Sunny skies for those who’ll watch Canada’s World Cup match at Celebration Square in Mississauga

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Published November 22, 2022 at 10:40 am

Celebration Square World Cup

Fans who plan to show up at Celebration Square in Mississauga’s downtown core to watch Canada take on soccer power Belgium in its opening match of the World Cup tomorrow afternoon (Nov. 23) can expect sunny skies and relatively mild weather.

The Weather Network is predicting clear, sunny skies and temperatures of 7 degrees C for the 2022 FIFA World Cup match, which gets underway at 1 p.m. Wednesday on the big screen in the square.

Mississauga natives Lucas Cavallini and Steven Vitória will take the field in Qatar along with their teammates to mark the Canadian men’s first World Cup appearance since 1986.

Canada finds itself in a tough grouping with Belgium (FIFA No. 2 in the world), Croatia (No. 12) and Morocco (No. 22).

Canada is No. 41, a significant improvement from a one-time No. 72 ranking as recently as early 2021.

Brazil is the top-ranked club in the world while Argentina (No. 3), France (No. 4) and England (No. 5) round out the top five.

The United States is ranked No. 16.

Celebration Square will show select games on the big screen for the duration of the World Cup, which concludes Dec. 18. Admission is free and open to all.

“Get ready to cheer for Alphonso Davies, Stephen Eustáquio, Milan Borjan and the rest of the (Canadian) team,” City of Mississauga officials say on their website.

After battling Belgium, Canada will take on Croatia on Nov. 27 (11 a.m.) and Morocco on Dec. 1 (10 a.m.) to complete pool play. Those matches will also be shown at the square.

Cavallini, 29, is a forward who plays professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of the MSL. The one-time Clarkson Sheridan Soccer Club member left Canada for South America at the age of 16 to further develop his soccer skills.

He’s appeared 33 times with Canada’s senior team since 2012, tallying 17 goals.

Vitória, 35, is a defender who plays for Portuguese club GD Chaves. While growing up in Mississauga, he played with the Mississauga Falcons and Dixie soccer clubs.

He has made 34 appearances with Canada’s senior squad since 2016.

Canada last competed at the World Cup in 1986, when the tournament was held in Mexico. The Canadians lost to France, Hungary and the then-Soviet Union by a combined 5-0 in that tournament.

Prior to the World Cup kickoff in Qatar this past Sunday, the iconic trophy arrived on Canadian soil on Nov. 9 via Pearson Airport in Mississauga as part of a pre-tournament world tour.

The cup spent a couple of days in Toronto before continuing to other countries in advance of the World Cup.

In addition to competing in the 2022 World Cup, Canada will also help host the 2026 global tournament. Toronto is one of 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico that will host World Cup matches four years from now.

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