Welcome Address - FIFA Congress Vancouver 2026

Today in Vancouver, BC, Canada Soccer President Peter Augruso made the following address to FIFA Members at the 76th FIFA Congress.

President Infantino, Fellow Canadian and Concacaf President & FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani, Distinguished delegates, honoured guests, and friends from across the global football family, Welcome to Canada, and welcome to the FIFA Congress.

As President of Canada Socer, it is a profound honour to welcome the 211 nations of FIFA to Vancouver - and to welcome the world to Canada.

You have travelled from every continent, every culture, every corner of our shared planet. You arrive speaking many languages, carrying many traditions, and representing millions who love this game. And for this moment in time, you are all at home here.

Canada has always been more than a country on a map. It is a meeting place, of cultures, languages, ideas and dreams. People from every corner of the world have come here with their stories, traditions, talents, and hopes. Together, those stories don’t disappear; they become part of who we are.

As we celebrate that diversity, we also acknowledge and honour those who have been here since time immemorial. Canada is built upon the traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples; Nations and who have cared for these territories for thousands of generations. We offer our respect and gratitude for their enduring presence and their contributions to the fabric of our society.

The World is Canada because Canada has always been shaped by the world.

Our diversity hasn’t diluted us; it defined us. In a world that can feel divided, Canada stands as proof that diversity isn’t a challenge to overcome but a strength to celebrate. Here, the world doesn’t just visit. The world lives, works, learns, and thrives together.

In football, we see the same truth: the game belongs to everyone. It doesn’t ask where you are from only how you play, how you lead, and how you bring people together. It is a universal language, and here in Canada it’s spoken every day in our schools, parks, community centres, and stadiums, from coast to coast to coast.

Vancouver reflects this global spirit. Shaped by the Pacific and connected to the world, it is a place where cultures meet and communities grow side by side, an ideal host for the global football family.

In Canada, the world is already at home, our cities speak every language, and our communities reflect every corner of the globe. So, when the World Cup arrives, it won’t feel foreign; it will feel like a home.

As we look ahead to FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted by Canada alongside our partners, this Congress reminds us that our work is about more than governance or competition. It is about responsibility, inclusion, and the power of football to unite people in a world that deeply needs connection.

That unifying power is clearly visible in the growth of football across Canada. Today, nearly one million registered players call our game their own, and football has surpassed hockey as the number one sport for youth participation nationwide.

This isn’t only growth in numbers; it’s growth in belief. It is shaping Canada into a confident football nation, ready to contribute to the global game. Now our challenge now is to convert momentum into mastery and to make high performance the expectation, not the exception.

To every federation here: your presence matters. Your voice matters. Together, you represent not just the game as it is, but the game as it can be, accessible, fair, and truly global.

On behalf of Canada Soccer: Welcome to Canada. Welcome to Vancouver. Welcome to a place where the world is not divided by borders, but united by purpose.

For this Congress, and for this moment in football history, Canada is the world!

Thank you, and enjoy the Congress.