The 2026 FIFA World Cup doesn’t include Calgary on its schedule. But Spruce Meadows and Cavalry FC ownership hopes to change that. Cavalry FC, under the leadership of CEO Linda Southern Heathcott, has designs on drawing one of the 48 participating national teams to the city for training ahead of the world-renowned event.
Working alongside club president Ian Allison and GM/head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr., they want to step further onto the global football stage. “It’s a dream,” admitted Allison, the president/COO of Cavalry FC.
“We always felt that if you look at our Spruce Meadows show-jumping model, where we wanted to provide an opportunity for Canadians but also to attract the best in the world whether to compete or train, why can’t you look at that and put soccer into that equation, as well? “So I’ll quote our founder, Ron Southern ...
‘Why wouldn’t we look at this opportunity and dream big?’ ” The footie club is actually on the national stage for Father’s Day weekend, as Cavalry (2W-6D-1L) takes on host Vancouver FC (4-2-3) in a neutral-site match Sunday at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl (3 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.
ca). It’s the inaugural game of the ‘CPL On Tour’ series — a new initiative launched by Canada’s top flight of men’s professional soccer — that will see the staging of competitive games at non-CPL centres across the country, as the league continues its mission to connect with fans of ‘The Beautiful Game’ from coast to coast a.