As Canada prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto and Vancouver, there has been a growing interest in football across the country.
The football awareness has led to inspiration and motivation of a new generation of talent, teams, clubs and the development of community football tournaments and programs.
One of the teams that is currently swimming in the Fifa World Cup wave is the Kenyan outfit AFC Leopards Toronto.
The Kenyan side has been causing ripples since its inception last year, and its meteoric rise reached fever pitch at the weekend, where it sailed into the final in its debut at the third edition of the annual Pamoja Soccer Tournament held at Brampton Soccer Centre in Ontario.
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“The tournament is organised by the Kenyan Canadian Association (KCA), we are also grateful to partners like the City of Brampton and the Pamoja Canada Diaspora Sacco who came on board to support the football showdown to ensure it happened,” KCA President Ephraim Mwaura said.
During the tense final, the capacity stadium was packed to the brim as AFC Leopards Toronto challenged the experienced Zanzibar Heroes, who were also gunning for a first-time glory in the tournament, having bagged silver in the two previous editions held in 2023 and 2024.
The sides battled tooth and nail, tying 2-2 at halftime. On resumption, Leopards held Zanzibar till the dying minutes of the game when they lost their nerves, giving the Zanzibaris a leeway to pump in four quick goals to win the energy-sapping encounter 6-2.
“We put up a spirited fight despite the teething challenges we are facing as a team. We are happy to have reached this far in our debut in the tournament.
“We made it to the final due to teamwork, discipline and resilience despite the limited funding and logistical constraints that we are facing. We believe we can lift the overall trophy if we maintain this level of focus next season,” AFC Leopards Toronto captain Gabriel Warunga said.
“We urge KCA leadership to help us engage municipalities across the Greater Toronto Area so our players can access free training fields. Most of our players live within the GTA, and this support would greatly strengthen our team and help nurture young talent,” Warunga said.
Zanzibar Heroes captain Ali Faki believed they emerged champions because of their high-level organisational skills, coupled with previous experience.
“After coming second in the tournament twice, we went back to the drawing board and rectified our loopholes. This is what gave us grit throughout the tense encounter,” Faki said.
Zanzibar also made away with the top players’ awards.