Pride and passion Park crowd celebrates Canada’s historic World Cup win By: Morgan Modjeski Posted: 9:06 PM CDT Thursday, Jun. 18, 2026

Thousands of Winnipeg soccer fans erupted in cheers each time Canada scored against Qatar on the big screen set up at Assiniboine Park to broadcast the World Cup game played in Vancouver.

And they had a lot of chances to hoot and holler as the men’s national team made history by winning 6-0, for its first-ever World Cup victory.

“I’m extremely happy with the team,” said Mohamed Nasri, attending the event with his family. “It was a great show and I’m wishing nothing but the best for what’s going to come next.”

Cheers and applause could be heard throughout the park as the sea of red and white at Lyric Theatre took in the match, which was dominated by Canada. Officials estimated 4,000 attended the event.

Funded by $50,000 from the government of Manitoba and supported by Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, this is the first time a World Cup gathering has been hosted at the park.

“Having a World Cup here in Canada, it’s such a big event, it’s really nice to share this sense of pride and passion with the community, said life-long soccer enthusiast, Ben Crivici, who had a Canadian flag draped across his shoulders.

“Although we’re not in the stadium itself, this experience allows us to get as close as possible.”

He was barely able to answer questions as he watched Canadian striker Jonathan David score Canada’s second goal — the crowd erupted in celebration.

“I feel great,” he said, as the crowd roared. “Seeing everyone celebrate in the same way is awesome and I feel proud of our team. That we’ve made it this far, that we can put on a display like this.”

Canada’s victory was led by David, who went on to score a hat trick, while Cyle Larin put away his second goal of the tournament.

Sunny Rakhra, who has played soccer much of her life, said she’s never seen this side of the city’s soccer community.

“This is an experience we’ve never had,” she said.

Growing up in Winnipeg, Rakhra said she feels the strong showing Thursday indicates “good momentum” for the sport’s future in the city and across Canada.

“This could be a turning point,” she said. “I think there’s lots of room to grow in Winnipeg and Manitoba soccer.”

She hopes as Canada continues to win in the tournament and that the watch parties continue.

Not just diehard fans attended the event. Hala Nani said while she is not a huge soccer supporter, she wanted to be a part of the movement, calling the event a symbol of Canadian unity.

“We support each other, we support our country, so everyone is here to support Canada,” she said. “It’s exciting to share it with the community … I could watch it at home, but it’s nice to be a part of all of this.”

Some fans were multi-tasking to make sure they could watch the match. Valeria Hernandez, who is in Winnipeg from Colombia, was attending a work meeting on her laptop while she watched Canada’s victory.

“I have been here since last week and I haven’t felt the FIFA World Cup vibe since today,” she said.

Scott Dixon, executive director of Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association, said the fact Canada has shown up to the tournament as a contender, and not just a participant, is no fluke. He said efforts to produce elite players and teams have been a focus of people involved with the sport.

“It’s phenomenal to see, it truly is,” he said.

“What that means is that commitment that has been put into the game, all the way from the grassroots level, all the way to the professional level, is truly showing now,” he said. “We’re not just here because we’ve been given a spot. Canada is playing like we’ve earned a spot here.”

There was a moment of concern in the crowd, as Canada lost a key player early in the second half when midfielder Ismaël Koné was taken off the field on a stretcher for a serious leg injury. However, for Raquel Torres, how the squad handled the loss of a crucial player, was a key moment.

“Just seeing the whole team’s reaction, and everyone all over Canada really feeling that weight of losing a really great player in such an unfortunate way,” she said. “And then just seeing how everyone rallied around him, fought back and gave it their all, it just gives me such an immense sense of pride.”

Thinking about the win, Torres said she hopes more victories are in store for Canada.

“Their confidence has kind of skyrocketed since the last game, and I hope that momentum goes into the next two games,” she said.

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca