FIFA’d

Not to take away from the athleticism and talent of Team Canada at FIFA 2026, but after their win over South Africa on Sunday, I believe I may very well be the “Canuck Good Luck” charm for the team. 

I made up that title. I think it’s going to stick. You’re so very welcome, lads.

It’s as simple as this: I fell asleep watching Sunday’s game. I didn’t even make it to the half. I passed out on my couch, even slept through the hysterics of the Carpenter yelling at the TV. I heard him, but as in any good long-term relationship, I can ignore him.

I didn’t mean to crash. A 3pm televised game on a beautiful summer day shouldn’t induce one into a nap, but I’d enjoyed an active morning basking in the sunshine and fresh air from the sidelines of a Fergus Highland Rugby match in Guelph. 

When I say I was active, what I mean is, I laid the blanket out for my friend and I to sit and watch the game. Active is a state of mind, okay? The point is, I got lots of sun, I drank lots of water and I paid attention. Fergus won. It was a good morning.  I’m not sure what it says about me that I like my spectator sports on the rough side, but I’m not sorry. I’m a kind, sensitive soul. Watching others mash it up in contact sports is my outlet.

I didn’t expect to get caught up in the excitement around FIFA until it arrived on our Canadian shores. It’s not that I don’t like soccer. What’s not to love? It just doesn’t meet my contact-sport criteria. It’s not a sport I’ve paid much attention to, unlike the Carpenter, who is a fan. If national pride is on the line, he’s fully invested.

The image that hooked me to caring about this tournament was the first Team Canada match in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina. From my computer screen in my office, I watched the footage of fans marching to the stadium en masse in a sea of red and white, with flags and chants, a moment like nothing I’d seen before. 

Soccer fans are so passionate. It made me wish I was there. I couldn’t watch the game online so I kept up with updates, constantly refreshing my feeds. Not the same. 

I was at work during the Qatar match, but I drove past the Wellington County Museum and Archives on my way home and saw the crowd that showed up for the watch party on the lawn there. It looked fun. 

I got home at the end of the match to watch the Carpenter jumping about. I worked through the Switzerland match too (you can’t blame me for the loss there. I only use my Canuck Good Luck powers for good). Work sure interferes with a lot of fun things. 

That left me with Sunday’s match against South Africa. I was excited to get in on the action. Not go-out-and-buy-a-Team-Canada-shirt excited, like the Carpenter, but invested in patriotic sportsmanship all the same. I settled in. Got comfortable. Followed along. And then, I fell asleep. 

They won. See what  I did there?

I promise not to watch the July 4 match. This Good Luck Canuck charm won’t even look at the TV. I’m so grateful Team Canada is making the kind of history that Canada can be proud of, in sport and nationhood, united and proud. 

Happy Canada Day.