Sadly, Italy won't be at this year's FIFA World Cup. It must still linger in Italian people and fans. Despite the pain and agony, one of the co-hosts, Canada, have offered a gesture for a sense of a feeling of the World Cup.
Italian football fans are being encouraged to put their national team’s World Cup 2026 qualification failure behind them – by backing co-hosts Canada instead.
Canada Soccer, the national governing body for the sport, is offering a jersey swap for fans in Toronto’s Little Italy district. "Dear Italian soccer fans, Don’t wait four more years. Swap your jersey for Canada," read a post on X.
Italy would've faced Canada in Group B had they won their qualifying play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina – but the Azzurri lost on penalties; missing out on the men’s World Cup finals for the third tournament in succession.
Instead, Jesse Marsch’s team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina along with Qatar and Switzerland in their group games – and are hoping Canada’s large Italian diaspora will swap blue shirts for red this summer.
"Canada Soccer is inviting Italian-Canadians to get behind the home team," read a further statement. "On Saturday 4 April from 10am to 2pm (EST), Canada Soccer will be outside Cafe Diplomatico on College Street in Toronto, offering fans the chance to swap their Italy colours for a Canada jersey and join the momentum heading into the Fifa World Cup 2026.”
“Cost: Free. Bring your Italian jersey, leave with a Canadian one," the statement added. "Available while supplies last, fans are encouraged to arrive early to be kitted out." The statement also included a message in Italian: "Questa volta è il Canada," which translates to "This time, it’s Canada."
According to a 2021 census, there are around 1.5 million Canadians with either full or partial Italian ancestry. Almost a third of them live in Toronto and its surrounding areas and the city’s BMO Field stadium will host Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 June.
Ticket prices for that game have soared this week; with all unsold tickets listed at $3 125 and most resale seats costing a similar price. Saturday’s free jersey swap may be the most affordable way that local Italian fans can get involved with the World Cup this summer.
Fans of Italy's national soccer team may be disappointed their team won't be in the 2026 World Cup, but at least some of them got a consolation prize.
More than 100 fans lined up outside Café Diplomatico on a grey Toronto morning for a Canada Soccer jersey swap targeting the city's Italian-Canadian community and the jerseys were gone in under 30 minutes.
Part of Canada Soccer's new World Cup brand campaign, "Our Game Now," the premise was simple: bring your Italy jersey, get a Canadian one. In the end, those who got jerseys didn't have to give theirs up.
"This is not about taking off a jersey. It's about putting one on," said Paulo Senra, Canada Soccer's chief communications and content officer.
When fans in line learned they'd be keeping their Italian kits, the reaction caught even the organisers off guard. "A couple of them even started to cry," Senra said. "There was one lady in line that I actually hugged. It really felt like she was like my mom."
Canada Soccer announced the event after the Italian team lost a chance to quality for World Cup 2026, being hosted in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico; after a surprising loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this week.
Alessandra Miceli, born in Canada to Italian parents, said she came out knowing she probably should support the host nation; even if it stung a little. "It was really nice to come and then find out that we got to keep our own jerseys," she said.
It was her first Canada jersey. When asked whether she'd back Italy or Canada if the two ever met at a World Cup, she didn't pick a side. It could've been a reality. Had Italy qualified, they would have opened the tournament against Canada in Toronto.
"I'd probably wear red and blue," she said. "I wouldn't take full support for one over the other."
For many of the fans who turned out, the swap wasn't a difficult ask. Amil Ivascu has supported Italy for 28 years because of his Italian wife but he and his son, David, still came out. They walked away with the final jersey while still holding onto their Italian kits.
The pair was split on who they would cheer for in a head-to-head match. David said he'd support Canada. His father, after a long pause, laughed and said he would stick with Italy.
Raymond Chang has watched football for 50 years. He's not Italian-Canadian, he just loves the game and loved watching Italy play. He heard about the event online the night before. "I really wanted to see Italy get into the World Cup," he said. "I'm very disappointed they didn't get in."
He was happy to take part in the swap. "I was very excited to have this type of thing," he said, though he also didn't have to give up his Italian kit.
While it was all smiles at the grey event, the online reaction to the promotion wasn't so sunny.
Some critics took issue with the concept on social media, saying it was "ostracising" and "disrespectful." Some even wished humiliation on Team Canada during the World Cup.
Senra said the organisation anticipated a range of responses and emphasized the campaign was meant as an invitation, not a rejection of long-held loyalties.
"It's very rare to be in a country like ours where you're allowed to have multiple homes in your hearts," he said. "People have a tremendous amount of history with their home teams," he said. "Today is not about putting that away, it's about putting on a jersey and really embracing the globalism, the diversity of this country and also this game."
By the time the jerseys ran out, Canada Soccer was handing out scarves, hats and 500 posters to the fans still in line.
Noah Brown, 13, had been standing at the back of the queue with his mom, Karen, when it opened and said he wasn't sure he'd make it. They each walked away with a jersey and a smile.
For several hours on Saturday, fans lined up outside a coffee shop in Toronto's "Little Italy" neighbourhood to exchange their blue or white jerseys. They left with Canada's new red home shirt but were still allowed to keep their original Italy tops.
"Soccer in Canada has been built by generations of players, fans and communities including Italian-Canadians who have helped bring the passion for our game to life," said Canada Soccer chief communications officer, Paulo Senra.
"We want every Canadian — no matter their historic allegiances — to join the momentum around our men's national team, because this time, it's Canada."
Some 1.5 million people of Italian origin are living in Canada, representing 4.3 percent of the population, according to the 2021 census, with more than 80 percent in Ontario and Quebec.
I know this isn't quite new, I nonetheless found this story to be sweet. No one likes to be excluded. By doing this, Italian people and fans can feel apart of the tournament.
I have family in Canada and this kind of behaviour doesn't surprise me. They're kind and generous people. They are willing to go out of their way to help others.