BRING ON 2026 WORLDS!
Young Canadian soccer hopefuls start training
The 2026 World Cup seems many miles and a lifetime away for the youngsters happily training in Friday ’s more pleasant temperatures on the soccer fields at Tecumseh’s Green Acres Park.
The reality is it isn’t, so preparations now will help the Canadian men’s team avoid a face plant on one of the world’s largest sporting stages. The host country traditionally gets an automatic entry to the tournament. With three countries — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — hosting in 2026 and the field of teams expanding, it’s generally believed that Canada will get an automatic entry.
The last time Canada qualified for the World Cup was 1986. “The players in the Canadian national will need kids, some who are 12 years old now, to develop for 2026 and perhaps more likely the World Cup after,” said Rene Van Baren, head of club and staff development for the Dutch Football Association.
The year “2026 is a great opportunity to grow soccer and encourage kids to play. If it’s started now, you’re going to see results by 2026.”
Van Baren was in town Friday as a consultant for Tecumseh Soccer Club’s annual Dutch Soccer Camp. He’s been coming for the camp since 2007 and is encouraged by what he’s seen over that time. “The big difference when I first came here was the kids like playing, but the coaches were not as well organized as they should be,” said Van Baren, who oversees work with the Netherland’s professional teams down to the grassroots clubs. “The kids didn’t understand the game.
“Now we see coaches teaching kids to reflect on the game by explaining things better. Kids have more knowledge and that helps them get better every practice, every game.”
Van Baren said coaching the coaches and helping clubs develop a vision of their style and policy is vital for Canadian soccer to advance.
He cites Iceland as an example for Canada to study because of its small population of just over 300,000 and cold climate. “They built a lot of indoor facilities, so they can practice year round,” Van Baren said. “They also have a lot of licensed coaches. That’s so important.
“They have a vision of how they want to play and a consistent policy of what they’re doing.” With traditional soccer powers such as the Netherlands and Italy shockingly not even qualifying for this month’s World Cup, and the likes of Germany, Brazil and Argentina already eliminated, the proof is there that smaller countries are producing quality programs.
“The gap is closing between countries,” said Peter Langens, who has moved from the Netherlands to serve as consultant for Tecumseh’s Ontario Player Development teams and oversee the competitive program on-and-off the field. “Players are better technically and have better understanding of the game than when I helped start these camps 15 years ago. Tecumseh’s 2005 and 2006 (birth year) kids who will play in the OPDL, they would compete well in Holland.” The OPDL is the province’s league for elite male and female players between the ages of 13 and 17.
Langens, who also coached in Michigan for 18 years, winning multiple state cup championships and Midwest Premier League titles, holds a UEFA C licence and a U.S. Soccer Federation A Licence, as well as Dutch FA technical director training and scouting certificates. Langens said one part of problem that needs addressing is overcoming the scale of Canada.
“We can’t control the country’s size, but we can control the development of players and competition,” said Langens, who added the creation of three Canadian MLS teams (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) gives Canadian soccer important professional partners to build the game with.
“It’s important for all the clubs in this area to improve, so everyone doesn’t have to travel to get the level of competition needed for the next level. Improvement overall is going to start at the club level both on and off the field.”
The players in the Canadian national will need kids, some who are 12 years old now, to develop for 2026 and perhaps more likely the World Cup after.