Soccer in Canada | Canada Hosting the 2026 World Cup

[esquire]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

I'm not sure if they have relased everything now but there is hardly anything left!

I don't doubt that ticket sales are going well but I find Ticketmaster doesn't show everything that's available on the seat maps. At one time they did but I guess they realized it wasn't the greatest for marketing to show sections that might be entirely empty, etc.

[blueandgoldguy]

Well if they have sold out most of the lower bowl and most of one of the upper decks they probably are already looking at crowds close to 40,000 per match at this point. Impressive considering it will be mid-November in Edmonton! I'm sure they will sell quite a bit more and if the weather is reasonable...say a few degrees above zero, than I'm sure crowds will approach 50,000 per match.

Glad to see tickets are priced reasonably.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Well if they have sold out most of the lower bowl and most of one of the upper decks they probably are already looking at crowds close to 40,000 per match at this point. Impressive considering it will be mid-November in Edmonton! I'm sure they will sell quite a bit more and if the weather is reasonable...say a few degrees above zero, than I'm sure crowds will approach 50,000 per match.

Glad to see tickets are priced reasonably.

Mexico game is sold out and CR game just a few pairs and singles. Lots of people travelling in for the game but I'd say the vast majority of seats were probably bought locally, speaking to the sporting culture and support in E-town. I'll be watching this one from the comfort of my home as I couldn't justify flying out there only to have the thing cancelled due to FIFA-unsuitable weather. Anyone know what the temperature/snow criteria are for cancelling a match?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

I don't doubt that ticket sales are going well but I find Ticketmaster doesn't show everything that's available on the seat maps. At one time they did but I guess they realized it wasn't the greatest for marketing to show sections that might be entirely empty, etc.

Seats are opened up depending on what's already sold and on demand. They'll essentially phase rows and sections open once certain thresholds are met.

[elly63]

World Cup qualifying games in Edmonton quickly selling out
'Without a doubt, without question, when Edmonton gets behind something, the city is absolutely the best in the entire country'
Terry Jones edmontonsun.com October 24, 2021

[Coldrsx]

Great to see. Let's pray for decent weather.

I still find it absurd to be playing outdoor soccer, in mid-November, in Edmonton.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Great to see. Let's pray for decent weather.

I still find it absurd to be playing outdoor soccer, in mid-November, in Edmonton.

Take it with a big grain of salt, but it looks to be not too bad for the Mexico match.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/ed...t/52478?day=21

[elly63]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

Take it with a big grain of salt, but it looks to be not too bad for the Mexico match.

I never figured it would be too bad but I'd like to see it near zero. And that's no guarantee, they're both good teams (hopefully Costa Rica will run out of steam) and Mexico are likely still better than us, this is our ploy to get us a little closer to them.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

I still find it absurd to be playing outdoor soccer, in mid-November, in Edmonton.

Is that any more absurd than playing in near 40C, smog and altitude. I don't want it to snow but why would we want to make life easier for these other teams. It is probably the first time we haven't bent over backwards for these guys, hospitality wise, when they greet us with horns blaring all night outside of hotels and bags of piss.

[Coldrsx]

Honestly, I hope it is -20 and blowing. Reason being it will be quite the news story.

[elly63]

This shows how the league where a player is playing affects the points they accrue to getting a work permit to play in England

If Canada cracks FIFA’s top 50, English interest in TFC’s Laryea could spike
Matthew Scianitti tsn.ca October 20 2021

The FA also allots points for the quality of league that a player plays in, and previous club season results. European leagues like Germany's Bundesliga, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, and Italy's Serie A are considered top tier countries, while Major League Soccer is considered a tier 4 league. More points are also given to players who feature in the UEFA Champions League.

The Football Association - Governing Body Endorsement Requirements for Men’s Players

The Football Association Men’s Players - Points Based System
2020/2021 Season (1 January 2021 Onward)

Band 1: English Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 + UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores & various youth FIFA/ confederation/Olympic/Toulon competitions.

Band 2: Portuguese Primeira Liga, Eredivisie, Belgian First Division A, the Turkish Super Lig and the English Championship + UEFA Europa League and the Copa Sudamerica

Band 3: Russian Premier League, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Primera División of Argentina, Liga MX and the Scottish Premiership.

Band 4: Czech First League, Croatian First Football League, the Swiss Super League, La Liga 2, Bundesliga 2, Ukrainian Premier League, the Greek Superleague, the Colombian Categoría Primera A, the USA’s Major League Soccer, the Austrian Football Bundesliga and Ligue 2.

