Canada jerseys flying off the shelves as support grows for World Cup
Posted June 24, 2026 5:46 pm.
Last Updated June 24, 2026 7:30 pm.
Thousands of kilometres from the World Cup stage, the excitement is still easy to find. Here at Royal Sports, Team Canada gear has been flying off the shelves as local fans gear up for today’s massive matchup against Switzerland.
“Team Canada stuff in general, we had over 1,000 items, and now we’re close to the hundreds, right? So, it’s been a very, very good year for us,” said Mateus Aquino, the general manager of Royal Sports.
The World Cup may only come around once every four years, but for many fans, it’s about more than just soccer. At Royal Sports, staff say Canada’s run has brought new faces through the doors and introduced more people to the game.
“Four years ago, you know, there was the fire started a little bit, but then there’s a bit of a four-year gap, and anyway, the fire’s back, and I’m, you know, ready to kind of take it on, learn a little bit more about the game, and just, you know, get into it a little bit more,” said Murray Rempel, who was buying a team Canada jersey.
Cody Redley, who was also buying a Team Canada jersey, said, “Obviously Canada, but aside from that, I have a connection with Morocco because of a trip I went there and just connected with the people. And they had an exciting showing last time in the group with Canada. And then Norway, my heritage, and Erling Haaland’s my favourite players.”
That includes some fans who never followed soccer before this tournament, and while Canada may be the hometown favourite, Winnipeg’s soccer community is also rallying behind countries from around the globe, something staff say makes the experience so special.
“We knew that we were going to get a lot of Portugal, we knew we were going to get a lot of Argentina, but we’re getting a lot of Morocco, we’re getting a lot of Guyana, we’re getting a lot of New Zealand. And it’s, for us, it’s interesting because then sometimes if it’s either of us talking to a customer and it just turns into a one-hour conversation about soccer, or you just see a customer with a customer, you know, they’re playing each other, so they start having a nice conversation,” said Aquino.
The excitement surrounding Team Canada’s World Cup run isn’t just being felt inside stadiums. From jerseys flying off the shelves at Royal Sports to fans gathering at watch parties across Winnipeg, including here at the Boston Pizza on Taylor, support for the national team was on full display Wednesday.
While the result wasn’t what fans were hoping for, the pride and excitement surrounding this team were still easy to see.
