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Sunday marks one of the biggest days on the sporting world’s calendar, and fans in Newfoundland and Labrador will have two big soccer matches to tune into.
The final of FIFA World Cup 2026 between Spain and Argentina kicks off in New Jersey at 4:30 p.m. NT. Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, are seeking to become back-to-back champions. Spain hopes to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time since 2010.
Camila Papale and Ari Liso, two Argentinians living in St. John’s, say it will be a stressful watch. Argentina mounted two late comeback wins in the knockout rounds against Egypt and England to make the final.
“Argentina never makes it easy. They’re always kind of chaotic, you never know what to expect,” Liso told CBC Radio on Friday.
“The Spain team is so good and organized… You can’t say for sure, but I think we’ll give it our all,” added Papale.
The pair said watching the matches in Canada has been a different experience compared to Argentina, where soccer is a part of everyday culture.
One Spaniard visiting Labrador said he’s eager to see how his nation will perform, adding he believes the reigning European champions can also take home the World Cup.
“In the beginning there were some doubts. You know, but Spain has done… very good,” Álvaro de Travesedo, head of consular affairs at the Embassy of Spain in Ottawa, told Labrador Morning during a festival visit in Red Bay.
“The better will win — So we finally win, of course.”
Development teams face off in Mount Pearl
Before the World Cup final kicks off, soccer fans in the St. John’s region will have another match to cheer on.
Halifax Wanderers FC, a member of the Canadian Premier League, are bringing developing players to Mount Pearl for a special match against U21 players from the academy of Nottingham Forest of the English Premier League.
The match begins at the Team Gushue Sports Complex at noon.
Halifax Wanderers FC will compete in a developmental exhibition match against Nottingham Forest’s U21 team in Mount Pearl on Sunday afternoon. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
Matt Fegan, the Wanderers’ vice president of football operations, said these matches give younger players who haven’t cracked into the Canadian Premier league team the chance to develop and play in front of fans.
“Obviously our main hub is in Halifax and Nova Scotia, but we see ourselves representative of Atlantic Canada and really making sure that we get out to different parts of the area. And [we’re] looking to integrate young talent into our pathways for the Canadian Premier League,” he said.
Halifax Wanderers FC played a previous match in its annual international summer series in St. John’s in 2024. St. John’s forward Owen Sheppard is also an alumni of the development team.
Fegan said he hopes the event can also help showcase St. John’s as a potential soccer destination.
“It would be amazing at some point in the future if Newfoundland and Labrador had a team in the Canadian Premier League … We do have eyes on it right at the ownership level, so it’s something that the World Cup can just help us kick on to that next level.”
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