Canada's national men's soccer team is about to take to the World Cup pitch for the first time in 36 years.
The generational moment is important to many Tri-Cities soccer fans, and Port Coquitlam is hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to unite the community while cheering the Canadians to victory.
The city is set to host free watch parties on each day Canada is scheduled to compete at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The matches will be displayed on big-screen TVs inside the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (PCCC) with the first set for tomorrow (Nov. 23) at 11 a.m. Pacific time.
According to Mayor Brad West, PoCo is said to be the first Metro Vancouver municipality to host a free community-based World Cup screening.
"It's all about bringing our community together and what better way to do it by cheering on Canada," he said in a statement on Monday (Nov. 21).
"It is an exciting time for soccer in this community and this country, get in the spirit and show your support."
In addition to watching the games, members of Port Coquitlam Euro-Rite Soccer are set to host a series of giveaways, including a prize to the first 20 people in attendance to each match.
The PCCC concession will also be open with food and drink specials for fans, who are also encouraged to wear their best red and white in support of Team Canada.
Canada's World Cup 2022 games are as follows:
- Nov. 23 @ 11 a.m. vs. Belgium
- Nov. 27 @ 8 a.m. vs. Croatia
- Dec. 1 @ 7 a.m. vs. Morocco
The last time the national men's team qualified for what is arguably one of the biggest sporting events in the world was in 1986. The team lost all three preliminary matches and failed to score a goal.
This year's squad, led by the likes of former Vancouver Whitecaps Alphonso Davies, Sam Adekugbe, Lucas Cavallini and Derek Cornelius, finished atop of the North American and Caribbean qualifiers.
Liam Fraser (Vancouver) and Joel Waterman (Aldergrove) are the only two players representing B.C. on the 26-player roster.
For more information, you can visit the City of Port Coquitlam's website.
