Canada’s New Kit Rekindles Iceteca Magic
The Canadian Men’s National Team (CanMNT) was the only squad at the World Cup in Qatar without new kits.
The snub by their supplier, Nike, seemed outrageous to many Canadian players and fans when the tournament kicked off in November 2022. Still, it was understandable why Nike hadn’t initiated the 18-month kit creation process in early 2021: The CanMNT had missed the eight previous World Cups, generated little interest over the past 35 years, and were just preparing to embark on a long, historic, and unexpected journey to first place in Concacaf qualifying.
Disappointingly, the only touch of Canadiana on the team’s bland Nike Strike II template jerseys in Qatar was the Canada Soccer crest. On home soil in 2026, the kits will be more representative of the Great White North.
The primary jersey for the 2026 World Cup, in two shades of red, features a giant maple leaf in the middle, reminiscent of the leaf worn by Canada’s hockey team in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
The secondary jersey is more daring and, therefore, more polarizing. Nicknamed “Black Ice,” it features a black background covered by white splashes of cracked ice that, here and there, form the shape of the maple leaf.
After going goalless at the 1986 World Cup and then failing to return to the world stage until 2022, the CanMNT had little history to draw on when developing kits. Nevertheless, Black Ice brilliantly captures the recent history of the qualifying run to Qatar, especially the night at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, which was dubbed “the Iceteca.”
Men in Black
“The black jersey is special to us,” Richie Laryea told reporters at the official kit launch. “We’ve always loved wearing the previous black jersey, and we’ve always performed pretty well in it.”
The previous black jersey Laryea was referring to debuted in Nashville on September 5, 2021, when Canada faced the United States in a World Cup qualifying match. Before then, neither Laryea nor the current CanMNT generation had ever worn black.
In Nashville, a 1–1 draw featuring an Alphonso Davies–assisted goal by Cyle Larin shocked the crowd, spurring them to boo the home side and the unpopular coach at the time, Gregg Berhalter. The Canadian underdogs had inaugurated their third jerseys with a surprising result, and they would continue trailblazing in black with Larin as their offensive leader.
Canada’s second match in black, against Mexico in Edmonton, remains the most iconic win in the team’s history. Far north of the heat of their storied home stadium, the Azteca, the Mexicans had to compete in the cold of the Iceteca. The kickoff temperature of −9° Celsius (−14° with the wind chill) was the coldest in Mexican national team history, and a raucous crowd of 44,212 fans braved the weather to be there.
Before the match, maintenance workers cleared the previous night’s heavy snowfall off the tarp-covered pitch and onto snowbanks that grew around the field’s perimeter. Wearing all black, including long black sleeves and black gloves, the Canadian team looked imposing in the white setting.
The Mexicans, in all-white kits, blended in with the snow around the field. Cyle Larin scored twice with the inside of his right boot in the 2–1 victory. After the second goal, Sam Adekugbe celebrated by flopping onto a snowbank, a moment that went viral online. Goalkeeper Milan Borjan, wearing his famous grey sweatpants, was tested repeatedly in the second half but kept his team in front.
In beating Mexico, Canada had slain the ’Gigante de la Concacaf’ (Giant of Concacaf) for the first time in 21 years. This vaulted Canada into first place in the eight-team qualifying table, a spot they would never relinquish. The images from that watershed night — black jerseys mixed with ice, snow, and frost — are now encapsulated in the Black Ice kit itself.
Canada’s third appearance in black was a 2–0 upset over the United States at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field — rechristened “the Iced Capp” on this freezing afternoon — in the absence of star players Alphonso Davies and Stephen Eustáquio. By this point, it was clear there was magic in those kits. Cyle Larin’s early goal off a give-and-go with Jonathan David and Sam Adekugbe’s late breakaway goal drew incredible reactions from the home crowd.
There was also magic in the wintry weather. The wins against Mexico and the United States, as well as the 4–0 drubbing of Jamaica at BMO Field that clinched Canada’s place in Qatar, all came in sub-zero temperatures.
Nike, after welcoming ideas from Canadian players and fans, has evoked the frozen, unforgettable winter of 2021/22 in the team’s secondary 2026 World Cup jersey.
Benefits of Black
Playing under John Herdman in the qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup, the CanMNT showed a fierce edge that was new to them. They even called themselves “New Canada.” Now, coach Jesse Marsch has emphasized an aggressive mindset and relentless pressing, which makes them an intimidating team to play against, and the intimidation factor is only heightened when they wear black.
In sports, black is associated with power, dominance, and aggression. Black-clad teams that have famously made opponents quiver with fear include the New Zealand All Blacks, Boston’s “Big Bad Bruins” of the 1970s Bobby Orr era, and Italy’s Olympic gold medal– and World Cup–winning soccer teams of the 1930s.
The CanMNT hope to rattle opponents at the 2026 World Cup with the noise of home fans; the swarming of Marsch’s Red Bull–style press; the feistiness of Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan, and Alistair Johnston; the speed of Moïse Bombito, Tani Oluwaseyi, and Alphonso Davies; the physicality of Alfie Jones, Derek Cornelius, and Luc de Fougerolles; and, in at least one or two matches, Black Ice.
