CITYnews halifax: Nearly a third of Nova Scotians tuning in to World Cup: Poll

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

According to a new survey by Narrative Research, national pride played a factor when it came to Nova Scotians’ engagement with the FIFA World Cup.

While Canada’s run at the tournament may be over after losing to Morocco 3-0 on Saturday, a new poll, released Friday, shows the squad had a strong majority of Nova Scotians backing them up.

Among the more than 1,200 respondents aged 18-years or older, 93 per cent of Nova Scotians said they were supporting the national team among all the teams in this year’s FIFA World Cup.

The remaining seven per cent was split between Argentina, Australia and England.

Conducted online between June 12 and 26, the survey found that 31 per cent of Nova Scotians said they were watching the tournament.

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Five per cent said they were even planning to travel to see a game in person, with the city of Toronto as the overwhelming location to fulfill that dream.

Soccer is not on everyone’s radar, however, as the poll also indicated that 58 per cent of Nova Scotia respondents admit they aren’t planning to watch any World Cup matches before the tournament wraps up on July 19.

Nova Scotia’s statistics fall slightly behind the national average, which indicated 38 per cent of Canadians were planning to watch matches during FIFA World Cup 2026, with 7 per cent noting they planned to attend at least one game in person.

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau (16) is scored on by Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi (8) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Canada and Morocco, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.