Victor Montagliani on World Cup infrastructure legacy in Canada: 'We're behind the curve'

While Canada seems primed for a successful 2026 World Cup on the field, there are questions to be asked about the legacy that the tournament, which they’re co-hosting, will leave behind away from the pitch. 

For example, it’s worth noting that the two cities hosting games, Vancouver and Toronto, are only making slight cosmetic changes to their two stadiums - and in Toronto’s case, some of those changes are only temporary, too. 

Otherwise, there have been hurdles when it comes to creating other projects, such as training facilities and public pitches, which are the sort of legacy projects that can have a long-lasting positive effect on communities, especially for a country that is already behind when it comes to the development of its sporting infrastructure. 

That’s a worry, because while there’s no doubt that co-hosting the World Cup can have a positive impact on the sport in this country, especially if Canada does well, it can’t be understated how important it is to use tournaments like this to invest in tangible infrastructure. The reality of hosting tournaments like this is that it can help apply the pressure needed to build things that otherwise might be harder to construct in normal conditions. 

Certainly, that’s something that Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is worried about. As a Canadian, he knows first-hand about Canada’s lack of soccer facilities and the problem that creates, and he’s hoping that this tournament could be a catalyst for fixing that. 

“We have to be frank and honest, it's less satisfying, as we are behind the curveball as it relates to infrastructure, in terms of the community,” Montagliani told OneSoccer’s Kristian Jack in an interview. “A lot of that needs to be done, and I hope the World Cup pushes us to do that, whether it’s small community stadiums, whether it’s more pitches, better quality pitches. We're a little bit behind the curve when I see us compared to other G7 countries, but also other countries, in general.”

“There's an initiative I think that needs to happen, where it has to be a sort of 3p approach, with the private sector, a national body like the CSA (...), and also the government. So I'm hoping that that initiative gets pushed forward, and I hope that the World Cup is a catalyst for that.”

Therefore, while some positive developments are happening in the wake of the 2026 World Cup, such as a push to create a National Training Centre for Canada’s National Team, Montagliani is hoping for more projects to be pushed forward, both at the professional and grassroots levels of the sport, as the momentum from this tournament starts to build. 

“Yes, I think it could happen. I know there are also discussions. I know the CSA has already announced the intention of a national training centre,” Montagliani said of the growing infrastructure. “That’s imperative; we need our own Clairefontaine, so I support the CSA and Peter Agruso’s initiative on that, and they have my full support. But I think it goes beyond just a National Training Center.”

“It’s (infrastructure) in the Canadian Premier League, it's the Northern Super League, that needs to happen as well. Even in my hometown, with the (Vancouver) Whitecaps, they play in a stadium that is not ideal for them, so you see it at every level. You see it at the community level, you see it at the professional level, so I think that's our next frontier as it relates to hardware in this country for our sport.”

Yet, that’s the challenge that the sport in this country faces going forward. There’s no doubt that there is a deep-rooted passion for the sport, which continues to see increased participation numbers nationally, but it feels like infrastructure has been slow to catch up to that boom. 

Because of that, it shows why this tournament is so important to help accelerate that process. Often, these sorts of tournaments can have a long-lasting effect when it comes to creating more facilities, if done properly - Canada has seen that first-hand at the 2007 U20 Men’s World Cup and 2015 Women’s World Cup, more specifically. 

If Canada wants to be a soccer country, these are the sort of developments that will need to go hand-in-hand with the growth that is occurring on the pitch across the country, but that can only happen if everyone works together to develop these projects, which is what Montagliani is pushing for. 

“Absolutely, I think this is important for those of us who have been in the game in this country for a long time, for decades,” Montagliani said. “Our battles have always been the culture, making people who maybe don't understand the game, or those who are close to the game, understand what it really means. I think we've turned the corner. It started in 2015 with the Women's World Cup, which was a start, and it's accelerated since.”

“I hope that 2026 is the last ceiling that we have to break through. Because I think you're going to get a lot of people who culturally will understand what this means. I'm hoping that a young boy or girl that's 10 or 12 years old, who 10 years from now, might be doing an interview like I am right now as a Canadian.”