Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Ice hockey and lacrosse may be the national sports in Canada, and as such garner massive amounts of attention, but soccer is enjoying immense popularity there as well. Whether playing in a competitive league or in a recreational one, Canadians are loving lacing up their boots and giving it their all on soccer field.
Below is a look at betting culture in Canada and how it compares with the UK's football betting culture, Canada as joint hosts of the 2026 World Cup, some of Canada's biggest soccer stadiums and how soccer will fare in Canada after the 2026 tournament.
Canada might not be the first country when you think of when it comes to gambling, but the activity is popular there. Gambling laws vary from province to province, as the Canadian system places gambling management and operation in the hands of the provinces and territories.
During the 20th and 21st centuries, lawmakers have started to relax gambling laws. Single-event sports betting is now legal in some provinces. Some provinces, such as Ontario, have even created their own igaming markets. Today, many Canadians participate in casino gaming or some other form of gambling.
Canada's rules and regulations on betting or gambling of any kind would feel stern to a UK citizen. UK inhabitants 18 or over can take part freely in online or offline gambling activities, whether it's casino gaming, betting on soccer or other sports, lottery, bingo or fantasy sports.
Sports betting is especially popular in the UK. According to internet research company YouGov, sports fans who follow a sport closely are significantly more likely to bet on sports events. Betting online is the most popular way for soccer. Out of all the sports, betting fans spend the most each month on soccer betting.
For the first time in World Cup history, three different nations will host the next tournament, which gets underway on 11 June 2026. Canada is one of them. The other two are the USA, which offers the most stadiums for hosting tournament matches. The World Cup final itself will take place on 19 July 2026, at the New York New Jersey stadium.
Canada itself has plenty of stadiums. Two of these, Vancouver and Toronto will be host cities for the event. Below is a look at their soccer stadiums and other big ones in Canada.
BMO Field is Canada's first dedicated soccer stadium and is home to Toronto FC, Canada's first Major League Soccer (MLS) team, and to the national soccer squad and the Canadian Football League (CFL) squad, the Toronto Argonauts. It cost $62.9 million to build the stadium and, in preparation for the World Cup, BMO Field is adding 17,756 seats. This will bring its total capacity to 45,736 seats.
BC Place, in Vancouver, British Columbia, is the home of the MLS's Whitecaps FC and of the CFL's BC Lions. The stadium, which opened in 1983, features a retractable roof and seats 54,000 people. It has hosted a wide range of events, including the FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup final, the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and NCAA basketball.
The Stade Saputo is the home of MLS team CF Montréal and seats 19,619. Initially, the construction of the stadium cost $17 million and seated 13,304 when it opened on 19 May 2008 for the first game of the 2008 season, held against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The stadium is the first in Quebec dedicated entirely to soccer.
As an event host nation, Canada qualifies automatically for the World Cup finals, which places the national team in the spotlight. When Canada qualified for the 2022 Qatar tournament for the first time in 36 years, they triggered more interest in the World Cup from Canadians, who flocked to social media to follow the team, their progress and developments in the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup is a golden opportunity for Canadians to see, right in their own backyard, what their national team can do in a World Cup. It's also a major opportunity to inspire future soccer talent and boost local pride in the national soccer team. Given the interest the previous World Cup generated, Canada can expect to see soccer's popularity in the country grow.
Gambling is popular and, as provinces begin to embrace gambling more and more, is likely to grow in popularity. Soccer is likewise popular and Canada's challenge for the World Cup is sure to generate more interest in the sport as the team's national side capture the attention of sports and inspire potential new generations of athletes.
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