The World Cup Is Over. Now Comes the Real Test

Canada’s World Cup ran through the buildup, the hype, and the question everyone kept asking: could the country actually pull this off? Now that the tournament has wrapped, host James Shan sat down with James Johnson, CEO of Canada Soccer Media & Entertainment (CSME), to unpack how the nation performed as a host and, more importantly, what happens next.

A Proud Moment, With a Catch

Johnson’s first move was to reframe the question entirely. This isn’t an ending, he argued, it’s a starting point, and that shift matters because it puts the focus squarely on legacy.

On the football itself, he had no hesitation: reaching the Round of 16 as a co-host is a genuine achievement, backed by strong results and plenty of goals. But the harder question is what comes after the final whistle. Johnson framed it as the difference between a moment and a movement: five thrilling weeks are only valuable if they translate into higher participation and fans who keep showing up for club soccer long after the World Cup circus leaves town.

Lessons From Australia’s Women’s World Cup

Johnson pointed to Australia as the closest comparable case. After hosting the Women’s World Cup, the country saw A-League attendance and season memberships climb, and the Matildas reportedly sold out major stadiums for 16 straight games. Just as importantly, sponsors and mainstream media finally paid attention.

He expects a similar ripple effect for the Canadian Premier League (CPL): more broadcast visibility, bigger crowds, and tangible momentum showing up by the end of the 2026 season.

OneSoccer Goes Linear, and the Sponsors Are Circling

Johnson’s confidence rests on two concrete moves. First, OneSoccer is shifting from a streaming only platform to a combined streaming and linear TV offering, with distribution details still being worked out alongside Rogers, but a linear presence expected by late 2026.

Second, sponsorship interest is already climbing. Names like BMO, Walmart, and Volkswagen have shown appetite to invest ahead of the World Cup, and Johnson wants that money channeled into marketing the league, filling stadiums, and improving the broadcast product.

CPL Expansion: More Markets on the Way

Expansion has been a constant theme of Johnson’s tenure, and he’s not backing off it. The CPL already grew into Quebec this season with FC Supra du Québec, and Johnson confirmed the league is preparing new expansion announcements for 2027 and 2028. New markets mean new storylines and new rivalries, which he sees as core to building lasting legacy rather than a one off World Cup bump.

Stadiums: Where Should the Billion Dollar Legacy Fund Go?

With the Northern Super League (NSL) already expanding into markets like Winnipeg, stadium infrastructure is becoming an urgent question. Johnson welcomed news that the Prime Minister has floated “a billion dollars being invested into sports as a legacy of the World Cup,” but he was direct about where it should land: “if a government’s looking for the best ROI, the right place to invest a big portion of that is in your pro teams.”

One Roof, One Platform: The Case for Centralized Soccer Content

Rather than splitting national team games and CPL matches across different broadcasters, Johnson wants everything living under OneSoccer. “What I really like about our content sitting on OneSoccer is it’s all sitting under the one roof,” he explained, allowing the organization to schedule CPL games around national team fixtures to “keep soccer fans more engaged for longer periods.”

The catch, he acknowledged, is that “we need to ensure that centralized channel… is broadly distributed,” especially heading into the Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

Why the U20s Matter More Than the Numbers

Beyond the senior team, Johnson is watching the Under 20 tournament closely, and not just for viewership. He drew a comparison to Messi, noting “a lot of people remember when he was playing in the Under 20 World Cup” long before global stardom.

His bigger point is structural: with the CPL, “we’ve got a pathway and a system that didn’t exist ten years ago,” giving young players more training time and match minutes earlier in their careers. That pipeline, he argued, is what will actually determine whether Canada becomes a genuine soccer nation.

The Real Challenge: Turning Tourists Into Regulars

Toronto and Vancouver saw genuine crowds of new fans during the tournament, but Johnson didn’t sugarcoat what comes next. “The challenge is conversion,” he said. “How do you convert the millions that watch the World Cup into fans that watch local soccer week in week out? That is the challenge.”

His answer comes back to investment. Right now, he said, “Canada in world football is… the new kid on the block,” and he wants to use that window before the “noisy sports market” in Canada moves on to something else.

Investor Interest Is Heating Up

Asked if the phone has been ringing more since the World Cup, Johnson didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely. The phone lines are hot at the moment.” Interest spans everything from the CPL to the national team program, and rather than pitching a single product, his first question to any prospective partner is simple: “What’s the objective, what are you looking to achieve?”

His message to investors is straightforward: “Welcome on board, come in. It’s a great time to invest.”