SOCCER GOLD RUSH?

As the Canadian Men’s National Team prepare for the FIFA World Cup this winter, it begs the question of whether sportsbooks are ready for a significant uptick in soccer wagers amid a festival of the sport.

WORDS BY MARTYN ELLIOTT

For the first time in history, Qatar will become the focus for sports bettors around the globe when it hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup this winter. And for the first time since 1986, the tournament will feature Canada, after John Herdman’s team topped CONCACAF qualification.

However, while sportsbooks in most countries will be kept busy by the action at global sport’s biggest event, it is not yet clear whether Canada’s participation will move the needle on soccer betting here.

While soccer may be Canada’s largest participation sport, television viewing figures - a useful indicator of how popular a sport will be with bettors - show the audience for it is some way short of that for hockey and basketball. The Euros final between Italy and England was the ninth most viewed broadcast last year, but seven other spots in the top ten were matches from the Montreal Canadiens’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Look back slightly further into history and it becomes clear that what is driving the viewing figures for sport is Canadian success. In 2019, five of the top ten spots were filled by Toronto Raptors’ NBA Finals games, while Olympic gold for ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir topped the chart in 2018, with the women’s hockey final from the Games in third place.

Stars such as Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Lille’s Jonathan David have helped to create the strongest men’s squad in living memory, but they are unlikely to match the achievement levels of the Canadian women's team and it remains to be seen whether Qatar 2022 will be the catalyst for an explosion in the popularity of soccer as a spectator sport.

However, there’s little doubt that soccer will enjoy a significantly higher profile in the coming years, as the country gears up to be a co-host of the 2026 World Cup.

James

Sharman, Head of Soccer

Content at Parleh Media Group and host of Room 4-4-2, explained: “By 2026, I imagine Canadian soccer looks very different. Canada will be enjoying its second straight World Cup, and in an expanded format that will entertain hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds as its young stars will be in their prime.

“There will likely be a professional women's league in Canada, and the fan base will not only have grown, but will have become sophisticated. Soccer will become part of the national dialogue in the buildup, and once the tournament begins it will take over.

“FIFA knows how to put on a big event, and by the time the tournament finishes our players will be household names, the sport will be mainstream, and media brands such as Room 4-4-2 will be destinations for old fans and new fans alike.”

As soccer's popularity grows, sportsbooks will undoubtedly see more action, as fans look to back the national team and its stars playing in Europe and MLS. That will, in turn, provide opportunities for sports media companies such as Toronto-based Parleh Media Group, which specialises in streamed content designed to educate and entertain fans who enjoy a flutter.

Its Executive Producer Kevin Kennedy said: "Currently, soccer content is not a priority for the two big sports media brands in Canada - TSN and Sportsnet. Sportsbooks have different priorities and will invest in content that helps drive their objectives, which I believe will lead to more soccer content, and more interest and engagement.”

Whether 2022 proves to be the turning point for professional soccer in Canada, or the game has to wait until 2026 for the boom, existing fans are confident that

Herdman’s team will entertain in Qatar.

“Canada is one of the most exciting teams to watch at this year's World Cup, and that is the opinion both inside and more importantly outside our country,” said Sharman. “That is because we are the great unknown, the rest of the world has no idea what to expect.”

The draw for the 1986 tournament was unkind to Canada, pitting them against European champions France (led by the three-time Ballon d’Or* winner Michel Platini), a Soviet Union squad packed with players from the Dynamo Kyiv team that had recently lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup (including Ballon d’Or winners Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov), and Hungary.

It has scarcely been any kinder this time round, with the Kevin De Bruyneinspired Belgium, 2018 finalists Croatia, and Morocco joining Les Rouges in

Group F. With reaching the knockout stages a seemingly impossible task, what represents success for Canada in Qatar?

“Just qualifying for a World Cup represents success, anything more is just gravy,” said Sharman.

“Canada has been drawn into a tough group, where there is a good chance they will go winless, which is absolutely fine considering where the expectations were before qualification began.

“That said, John Herdman will talk big, and will convince his squad that they can and will win. Much is made of the '86 team not even scoring a goal, something I find extremely unfair, so I suppose if you want to silence the soccer haters; score a goal.”

* The Ballon d’Or was still the European Player of the Year honour in 1986. It became a global award in 2007.