For the first time ever, the men’s World Cup of Soccer will be coming to Canada. The announcement was made Wednesday the tournament, the most watched sports event in the world will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026.

The excitement about the announcement was felt across Canada’s soccer community, including here in Weyburn.

Jason Roy is the president of the Weyburn Soccer Association.

“I feel it will inspire goals and dreams of our young athletes, in hopes that you know, maybe we’ll even see our youth players of today become the players on the world stage of tomorrow,” Roy said.

When the World Cup was held in the United States in 1994, there was an uptick in enrollment for soccer across the country in the build-up to the tournament. It also led to the creation of the MLS. Roy is expecting something similar to happen over the next eight years here in Canada.

“With soccer on the minds of the public with an announcement like this can only help with enrollment for the future.”

The locations where games will be played in Canada have yet to be announced. It is expected many of the games in Canada will be played in Toronto and Montreal, although there is the chance Edmonton and Vancouver could see games as well.

The announcement came at the start of the 2018 World Cup, which is being played in Russia this year.