Messages of support motivating Canada during historic World Cup run

HOUSTON — Jesse Marsch still gets a little star-struck by some of the legends following Canada’s success at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

For the national squad’s head coach, getting messages from hockey great Wayne Gretzky continues to be surreal.

“Getting to know Wayne Gretzky, for me as a hockey fan, thinking about when I was a kid, like, who were the greats of the era?” Marsch said before Canada’s training session on Wednesday. “The fact that Wayne texts me daily, I’m just like, I have to pinch myself more than even being in the round of 16 of the World Cup. I’m like, ‘I got a message from Wayne Gretzky!'”

Canada won its first-ever knockout game at the tournament on Sunday, defeating South Africa 1-0 in the round of 32.

Marsch said Gretzky is carefully watching the team’s journey, and is invested in how they’ll fare in a round-of-16 matchup against Morocco in Houston on Saturday.

“(Gretzky’s) super supportive of the team,” the coach said.

“He’s like, ‘Look, I don’t know enough about football, but do we have a chance?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we have a chance, like, let’s go for it.’ You can see the enthusiasm around the country for what’s been happening with the team. And we don’t want to stop. We want to keep going.”

The team has received a barrage of supportive messages from across the country and around the world.

Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash sent the group a message ahead of their final group-stage game against Switzerland, encouraging the players to embrace both the focus and freedom the moment required.

Prime Minister Mark Carney made a rousing locker room speech after the nation thumped Qatar 6-0 in Qatar on June 18.

He was in the stands again when the squad fell to 2-1 to Switzerland on June 24, and he posted a photo on social media after the country’s win over South Africa calling the team “true Canadian heroes.

“What a game. What a team. What a country,” the post read.

The messages have helped fuel the team through its historic run, said midfielder Nathan Saliba.

“It’s really important for us to see the support from back home,” he said. “And it feels good to see it, to know that we’re like we’re kind of a seller of dreams and of emotions for people back home. So, it feels really good, and it motivates us to keep going.”

Famous faces aren’t the only ones cheering the Canadians on.

From coast to coast, videos and photos have captured the excitement and exaltation of fans following matches at watch parties, bars and in living rooms.

Those images, too, resonate, Saliba said.

“You’re happy to see what you’re able to give as emotions to the people back home,” he said. “And you just take it as motivation to make sure you’re ready and you’re ready to compete in the next game.”

The Canadians know the next game will present their toughest task yet.

Morocco came into the tournament sitting seventh in FIFA’s rankings, and advanced to the round of 16 by edging perennial giants the Netherlands on penalties.

Marsch flew down to Monterrey, Mexico, to watch the round-of-32 matchup in person.

“What you saw in Morocco was a team with a lot of self-belief, right? Like, a lot of players on the pitch that believe in themselves, that have high quality,” he said. “The team’s been in a good way, obviously … But you see a team that has confidence and has a lot of quality.”

Both Morocco and Canada, who started the tournament at No. 30, will have to contend with another foe — oppressive heat.

The temperature read 34 C in Houston on Wednesday during Canada’s training, not accounting for the sticky humidity.

The forecast for Sunday’s game predicts temperatures of around 32 C at kickoff.

Marsch believes the fitness his team has been perfecting for over a month could help going into a matchup with the global giant.

“We know we’re fit. Now it’s more managing — especially with the heat — managing loading so that we don’t over train them,” he said. “Especially knowing that Morocco put in 120 minutes, we have to say to ourselves, one of the advantages that we can have is, can we be fresher and fitter, and everything else?

“So with everything that Morocco will present us, that’ll be something that we still try to do, is push them again to their limit.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press