FIFA has thrown the ball in Canada's corner. Now it is up to Canadian soccer to do something with it.
Thursday's announcement that Canada will host the 2015 Women's World Cup was hardly unexpected -- the Canadian Soccer Association was the sole bidder remaining from the original seven who showed interest -- but it will have a ripple effect across the country.
Canadian soccer's governing body, for one, has an even greater impetus to sort out the current pay impasse with the national women's team and to ensure that Italian coach Carolina Morace remains on board to steer the talented team towards 2015 success.
Candidate cities Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Moncton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver will look to strengthen their claim for pieces of the 2015 tournament and the 2014 U-20 Women's World Cup that comes with it.
The exact makeup of host cities will be determined after a series of FIFA reviews. The CSA says there will be a minimum of six venues.
"The one thing we wanted to do was coast to coast," Peter Montopoli, general secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association, said in an interview from Zurich. "It will be the first time in our country that we've ever held an event at the same time, that everybody across the country can touch and feel."
The tournament will start in June 2015, running into July although the dates are not set yet.
"Why have we chosen Canada? Well Canada has already done a great job for women's football," FIFA president Sepp Blatter, speaking in French, said in Zurich.
"They've proven that they're great organizers and that the women's football, certainly, has a future in your country."
Staging the World Cup is a chance to showcase both the host country abroad and the sport at home. Success on the field and positive ratings on TV will only serve to improve soccer in the national pecking order.
"This is another opportunity for Canada to welcome the world, to bring them here," Gary Lunn, minister of state (Sport), said in Ottawa.
Those in Toronto may well wonder why Canada's largest city and BMO Field, whose construction and considerable government funding were tied to getting the men's U-20 World Cup in 2007, are not part of the current plan.
Montopoli said Toronto was invited to be part of the bid process.
"In early November, we received a letter from Toronto Tourism, representing the city, indicating they no longer wanted to be a part of the bid for the FIFA Women's World Cup," said Montopoli.
"It wasn't the CSA's decision, it was Toronto's decision," he added.
A spokeswoman for Toronto Tourism, the official marketing organization for Toronto's tourism industry, said Thursday that CEO David Whitaker was unavailable.
A call to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's press secretary was not immediately returned.
Toronto is set to host the Pan American Games from July 10 to 26 in 2015.
Montopoli did not close the door on Toronto's participation but said if the city wants to get on board, "they have to follow up and be a part of everything that everybody else has gotten to this point and this stage right now."
For the World Cup, the CSA is looking at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, B.C. Place in Vancouver, Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Moncton Stadium, the football stadium under construction in Winnipeg, the revamped Lansdowne Park in Ottawa and a proposed new stadium in Halifax.
Smaller venues like Montreal's Saputo Stadium may come into play for the U-20 event in 2014.
"We're not at a point to decide opening, closing, semis," Montopoli said when asked about specific scheduling. "I wish I could answer that question. We need to get from candidate bid cities to official host cities."
That will come at the end of this year or the beginning of next.
"It's actually a big jigsaw puzzle when you look at all the parameters that are required," Montopoli said.
Canada was one of seven countries to get good news from FIFA on the day as the world governing body of soccer worked on its own jigsaw.
Chile, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan were rewarded with tournaments ranging from the women's U-20 World Cup in 2012 (Uzbekistan) to the men's U-20 in 2015 (New Zealand).
Canada was runner-up to Germany to stage the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Zimbabwe, the last rival bidder for the 2015 tournament, dropped out this week. Montopoli believes that other countries elected to focus on other FIFA tournaments up for grabs.
"We were the first to put in our candidacy for the (2015) Women's World Cup," he said. "Everybody knew it was our second time (bidding) and we were very serious."
The federal government has committed up to $15 million to the tournaments. That will not be used for infrastructure.
"Hosting these tournaments will further enhance Canada's reputation as a sporting country and allow us to showcase several cities to a global television audience," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.
"Like all fans, we look forward to cheering for our outstanding women's teams at home, in 2014 and 2015," he added.
The Canadian women are currently ranked ninth in the world.
"Our Canadian women's soccer team is on fire," said an enthusiastic Lunn. "And it's fantastic. I mean, they're ranked right up there amongst the best in the world. And we know what happens when we see our athletes like this. They inspire the entire country."
The Women's World Cup will expand from 16 to 24 countries and from 32 to 52 matches in 2015. That's the same size as the FIFA men's U-20 tournament Canada hosted in 2007.
Canada also served as host of the men's U-17 (1987) and women's U-20 (2002) tournaments.
FIFA provides some financial support for the U-20 event but the CSA will be on its own for the World Cup.
In 2007, Canada's budget for the men's U-20 World Cup was between $24 million and $25 million.
Montopoli says the association hopes to make a profit from the World Cup.
