The world’s biggest sporting event is just a few weeks away  and the local soccer community will be taking it all in.

Matches in the World Cup of Soccer will be played in Toronto, Vancouver, the United States and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

There was a period of several decades when Canada failed to make it to the world stage, but things have changed with the last World Cup producing Canada’s first-ever goal.

Brent Hennebury, the technical director of Soccer NL, told the Tim Powers Show on VOCM that they have bonafide stars to cheer for.

“The kids aren’t walking around with just Messi jerseys, or Rinaldo, they’re wearing Alphonso Davies sweaters and Jonathan David,” says Hennebury. “It’s great that a whole generation of kids is going to fall in love with a competitive national team and not have to decide to support another country because Canada has no team in the event.”