Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue announced plans during a virtual media briefing on Monday to leverage the men's national team's recent World Cup breakthrough to establish long-term soccer infrastructure across the nation.
The Canadian men's national team concluded its tournament appearance after falling one victory short of the quarter-finals in the expanded 48-team tournament, securing US$16 million in prize money for reaching the round of 16.
While the initial prize money is locked in, the national federation is currently awaiting confirmation regarding the total amount of post-tournament legacy funding it will receive from FIFA as a tournament co-host.
"There have been preliminary discussions that are providing rough indications of order of magnitude, but there have not been specific discussions yet and we look forward to having those with FIFA," said Kevin Blue.
Blue noted that the sport's governing body historically distributes post-tournament funds to host countries, citing previous allocations such as the US$100 million distributed after the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
"I think what we just accomplished over the last however many weeks is an example of the power of the sport," said Blue.
The chief executive also addressed recent team management decisions, firmly defending head coach Jesse Marsch despite criticism following a 3-0 round-of-16 defeat against Morocco.
"I thought Jesse's performance was obviously highly positive and you know he's always going to back the team and I'm going to back him," said Blue.
Additionally, Blue clarified the inclusion of team captain Alphonso Davies on the tournament roster despite a lingering hamstring injury that restricted his playing time significantly.
"The decision to bring Alphonso was an absolute obvious one and it's unfortunate that he wasn't able to play in the Morocco game," said Blue.
The administrative staff fully supported the medical management strategy implemented for the injured player during their competitive run.
"I'm sure if you asked Jesse, he would say that he would do the same thing again," said Blue.
Canada Soccer plans to utilize the anticipated tournament funding to finance a premier national training center budgeted between $250 million and $300 million.
"Hosting the FIFA World Cup is an extraordinary moment for our country, but the true measure of success will be the legacy we create after the final match is played," said Peter Augruso, Canada Soccer president.
The planned facility will serve as a permanent operational hub for national selections, player development, and sports science programming.
"The national training centre represents an opportunity to make a generational investment in Canadian soccer and Canadian communities," said Augruso.
