As every moment through Canada’s thrilling World Cup run adds up, head coach Jesse Marsch believes his team is starting something few believed possible with the men’s national team just a few years ago.“This is about creating a movement in this country about this sport, about these players, about this team,” Marsch said in the middle of Canada’s group stage.Canada has always been a fine place to watch the World Cup. The country’s multicultural nature means people rarely have to go far to find an enlivening spot to watch Italy, Croatia, Mexico and countless other national teams.This World Cup has been different.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appCanada’s run to the round of 16 has thrust them further into the biggest tournament in the world than any Canadian men’s team. It has made them one of the better stories in Canadian sports history.“Even though we’re down in Houston, we know what cultural impact we’re having back home,” defender Alistair Johnston said, “and that resonates with us. We also know that winning is the best way to grow the game.”The scenes throughout Canada that have come with the team’s wins — be it in jam-packed watch parties outdoors, stadiums that would have been empty otherwise or bars big and small — have all suggested the same thing: Canada is a soccer country and its people are being swept up in World Cup fever, perhaps setting the bar for how Canada responds to future World Cup appearances.Fans at BC Place in Vancouver. (Alex Grimm / Getty Images)In the small town of Lake Country, British Columbia, far from Canada’s largest cities, the impact of Canada’s World Cup run can be measured in youth sports. Children are donning jerseys to practice soccer in the shadow of nearby mountains. They wear the names of stars such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, as they might have in any other World Cup year.But this year, things are different.Jamie Howieson, a board member with the Lake Country Youth Soccer Association, said the community has “really bought into” the fandom of the World Cup with Canada’s deep run.His wife, Karen, coaches their son, Tristan, 9. To get the kids in the spirit of the World Cup, Karen put together a competition called the “Kit Kat Cup” where they chose World Cup countries to “represent”. The three chosen countries — Canada, Curaçao and Argentina — then competed against each other in a friendly tournament.“Ironically enough, Canada was the team that ended up winning that day. So it was kind of fitting,” Howieson laughed.Fitting because excitement about Canada’s World Cup is higher than ever.“They can’t stop talking about it when they’re together at the pitch,” Howieson said. “There’s so much excitement, great to see in a small community here in B.C.”This weekend, a major soccer tournament, the Premier Canada Day Cup, is in Kelowna. The tournament hosts teams spanning from under-11s to under-19s, with players coming from across Alberta, British Columbia, the United States and other parts of the country.The bad news: Some games directly coincide with Canada’s round-of-16 match against Morocco.The good news: One of the parents of the under-11 Lake Country development girls team will be bringing a TV to the field so people can watch.“The tournament organizers have actually had to email and say, unfortunately, we can’t move any of the games because of field bookings,” Howieson said. “But that just shows there have been so many requests.“They’re all coming to Kelowna — but they’re saying we don’t want to play, we want to watch the game. This tells me there’s a lot of excitement and people are totally wrapped into it.”Kelowna is regarded as one of Canada’s more prominent hockey cities. However, Canada’s success at the World Cup could lead to even more interest in soccer in traditional hockey hotbeds.“The impact is going to be immeasurable,” Howieson said. “It will be felt for generations. I look at my son and my daughter, and they’re so caught up in it. Every game is on TV. They’re watching the highlights, they’re wanting to see it. We were on pins and needles watching the South Africa game from our campground (at Fintry Provincial Park) last weekend.“You will see this impact in the next five, 10, 15 years with the number of kids committing to soccer, dedicated to playing the sport and looking to grow it in our country. I wouldn’t be surprised if even within our local organization here in Lake Country, if we see an uptick in registrations next year.”Fans in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. (Lukas Weese / The Athletic)Across the country on the morning of June 12, there were early signs that Canadians were buying into the home team in a new way. A haze of red and white smoke from flares blanketed Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto as The Voyageurs, Canada’s soccer supporters, waved Canadian flags, sang songs and wore red and white.The crowd was a cross-section of ages, genders and races, with people travelling from across the country.As the march to BMO Field began for Canada’s first World Cup match on home soil against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a booming rendition of “O Canada” broke out. At the front was a large Voyageurs banner carried by three adults and four children. Dressed in red, the kids smiled with pride as they walked down Strachan Avenue alongside longtime supporters. Behind them, downtown streets filled with supporters waving banners and fireworks bursting overhead—a pre-match spectacle Toronto had never experienced.The Voyageurs march on BMO Field (Lukas Weese / The Athletic)The energy carried inside the stadium, where a sold-out crowd welcomed Canada. When Cyle Larin scored the second-half equalizer, deafening chants of “Ole, ole, ole!” echoed off every corner of the intimate stadium.Even after Canada’s World Cup journey moved to Vancouver, Toronto’s support for the national team never faded. Whether at the FIFA fan festival at Fort York Historic Site or Canada Soccer House at Harbourfront Centre, fans gathered hours before kickoff to share the experience.Gathered inside Canada Soccer House, supporters roared as Canada piled on goals against Qatar and applauded in unison for the injured Ismaël Koné. When Canada secured its first World Cup victory, the watch party turned into a celebration as fans danced to Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and Drake’s “One Dance”.All along, former Canada captain Dwayne De Rosario, who earned 81 caps, has remained proud of the energy his country has brought to the tournament.