As heartbeat of Canadian soccer fans, Voyageurs expect to grow for 2026

I did something this week that I should have done many years ago: I joined the Voyageurs, Canada’s national soccer supporters group. 

Since 1996, this long-suffering bunch have only shown devotion and love for our national teams and, although small in number, have always made up for it in passion and dedication. With the World Cup in 2026 on the horizon, I should probably nestle in with the true soul of the sport in Canada, a group of like-minded people who decided that results were just a distraction, and that getting together, building a community around a misunderstood sport in North America was really the most important thing. 

Unless you knew your way around a satellite TV signal, international soccer was difficult to consume in Canada back when the group was first formed, so the Voyageurs gathered in small numbers but were then able to weaponize once the internet arrived. The V’s chat forum was a must-read back in those innocent days, and everyone involved in the sport did just that. Many a national team staffer would find themselves entering a dark abyss after a poor result, sucked into a Voyageurs thread where the true frustration of being a Canadian soccer fan was able to scream from this new digital soap box.

The burgeoning soccer media was certainly not free of criticism. As a ‘far too green broadcaster’ I would be guilty of the lure of the forums, tentatively clicking on any media related topic. My blood would run cold at the occasional mention of this ‘useless English kid’ mashing up some story or another. It made me stronger, I think. 

Fast forward to present times, just 18 months away from a World Cup which will see meaningful games played in our fair country, the Voyageurs have evolved and are in many ways the beating heart of the game.

While they are still small in numbers, that could be about to change.

“Membership tripled in the build-up to the 2022 World Cup,” said Voyageurs president Rob Notenboom, who lives in Saskatchewan. “Some of those have left, as Canada Soccer was extremely helpful regarding ticket sales, but we’re still around 1,500 paid members. By 2026, that number is going to skyrocket.  Especially if we can work something out with Canada Soccer, but more importantly FIFA.”

Canada Soccer has now created its own fan-focused group — Canada Red — which allows supporters to buy tickets and merchandise at reduced rates through an annual fee, so it remains to be seen how that will translate to 2026, when FIFA takes over … well, everything.

Regardless, the Voyageurs remain the best landing spot for anyone interested in joining and partaking in the Canadian international soccer zeitgeist.

Claudio Di Placido has been a member of the Voyageurs for 15 years and has seen it all, from the lows of the 8-1 defeat to Honduras in 2012 to the highs of World Cup qualification.

“We are an extremely welcoming, inclusive group,” Di Placido said. “Like-Minded volunteers who only care about supporting the good in soccer fandom. I’ve never seen bad behaviour, [it truly] is a family atmosphere. While the team hasn’t always performed, everyone agrees that the party in the stands is the highlight — high-fives with strangers, laughs and chants.”

Vancouver’s Carrie Ryan is a “newbie,” having discovered the Voyageurs during the 2022 men’s World Cup. She has been amazed by the community she stumbled upon.

“I think, overall, I am most surprised by the diversity and the acceptance of that diversity in the group,” Ryan said. “Not to mention how much work they put into what looks like such a simple thing. These are all volunteers, putting in non-stop effort, whether that is the giant match day Tifos or something else, I just have massive respect for these people.”

It is true. The next time you see a work of art flowing across the heads of hundreds of fans within a stadium, don’t take it for granted. Not to mention how much work it takes to organize a march to the stadium, a cloud of red smoke billowing over the stands and drums beating along with the chanting fans. That is the Voyageurs. 

Dave Di Cola has been a member of the Voyageurs since 2010. He understands that, although relatively small in numbers, the next challenge is to make people aware of their mere existence.

“How much of the soccer community knows about the Voyageurs?” Di Cola asks, while also acknowledging that joining a fan group might only appeal to a small crowd. “I will say the Voyageurs might not be for everybody, it can be intense … but it’s the enjoyment of watching with like-minded people, fans.”

Let us not confuse the Voyageurs with your typical international football ultras, or dare I say it, hooligans. We are after all Canadians first, which means there are lines that cannot be crossed. If they are, they will be dealt with in a very Canadian way, as Ryan explains.

“There’s been a couple of times, I remember in Atlanta [in the opening match of Copa America] pre-match an Argentina fan walks into the bar and is met by nothing but boos … but we all felt a little awkward booing him.  When we see other colours in our end, we make them take them down, but we feel a little icky being that way. It’s always done with respect, and without the edge you see elsewhere.”

Notenboom concurs: “Sure, at times we need to have a serious talk with some members who might, shall we say, get carried away but really we’re a big happy family. We’re diverse. I can genuinely say I have met some of my best friends through the Voyageurs.”

And for an annual fee of $25, you too can join this big happy family that literally spans the country, only to gather for a reunion every international window. Those gatherings are often in pubs and bars across Canada for away matches, but the travelling support is one area where the Voyageurs plan to see their numbers grow. 

At that point, we can all agree: Canada is a football nation.