Cheering for the 'home team' during the World Cup gets complicated for Canadians

Cheering for the 'home team' during the World Cup gets complicated for Canadians20 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine YousifSenior Canada reporterReutersNikola Vukelic is torn on who to cheer for in Canada's first Fifa World Cup game against Bosnia.The Toronto resident has been a football fan for most of his life, supporting local clubs in his home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Witnessing the Bosnian national team defeat fan-favourite Italy to qualify for this year's World Cup was "surreal", he said.But Vukelic has also called Canada home since 1999.So, Vukelic's strategy is to mix his Team Bosnia jersey with Team Canada shorts on Friday to watch the match at home with friends near Toronto's BMO stadium, where Canada's opening game is set to take place.The game's victor does not matter much to him. "I'm going to have fun either way," he said.Many Canadians, like Vukelic, are used to navigating dual identities. More than 35% of the population - or 13 million people - identify as having multiple ethnic or cultural origins, according to the last census.That multiculturalism has been on full display on the streets of host cities Toronto and Vancouver in the lead up to the World Cup, where watch parties are being held in an Australian bar by Turkish fans, in the parking lot of a Balkan specialty food store, and at an Iraqi-owned hookah lounge – to name a few.A World Cup guide for new football fansEverything to know about Canada's men's team at the 2026 World CupIt has also been a selling point for Canadian football officials ahead of the North American tournament, which in the lead up has been complicated by US visa policies, travel bans and politics.In his opening remarks at this year's Fifa World Congress in Vancouver, Canada Soccer President Peter Augruso said the country's diversity stands out "in a world that can feel divided"."Here, the world d...