Canada beats Qatar 6-0 in first men's World Cup win on home soil
Calgarians among thousands cheering at BC Place as Canada advances in tournament play.
Sources · local media reports
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Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 on June 19 in the team's first men's World Cup victory ever — and the first time a Canadian squad has won a World Cup match on home turf.
The sold-out crowd of 52,497 at BC Place in Vancouver included three Calgary superfans who had travelled together to Qatar four years earlier to follow the team's inaugural World Cup campaign.
Chris Gutierrez, Tasos Doganis, and Craig MacTavish were seated among Canada's Voyageurs supporters, the travelling fan group that coordinates across cities. Doganis brought his nine-year-old son and a drum.
"The atmosphere was great inside. It was loud. Everyone was friendly and into it," Doganis said after the match.
The three Calgarians were part of the Last Mile march to the stadium two hours before kickoff, wearing white western hats alongside the broader fan contingent.
Canada's dominant performance puts the team in position to win Group B and secure at least one more game in Vancouver. A win or draw against Switzerland in their next match would advance them. The three Calgarians plan to return for that game.
MacTavish and Gutierrez also hold tickets for a July 2 playoff game. Doganis said he will watch future matches from home, citing travel costs — estimates for a full World Cup experience (flights, hotel, tickets) exceed $5,000 per game on the resale market.
Canada's previous World Cup goal came from Edmonton's Alphonso Davies in a 4-1 loss to Croatia in 2022. Thursday's six-goal performance represents a historic shift in the program's fortunes.
