Second Leg
Football came to Canada in suitcases. Second Leg is where I write down what was in them.
Croatia fans in Toronto for Croatia v Portugal, 2 July 2026. Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and shown in black and white.
A tie is played over two legs: one at home, one away. For a lot of families in this country, Canada is the second leg.
They came from Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia, and they brought their clubs and their countries with them. The shirts went in the suitcase. Some got handed down. Some are still folded in a drawer.
Second Leg is where I write those stories down, one family and one shirt at a time. Who brought it over. Where it got worn. What it means to the kid who has it now, with a Canada shirt hanging next to it.
I first saw it for myself in 1994, on a trip here right after the World Cup. In 2026 the World Cup came to Canada, and the kids were cheering for both.
The first stories are being written. It starts in Toronto and goes wherever the stories are.
In pictures
College Street, Toronto, July 2010. Spain have just won the World Cup. Photo: Michalis Famelis / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Canada's team for the 1924 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Photo: W.S. Smith, State Library of South Australia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Toronto fan zone, 20 June 2026. Photo: Can Pac Swire / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Toronto Stadium, Croatia v Portugal, 2 July 2026. Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Old City Hall, Toronto, 20 June 2026. Photo: Can Pac Swire / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 20 June 2026. Photo: Can Pac Swire / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pictures are cropped and shown in black and white.
Got a shirt with a journey?
If your family brought a shirt to Canada, or a club, or a country they still get up at dawn to watch, I want to hear about it. Tell me a little here and I'll be in touch.
Toronto fan zone, 20 June 2026. Photo: Can Pac Swire / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and shown in black and white.
