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FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR CONFIRMS SEVEN CANADIAN STOPS STARTING APRIL 9

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is touring Canada from April 9 to May 26. Find out when it hits Vancouver, Toronto, and 5 other cities.

FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour confirms seven Canadian stops starting April 9
Vancouver and Toronto announced as final stops for the 2026 spring trophy tour.

The World Cup Trophy is making its way to Canada before this summer’s big soccer event.

From April 9 to May 26, you’ll find the trophy stopping in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. The 48-team tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States sharing hosting duties.

This year’s trophy tour actually kicked off back on January 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Former Italian star Alessandro Del Piero was the one who brought the trophy out for its first appearance.

The trophy itself has a bit of a story. FIFA introduced the current World Cup Trophy in 1974, replacing the old Jules Rimet Trophy. That earlier trophy had been around since 1930, and after Brazil won the tournament for the third time in 1970, they got to keep it forever.

After that, FIFA launched a contest to find a new design, and Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga came out on top, beating out 52 other entries. The trophy we know today was handed out for the first time in 1974.

It’s not just any piece of silverware, either. The trophy is made from 18-karat solid gold, stands about 14.5 inches tall, and weighs in at 13.6 pounds. Its base, just over five inches across, features two green malachite bands. Over the years, those bands have been restored, and the gold plating has been refreshed several times.

Back in the day, the winning team could show off the original trophy at home until it was time to hand it back to FIFA. But starting in 2006, after the last big restoration, FIFA changed the rules. Now, the winning team only gets to hold the real cup during the official ceremony. After that, FIFA takes it back, and the champions get a perfect replica to keep.

If you ever get a close look at the trophy, check the bottom of the base. You’ll see the names of every winner since 1974 engraved there.

Here’s when the trophy will be in each Canadian city:

April 9-11: Vancouver

April 12: Calgary

April 13: Winnipeg

May 22: Montreal

May 23: Halifax

May 24: Ottawa

May 25-26: Toronto

CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH

Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.

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Ronaldo "considering leaving Saudi Arabia" despite signing 2027 contract extension

Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.

Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.

Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.

Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.

And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.

N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY

N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?

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Paperwork error halts N’Golo Kante’s transfer to Turkey at final hour

N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.

Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.

Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.

Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.

Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.

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