Band 5: Serbian SuperLiga, the Danish Superliga, the Polish Ekstraklasa, the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the Chilean Primera División, the Uruguayan Primera División and the Chinese Super League.

Band 6 means all leagues not in Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4 or Band 5.

[elly63]

Business of Sport: The English coach transforming Canadian football

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Matt Slater as they speak with Canada Men's Football coach John Herdman.

Herdman is bidding to qualify for men’s World Cup in Qatar next year for the first time since 1986, having previously seen success with Canada's women's team at the Olympics, winning two bronze medals. Listen to his story and the way that he's been able to transform a nation's prospects, whilst not always receiving the best support out there.

[canucklehead2]

I suspect cold weather snow will be to the home field advantage of Canada regardless of the players just because of this fact. The average daytime high in November is around 0c which is decent playing weather and in fact is shorts weather for many a canuck, myself included... Can't wait to see the game, although I won't be attending live because that would be one hell of an experience!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by canucklehead2

I suspect cold weather snow will be to the home field advantage of Canada regardless of the players just because of this fact. The average daytime high in November is around 0c which is decent playing weather and in fact is shorts weather for many a canuck, myself included... Can't wait to see the game, although I won't be attending live because that would be one hell of an experience!

I have to keep saying this but there are no guarantees that this will ensure us victory (but it sure ain't gonna hurt)

Another factor in our favour is we will have several more days than our opponents to acclimatize (even moreso vs Mexico), it's not like both teams will be flying in on the same day

[Coldrsx]

0C for 3mins of the day and no wind.

I suspect it will be -5-7C with a feel of -10.

[canucklehead2]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

0C for 3mins of the day and no wind.

I suspect it will be -5-7C with a feel of -10.

Even then that's not terrible especially with a good chunk of the seats out of the wind. There is however a case to be made for Commonwealth upgrades and an ETFE roof, at least over the stands... Personally I think the time is now for a total retractable dome using ETFE since that tech has largely eliminated both the tearing and weight issues which doomed the first gen stadiums... Get er done for 2026 and the World Cup since Edmonton will be probably be the largest and most high profile stadium in Canada for the event...

[elly63]

Some Commonwealth Stadium roof history (edited from Wikipedia)

By 1974 there was consensus that Clarke Stadium would not be sufficient and that an all-new stadium should be built. Several locations and sizes were discussed, with Edmonton City Council in January 1975 landing on building a 40,000-seat venue next to Clarke Stadium. The venue was designed by Ragan, Bell, McManus Consultants. They based their design on Jack Trice Stadium in the US city of Ames, Iowa.

The largest discussion was related to whether the stadium needed a roof or dome. As the roof would cost $18.2 million, there was limited public support, and the stadium was built without one. In an attempt to further the roof process, the Eskimos offered to pay $1.6 million towards the roof. The Commonwealth Games did not permit an enclosed stadium, so the design would have to call for the roof to be added afterwards. Among the opponents of the roof was Commonwealth Games Foundation President Maury Van Vliet, who said experience from construction of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal showed the necessity of building a simple structure. An alternative design, which would have cost an additional $7.3 million, was launched by the Eskimos in August 1975, but rejected by the city council. A major concern for the city council was the large cost overruns being experienced in Montreal at the time.

The decision to not enclose the stadium was taken on December 10, 1975.The venue was thus not designed to allow a roof, air-filled or stiff, to be retrofitted.

Construction of the stadium was completed within budget and time. When the venue opened it had a capacity for 42,500 and a natural grass turf. Additional proposals for a roof, ranging from $10 to $32 million in cost, were presented in 1979, but since then the discussion of covering the stadium died out.

[esquire]

The lack of a roof is not a huge deal but it's unfortunate that a canopy over the seats was never built. When it rains all but a tiny handful of seats under the lip of the upper deck are directly exposed to it.

[canucklehead2]

Nope not a huge loss since it's still the best sports and arts venue however adding a roof would extend the usable season to year round. It's a great place, I just wish was used more. And since both tech and times have changed why not. Plus Edmonton could should and would make a great Olympic host one day. Provided the graft and corruption and scope creep were minimized. Then again that's the trend already with Brisbane 2032.

[Coldrsx]

'Plus Edmonton could should and would make a great Olympic host one day.'

Now I have a special place for our fair city, but that is one of the most misguided comments in a long time.