Canada, co-host of the 26th FIFA World Cup™, is hoping for a bright future with the first championship of the Player Development Program

Less than two years before the launch of the new, expanded FIFA World Cup 26™Co-organizer of the tournament, Canada, has placed great emphasis on promoting young talent in the country at its first Player Development Program (PDP) championship. Supported by FIFA Striker With its comprehensive funding, the PDP is the first major milestone in the Canadian Soccer Association’s (CSA) strategic plan to strengthen the local soccer ecosystem in Canada by redesigning national youth competitions, launching the PDP and implementing several measures to improve player development, safety and grassroots participation in soccer. Approximately 504 players from 28 top-level amateur youth soccer clubs representing four of Canada’s 13 provincial soccer associations – the Alberta Youth Soccer League, BC Soccer Premier League, Ontario Player Development League and Première Ligue de Soccer Juvénile du Québec – were involved as the U-15 and U-17 boys and girls teams took the field during the six-day event at the Bill Gilhespy Soccer Complex in Edmonton, Alberta.

Fifty matches were played across the four categories, culminating in four championship games. Ottawa South United (boys) and CS St-Hubert (girls) won their respective U-15 finals, while CS Saint-Laurent (boys) and Calgary Foothills (girls) took gold at the U-17 level.

“These players bring a lot of energy and passion and you can tell they enjoy this competitive environment,” said Jesse Marsch, head coach of the Canadian men’s national team. “Teams from different provinces get a chance to compete against each other with different styles of play. There were a lot of well-organized, high-quality teams, it was fun to watch them and this type of competition will help build the pipeline in our country.”

To further leverage the talent pool, the inaugural PDP included match analysis, player identification and scouting opportunities enabled by the Canada Soccer EXCEL program. Like the PDP, the program is another soccer development initiative of the Great White North and is run by the CSA in partnership with the various provincial associations.

“We are delighted to have successfully completed the inaugural PDP Championship. This competition has been six years in the making,” enthused Dave Nutt, Interim Director of Development at Canada Soccer. “It provided players from our PDP network with the opportunity to showcase their skills against some of the best amateur youth clubs in the country. We thank Alberta Soccer for hosting it and all regional member associations and clubs for their support.”

In addition to a parallel focus on player and team performance on the field, as well as education and network building off the tournament, the tournament also provided valuable experience for aspiring referees. Eighteen referees from the Canada Soccer Elite Development Referee Program participated, with an additional 20 appointed by Alberta Soccer and its Referee Development Committee. All benefited from daily training led by Canada Soccer instructors designed to expose the next generation of referees to the latest technology, standards and practices. “A combination of Canada Soccer’s Elite Development Referees and Alberta Soccer’s top emerging talent have come together for this highly competitive competition to create an ideal environment where they will be challenged to raise their level to meet championship expectations,” explained Isaac Raymond, Canada Soccer’s Head of Refereeing. “The PDP Championship provided these referees with the opportunity to develop their refereeing skills during a youth amateur competition that is set to revolutionize all aspects of soccer in Canada from grassroots to refereeing to coaching.”

The launch of the PDP is part of a broader, multi-year plan to promote youth soccer in Canada and encourage development and growth in anticipation of co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup with neighbors Mexico and the United States. Having already supported the creation of the Canadian Premier League since 2019, as well as investing in refereeing and supporting competitions during the last two World Cup cycles, the PDP FIFA Striker Funding is critical to the long-term success of the project.

“Canada has participated in the FIFA Forward programme with great enthusiasm and commitment, with a clear, focused development approach to help the country create more opportunities to play football at all levels,” said José Ernesto Arosemena, FIFA Regional Manager for the Americas. “There is no one-size-fits-all development approach and FIFA Forward funding takes different forms depending on the needs of member associations. In this regard, Canada Soccer has been particularly focused on providing a professional pathway for its players, giving them more opportunities to play football at a high level in the country and strengthening its local associations and the youth football ecosystems they support.”