Most people believe that the most popular sport in Canada is hockey. In a sense, this is the most common misconception. Canada is often associated with hockey, the Canadian accent, and maple syrup. But if you understand the situation in more detail, everything is entirely different.

From a professional standpoint, hockey is indeed the most popular sport in Canada. There are seven NHL teams in the country. At the same time, the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS account for only five teams each. But if we analyze sports from the attendance side, soccer becomes the most popular discipline. We will tell below why this sport is so prevalent in Canada.

Soccer and Online Casinos

 According to information from reliable sources, it’s an established fact that sports betting is widespread in Canada. When choosing the fastest payout online casino Canada, customers make sure that a comprehensive betting line is available. Soccer and hockey offer the most types of betting options. Users can make the following types of bets:

• bet on the outcome;
• bet against the outcome;
• pass bet;
• total;
• individual total;
• betting with a handicap;
• “both teams to score,” etc.

Sports-themed games are also popular in Canadian casinos. On the Wild Fortune site, you can play slots styled as a sports arena. Not only is the background decorated in a football theme, but the noise of the fans can be heard as sound accompaniment. The most popular games launched by visitors to Canadian casinos include:

• Football Star
• Win FC Slot Machine
• Lothar Matthäus
• Hot Shots 2
• Super Striker

Features of the Popularity of Soccer in Canada

Soccer in Canada is attended more actively than hockey. The Canadian Soccer Association has published information according which there are about one million registered football players in the country. The total number of hockey players at the same time slightly exceeds 600 thousand people. Compared to the US, locals in Canada play football twice as often.

Soccer is famous not only among the older population. Surveys are showing that football is the most popular team sport in Canada. Men are more interested in sports than women. Discipline took third place and gave way to swimming.

History of Canadian Soccer

The first officially recorded football game in Canada took place in 1859. Teams from Ireland and the Society of St. George converged on the field. The following games were organized in New Westminster in 1862 and 1865. In 1877, the Dominion Soccer Association was formed. It became the first organization created outside the homeland of football (the British Isles). Only two years after the first matches in Canada, the first book about soccer was released.

This step contributed to the popularization of the direction of the sport. Gradually, football began to develop in many provinces of Canada. The first soccer associations began to form in the country. In 1880, the Western Soccer Association was formed.

Organizations were also founded in 1896, 1901, and 1905 in Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The Canadian Football League and all soccer in the country can expect quite a promising future. Already in 2026, the World Cup will be held. Canada is co-hosting the event with the United States and Mexico.

In Canada, the women’s soccer teams are the most successful. The men’s team does not have the same success in the sports field. Only twice did a team from Canada take part in the Olympic Games. The most significant event in the world of men’s soccer was reaching the final of the World Cup in 1986. Thereafter, local teams did not particularly achieve any significant success.

In the coming years, the situation may change dramatically. Preparations for the upcoming Championship can give the necessary impetus to developing the national team. Currently, all conditions have been created in the country for football to continue developing actively in the near future.

Conclusion

One of Canada’s most popular and visited disciplines is soccer, even though local teams don’t do very well in the world sports arena. Viewing rates for local matches are on the rise. Immigration also plays a role in the development of local soccer. Canada has an open-door policy for immigrants. Many people who have moved to the country join local soccer teams and take the game to a higher level.