Overview
- Canada Soccer handed out new red home shirts Saturday at a jersey‑swap event in Toronto’s Little Italy to encourage Italy supporters to back the host nation.
- Fans lined up for hours and were told they could keep their Azzurri jerseys, with local reports saying the Canada shirts ran out in under 30 minutes and latecomers received scarves, hats, and posters.
- Paulo Senra, the federation’s communications chief, said the outreach invites Canadians of all backgrounds to rally behind the men’s national team this tournament.
- Italy’s playoff loss to Bosnia‑Herzegovina on penalties ended a third straight World Cup miss for the four‑time champions and erased a potential Italy–Canada group meeting.
- Canada will co‑host the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Mexico, play in Group B with Bosnia‑Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland, and draw on a community of about 1.5 million people of Italian origin, most in Ontario and Québec.