“It’s the effects of the World Cup,” De Rosario said. “It evokes intrigue and interest. There is nothing like it. To see the World Cup evoke that passion and instill that pride as Canadians, it’s refreshing.”The excitement extended well beyond official fan zones. Outdoor viewing parties filled venues across the city, from RendezViews to the Distillery District.The Voyageurs also organized gatherings at popular bars throughout Toronto. For Canada’s upcoming round-of-16 match against Morocco, supporters could choose from watch parties at Pride House, Garden Bar & Bodega in Leslieville and Right Wing Sports Pub in Midtown. Across Ontario, the number of Voyageurs watch parties grew to 13, including eight in the Toronto and Greater Toronto Area.Bobby Smyrniotis, head coach and sporting director of Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League, has witnessed the impact of those gatherings firsthand. During the World Cup, Forge hosted nearly 2,500 people at Hamilton Stadium to watch Canada earn its first World Cup knockout-stage victory against South Africa. According to Smyrniotis, Hamilton supporters embody the hard-working, resilient spirit of the city, a connection they have carried into their support of the national team.“You’re seeing supporters and people you know well from Forge, and people that are out there for the first time, and just enjoying the game,” Smyrniotis said. “They’re bringing the passion to these games with the national team.”Saturday afternoon will mark the home return of another Canadian Premier League side: Atletico Ottawa, an affiliate of La Liga’s Atletico Madrid. The side played its first game Wednesday following a four-week World Cup break.However, Atletico Ottawa’s scheduled match against Cavalry FC will take a back seat to its own watch party at TD Place for Canada’s game against Morocco. Fans who have purchased tickets to the match, pushed from 3pm to 4pm, can attend the watchalong at the stadium.According to Atletico Ottawa general manager JD Ulanowski, he expects around 5,000 fans to stick around for the World Cup game.“We want people to support footy at all levels,” Ulanowski said. “It’s not just the national team. It’s also Atletico Ottawa. It’s also the semi-professional teams, whether it’s West Ottawa or Ottawa South United and Atletico Ottawa Juniors.“We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t allow the fans that not only support Canadian football or the men’s national team. But support Atletico to be able to enjoy both of those games, and hopefully we’ll have had a few more fans by doing this.”At perhaps one of Canada’s most iconic destinations, the men’s national team’s run has left an impression.Niagara Parks has transformed Queen Victoria Park, a greenspace across from Niagara Falls, into a fan zone to watch the games. Equipped with two large screens and a collection of Muskoka chairs and tables under a shaded area, the fan zone is free and open every day of the tournament from 11am to 11pm, and can hold around 1,000 patrons. Almost every game has been filled.Fan zone by the Falls (Courtesy Niagara Parks)And the Canada games?Marcelo Gruosso, chief operating officer for the Niagara Parks Commission, said the space brought “a sea of red and white” across the grounds of Niagara Parks. This was “something missing” for tourists that take in the natural wonder while participating in a World Cup on home soil.“There’s so much history here being made. And people just want a different place, somewhere special — right by the Falls where they can see it and celebrate together with family and friends,” Gruosso said.Fan zone by the Falls (Courtesy Niagara Parks)Head northeast of Niagara Falls down one of the country’s longest highways, the 401, to Montreal and you will see the newfound interest in Canada continuing at a fever pitch.Despite hosting Canada’s send-off match in June, a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland, Montreal has been shut out of World Cup games in favour of Toronto and Vancouver.Montreal opted not to bid to host World Cup games because they would have limited the city’s opportunities to host other marquee events, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1.According to an investigative report by Radio-Canada, Montreal could not have hosted any “major sporting events” from the week before the World Cup started to a week after it ended. It was one of FIFA’s many requirements for host cities, and Montreal ultimately pulled out.“That’s what we have here in Montreal,” said Bar St-Laurent Frappé owner Lionel Paulo. “They don’t care about sports.”But this hasn’t stopped multicultural Montrealers from supporting their teams publicly, including Moroccan fans taking to the streets and throwing flares after a victory.And business owners, including Paulo, are reaping the benefits during Canada’s four games. His bar, one of two Montreal bars listed as an official watch party destination for The Voyageurs, is regularly filled. The other is Bistro Café Napoli, located in Montreal’s East End.“Canada comes first,” Paulo said. “They feel Canadian, they’re proud to be Canadian and support the team. Everybody enjoys it.”