Italy's recent absence from the 2026 World Cup generated a wave of frustration among its supporters, even outside of Europe. In cities with a strong Italian presence, such as Toronto, the emotional impact spilled onto the streets. In that context, Canada Soccer launched an initiative aimed directly at the audience affected by the elimination.

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The proposal, shared on social media, invited Italian fans not to miss out on the next World Cup. Under the message "Don't wait four more years," the Canadian federation called on fans to exchange their blue jerseys for one of the local team.

The event took place in a cafe in the Little Italy neighborhood, where hundreds of people lined up to participate. The call received an immediate response, reflecting both the disappointment at the 'Azzurri's' elimination and the interest generated by the campaign.

However, the activity took an unexpected turn.

A symbolic campaign amid Italian disappointment

Upon arriving at the location, attendees discovered that it wasn't necessary to hand over their jerseys. Canada Soccer opted to allow them to keep their jerseys and, instead, gave them official uniforms and posters of the Canadian team. The action, far from removing symbols of identity, sought to gain new fans without forcing them to abandon their national team. The English message accompanying the event reflected the scale of the turnout: “Hundreds of people lined up for the Italy-for-Canada jersey exchange at Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto.” The same statement clarified that no jerseys were collected, but rather new promotional items were distributed in anticipation of 2026. The initiative took place a few days after Italy was eliminated from the World Cup after losing in the playoffs to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a penalty shootout (4-1).This result deepened the sporting crisis in the European country and left its fans without representation for the third consecutive edition. In addition to the emotional component, the campaign included an indirect reference to midfielder Bryan Cristante, who at one point had the option of representing Canada but chose to play for Italy. Canada, which will be one of the tournament hosts along with Mexico and the United States, aims to strengthen its fan base before the start of the competition.