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\n

CALGARY, Alberta \u2014 In a room packed full of international dignitaries within earshot of Calgary\u2019s iconic Stampede rodeo, Canada\u2019s historic run at the 2026 World Cup ended with an anticlimactic whimper.<\/p>\n

Irish Ambassador to Canada John Concannon marked his country\u2019s assumption of the EU Council presidency with a Stampede reception attended by a delegation of European envoys. \u201cThis must rank as the friendliest European invasion in history,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n

As the seconds ticked away in Canada\u2019s knockout-round showdown with Morocco, few minglers at the Irish reception noticed the TV at the back of the room \u2014 set on mute \u2014 broadcasting the Moroccan victory. They were busy pressing the flesh, making small talk and planning their Stampede itineraries.<\/p>\n

Back in Ottawa, in the park that hosted recent Canada Day festivities, fans gathered hoping to see Canada move deeper into the tournament. Instead, they cheered the Canadians at the end of an upstart run that will be remembered for years.<\/p>\n

In a nation known for hockey, everyone seemed to be a soccer fan \u2014 for 22 days, at least.<\/p>\n

After Canada\u2019s first-ever men\u2019s World Cup victory on June 18 against Qatar, Prime Minister Mark Carney paid a visit to the locker room. \u201cYou showed a level of character that some people never achieve in their life. And you showed it when the entire country and a good part of the world is watching,\u201d he told the players. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be prouder as a Canadian,\u201d<\/p>\n

Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden brought the team an offering when he visited them at practice in Vancouver on June 24 \u2014 the Maple Leaf flag that had flown atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill on the day of Canada\u2019s opening match.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are inspiring a generation and have brought an entire nation together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Canada Day, Governor General Louise Arbour used her first July 1 remarks as the king\u2019s representative to connect the World Cup moment to the national celebration and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether in FIFA soccer stadiums or at the Olympics, one thing is clear: We know who we\u2019re cheering for,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when we play ferociously \u2026 we don\u2019t hate the other team, we just like them better when they lose!\u201d<\/p>\n

To that, she added: \u201cThis is us. We like to play. And we play by the rules.\u201d Even the king\u2019s representative can subtweet a trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CALGARY, Alberta \u2014 In a room packed full of international dignitaries within earshot of Calgary\u2019s iconic Stampede rodeo, Canada\u2019s historic run at the 2026 World Cup ended with an anticlimactic whimper. Irish Ambassador to Canada John Concannon marked his country\u2019s assumption of the EU Council presidency with a Stampede reception attended by a delegation of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25328\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}