw the cross-country attention the Toronto Blue Jays got in their run to the World Series, and thinks next year’s 2026 FIFA World Cup could be even bigger.
Sitting at his home in Tuscany, Italy, it takes something quite exceptional to get Marsch out of bed in the middle of the night. Most of the time, it only happens to scout soccer, but the Blue Jays’ run to Game 7 of the World Series captured his imagination.
Marsch was one of 51 million people worldwide who tuned in to the final series, which ended in a heartbreaking defeat for Canada’s lone MLB team.
“Since I’ve been living in Europe, I’ve only gotten up in the middle of the night to watch football—soccer matches—until the World Series this year,” Marsch said Thursday.
“So I was a Jays fan, maybe not as much as the rest of Toronto, the rest of Canada, but this is the first time, for another sport, that I was getting up in the middle of the night because I had the fever as well.”
Across Canada, the Blue Jays took over. For Game 7, 14 million or 45% of all Canadians tuned in, and the game became one of the most-watched sports broadcasts in the nation’s history.
The cross-Canada attention to the Blue Jays also gave Marsch another look into what could be coming at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Canada could have a chance to capture the nation’s sporting infatuation.
“I believe that we will be even bigger. I believe that the World Cup at home, in Canada, will be even bigger [than the World Series],” he added. “I can tell you right now that is exactly what this national team will be about. And it will electrify this country.”
Winning Is Key
As much as Canadians have rallied around sports teams, few measure up to the coast-to-coast-to-coast fandom that comes with Toronto’s teams in American leagues.
In 2019, the Toronto Raptors set TV viewership records. They had watch parties across the country as they worked toward winning the organization’s first NBA Championship. The Blue Jays brought the excitement to another level in their first World Series berth since winning back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
While the idea of fans outside Toronto cheering for a club team may seem foreign, it’s been a key facet of Canadian sporting identity. Yet, it only culminates with a massive run.
The streets of Toronto will never be the same! 🤯🏆
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) June 17, 2024
On this day (June 17, 2019) the @Raptors had their NBA Championship parade! pic.twitter.com/lspqdEesoX
Comparatively, the national team and the World Cup are a different beast. Many Canadians have a heritage country they have traditionally supported at the World Cup, and some still doubt the progress of the Canadian squad, making it challenging to match the Blue Jays’ excitement.
Yet, there remains a possibility, and the Canadian squad knows it would take an exceptional run, including the nation’s first World Cup points, to bring millions behind the team, as with the 2025 Blue Jays and 2019 Raptors.
“I have no doubt that this team will be ready to really make history and to do something very special,” Marsch said. "If you’re not on board yet and if you’re not feeling the excitement yet, it’s time. It’s time to get on board...It’s time to understand that there’s a movement happening.”
Canada will play Ecuador and Venezuela in the November international window to close out the 2025 schedule, and the home match against Ecuador in Toronto is on pace to sell out. Soon after, Canada will find out its World Cup group opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on Dec. 5 in Washington D.C.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Even Bigger’—Jesse Marsch Makes Bold Canada World Cup Prediction After Blue Jays World Series Run.
