Thunder Bay soccer organizations expecting surge in interest thanks to World Cup

Thunder Bay soccer organizations are preparing for an expected spike in interest thanks to next summer's World Cup.

The 2026 tournament, which runs throughout July, is being hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, with Canadian games scheduled for Toronto and Vancouver.

"Every World Cup always brings about like a little bit of a fever because it's just exciting for the soccer community," said Rob Pasqualino, technical director with Thunder Bay's Superior Rush FC. "But when it's in your backyard, it definitely changes things a little bit, attracts more interest."

"It's going to be on TV all the time," he said. "There's going to be non-stop broadcasting about it, so I think people are just going to see it regardless of whether they want to or not, and I think it'll just get a lot of interest from especially the younger generation."

Pasqualino said the Superior Rush organization is taking steps to prepare.

"We're always looking for new coaching staff, for sure," he said. "We're volunteers for the most part."

"It's really hard to find volunteers that want to put in that kind of time, but certainly we're going to need them. There's going to be an explosion of kids."

He said the city's new Tbaytel Multiplex indoor turf facility, expected to open next fall, will help when it comes to that increased interest in soccer.

"It should give us more time, be able to take in more kids and just make things work a little bit better," he said. "We're kind of excited about a bit of a surge and just the excitement around Canada and the community itself."

Speaking of excitement around the Canadian team, Friday saw the group stage draws for the opening round of the World Cup.

Canada found itself in Group B, facing Qatar, Switzerland, and the winner of UEFA Playoff A, which includes Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Canadian team, now under the leadership of Jesse Marsch, is actually quite interesting," Pasqualino said. "It's pretty exciting to watch. Really high pace, high tempo, high energy. It's been a bit of a breath of fresh air, to be honest with you."

"I think many people really enjoy Jesse Marsch's stamp that he's put on the team," he said. "He's done a great job with them. He's found a lot of young talent. I think they could do fairly well."

Pasqualino's excitement is shared by Thunder Bay Chill coach Mattia Rolli, who's originally from Italy. Rolli said he hopes to see Canada face the Italian squad.

"We need to get through the playoff," he said. "But we really got a good chance to be in it, so it's gonna be crazy exciting."

"Soccer (has) been growing so much here in Canada, in Thunder Bay especially. It's not just about hockey, but now soccer is part of the community."

Pasqualino said he also hopes Italy earns a spot in the World Cup.

"Not really fond that they would be playing against Canada," he said with chuckle. "I think it would be a really exciting game though, like unbelievably exciting."

Overall, though, Pasqualino likes Spain's odds of winning the World Cup itself.

"They're ranked number one right now," he said. "They've got an incredible amount of depth. Their style of play is really beautiful to watch. Lots of young talent, lots of experience."