TORONTO — Players aren’t the only ones who feel the pressure that comes with a FIFA World Cup on home soil.
The nerves can race in the broadcast booth, too. And just like the athletes who want to peak on the sport’s biggest stage, commentators also want to bring their top game on match day.
“I feel I have to over-prepare for games just as if I were going into an exam at school,” said TSN soccer play-by-play broadcaster Luke Wileman. “To then have the confidence to be able to perform at my best when the game kicks off, knowing that I’ve done my work and I’ve got the notes, I’ve got the research.
“I might not need to use most of it, but I feel that’s the best way to prepare for me to be able to do the best job I can.”
Wileman will call Canada’s games at the June 11-July 19 tournament with analyst Steven Caldwell. Canada will kick off its group-play schedule Friday at Toronto Stadium against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
TSN and RDS hold the Canadian broadcasting and streaming rights for all 104 tournament games. Coverage is also available on CTV and streaming on Crave through the live CTV channel.
Veteran anchor James Duthie will host tournament coverage. The network has six hosts, six reporters and 13 analysts — including many former national men’s team players — on the broadcast team.
It’s the first time that men’s World Cup games have been played in Canada. The United States and Mexico are also serving as co-hosts.
“I think it’s really going to take over the country in a different way than we’ve seen in a long time,” said TSN executive producer Ken Volden.
For Wileman, who was raised in Sheffield, England and moved to Canada in 2006, it brings back fond memories of calling the home team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015.
Christine Sinclair scored from the penalty spot in injury time to give Canada a 1-0 victory over China in the tournament opener at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.
“Just seeing the 50,000 Canadians in there and just what that moment meant,” Wileman recalled. “You can call games all over the world, but there’s nothing better than calling a home team in its own country, and especially when it’s at the level of something like a World Cup.”
After the opener, the Canadian team will head to Vancouver for games against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.
A world feed will be used for non-Canada games at the 48-team tournament, which kicks off Thursday when Mexico faces South Africa at Mexico City Stadium.
“It’s like every moment, every game matters,” Caldwell said. “There’s more teams, there’s more colour, there’s more opportunity, and there’s more games.
“So it’s going to be everywhere. It’s going to be constant.”
Wileman and Caldwell will likely take a moment during the national anthems to appreciate the setting before settling into their familiar groove, a rapport honed over a decade of reps and big-game moments together.
“It’s something that takes a long time to develop, and for us to call some of the biggest games in Canadian soccer over the course of 10 years has been a real privilege,” Caldwell said. “This is going to be our pinnacle.
“Who knows what’s ahead, but it’ll be the biggest games that we’ll have called, so we’re super excited and desperate to get to work.”
The duo called the 2018 World Cup in Russia remotely, as Canada didn’t qualify that year. They were on site in Qatar four years later when Canada made its first tournament appearance since 1986.
Canada is looking for its first World Cup victory after finishing 0-3 on both previous occasions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
