From the prime minister to sport celebrities and fans on social media, Canadians have revelled in their team’s win.
Canada have enjoyed a historic run at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and it will continue thanks to Stephen Eustaquio’s 92nd-minute goal against South Africa, which sent the cohosts into the global tournament’s round of 16 for the first time.
The 29-year-old midfielder’s strike on Sunday rewrote Canadian football history, capping off a narrative that Jesse Marsch has been scripting since taking the reins two years ago.
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“Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan, sticking to who we want to be, playing aggressive, accessing the quality, you guys showing your character,” an impassioned Marsch told his team as they circled around him on the pitch following their victory.
“You guys are Canadian heroes! Canadian heroes for the future children of this country, who play this sport. This sport has a big future because of you guys.
“You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game. You went after it, moment after moment.”
The same words were echoed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had barely exited his flight and watched the final minutes of the game on his phone.
“What a game. What a team. What a country,” Carney wrote on social media.
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, where Eustaquio was born and raised before his family moved to Portugal, congratulated the team for advancing to the next round, as did Leader of the Opposition, Pierre Poilievre.
Mayor of Vancouver, Ken Sim, wrote to the team, saying: “You wore your hearts on your sleeves, gave everything on the field, and gave all of us a memory we’ll never forget.”
Social media was flooded with footage of Canada fans turning watch parties and fan festivals into a sea of red. Even Los Angeles Stadium, where Canada came down the West Coast to play South Africa, was thronged with fans supporting the World Cup cohosts.
Football enthusiasts and analysts on social media said the victory felt surreal for Canada, where sport like ice hockey, basketball and baseball enjoy far more popularity than football.
Fellow Canadian athletes joined in the social media celebrations. Multiple Olympic champion swimmer Summer McIntosh, tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Olympic champion runner Andre de Grasse were some of Canada’s top athletes to back the men’s football team after their win.
Famed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield also congratulated the team after wishing them well earlier on Sunday.
FC Bayern congratulated Alphonso Davies for returning to international duty after he sustained a hamstring injury with them in May, during the UEFA Champions League semifinal. The game saw a noticeable shift in pace and tactic when Davies was subbed in on the 74th minute.
From the opponent’s side, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated Canada for winning “with Bafana Bafana breathing down your necks”.
Former German footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger, however, who was called out by Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae for racist undertones in his remarks on the African team, seemed unfazed by Canada’s historic win.
“Overall, not a convincing performance, but thanks to the clearer chances, progressing is fine. Alphonso Davies brought fresh wind after coming on as a substitute,” he wrote on social media.
“However, against the Netherlands or Morocco, the team will have to improve significantly.”
