Statement by Prime Minister Carney on the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Statement by Prime Minister Carney on the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

June 11, 2026
Ottawa, Ontario

“Today, we kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Over the next five weeks, 48 countries will compete at the largest World Cup in the competition’s history. For the first time, FIFA Men’s World Cup matches will be played in Canada. With matches in Vancouver and Toronto, sports bars, hotels, and living rooms will be packed with fans from across Canada and around the world.

This tournament will mark 40 years since Canada first played at the 198  World Cup in Mexico. Since then, soccer has flourished across our country, in schools, alleyways, and coaching academies. And along with watching other teams, Canadians proudly cheer for our own. Wearing Canadian jerseys with Canadian players’ names on their backs. From Christine Sinclair breaking the all-time international goal-scoring record to Alphonso Davies scoring against Croatia at the last World Cup, Team Canada has shown us Canada belongs on any pitch, against any team.

To build on this success, Canada’s new government has recently made the largest investment in sport in Canadian history. With over $750 million in funding, we’re supporting athletes from the playground to the podium. We’re backing the Canada Soccer National Training Centre, a permanent home for soccer in Canada. Last month, we announced 330 soccer projects across the country, from live match viewings to soccer-themed cultural programs – so all Canadians can come together and celebrate the World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup is projected to create and support nearly 25,000 jobs and add $2 billion to Canada’s economy, but the real impact will go much beyond the games. It will be Canadians watching our players playing in our stadiums, surrounded by our fans. Canada is ready for the beautiful game.”

Joint statement on advancing the Canada-Ireland Partnership

June 13, 2026
Dublin, Ireland

The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin T.D., today welcomed the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mark Carney, to Dublin. The leaders reaffirmed the deep and enduring relationship between Canada and Ireland, rooted in shared history, democratic values, close people-to-people and business ties, and a common commitment to international law, human rights, democracy, rule of law, transatlantic relations and multilateral cooperation. The leaders underscored the growing partnership between Canada and the European Union and the opportunity to expand it even further during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council, beginning on July 1, 2026. The two leaders recognised Canada’s long-standing contribution to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. This legacy is recognised in the De Chastelain Scholarship Programme, jointly supported by the Governments of Canada and Ireland.

Building on their Joint Statement of September 25, 2025, the leaders reaffirmed the strength of the strategic and economic partnership between Canada and Ireland and agreed a framework to deepen bilateral cooperation, strengthen economic resilience, enhance long-term competitiveness, and advance shared strategic interests including through deeper cooperation on economic security, trusted supply chains and strategic technologies. To further drive strategic cooperation and unlock new opportunities for our people and businesses across the Atlantic, they agreed the following priority areas for further cooperation:

1. Trade and investment

Recognising the complementary economic strengths of Canada and Ireland, the leaders agreed to position our countries as trusted partners to deepen trade, drive sustainable growth, and enhance economic resilience at a time of heightened global uncertainty and geopolitical instability. 

The leaders underscored the continued growth in two‑way trade, and underscored the importance of predictable, rules‑based trade grounded in international law. They welcomed the continued growth in two-way investment, with official Canadian figures showing that Ireland now ranks as the 8^th largest investor in Canada and Canada as the 14^th largest investor in Ireland. They underscored the mutual benefit of these economic ties with Canadian companies employing 26,000 people in Ireland and Irish companies employing over 30,000 people in Canada. They welcomed Ireland’s progress towards ratification of the Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and emphasized its role in supporting jobs, small and medium‑sized enterprises, stronger trade ties and economic growth. They committed to:

• Grow and diversify our trading relationship, including by maximizing opportunities under CETA;

• Mark the 10^th anniversary of CETA (signed October 30, 2016) during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union;

• Advance cooperation between Canada and Ireland in financial services, and fintech building on Ireland’s “Ireland for Finance” strategy and Canada’s strengths in banking, credit unions and pension funds;

• Expand structured bilateral engagement, including regular trade and investment dialogues between senior officials;

• Support trade missions, high-level visits and business to business engagements at national and provincial level; and

• Position Ireland as a trusted gateway for Canadian companies seeking to access, invest in and scale across the European Union, and continue to encourage Irish investment in Canada.

2. Life sciences, biomanufacturing and health security

Recognizing the strategic importance of resilient health systems and supply chains, the leaders committed to:

• Explore opportunities for further collaboration to support the commercialisation of emerging health technology platforms and the next generation of medicines, including through links with international networks and centres of excellence, building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and RINN Advanced Therapies in Ireland;

• Establish a Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and Resilience Dialogue to exchange information on regulatory frameworks and market structures, and identify opportunities to strengthen manufacturing capacity and support for increased resilience; and

• Support biomanufacturing workforce development and skills by building on and extending the existing partnership between the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) and Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), enabling enhanced joint programming, shared expertise through a global network of NIBRT-affiliated training centres, and alignment of world-class biomanufacturing training initiatives.

3. Food security and agri‑food systems

Recognising the importance of resilient and sustainable agri‑food systems, the leaders committed to:

• Advance an agri-food investment and supply chain partnership event to strengthen two-way investment and supply chain resilience;

• Explore means to support agri-food investment and promote engagement between Canadian and Irish firms to support vibrant and thriving agri-food sectors;

• Deepen dialogue on market access issues for agriculture, food, seafood and drink products;

• Increase collaboration on agricultural innovation and science‑based approaches to food systems; and

• Explore opportunities to jointly engage with other partners on agricultural innovation and global food security. 

4. Climate and clean growth

Reaffirming their commitment to climate action and sustainable growth, the leaders committed to:

• Seek opportunities for further engagement on energy transition, clean technologies, energy efficiency and grid resilience, including opportunities for greater industry engagement in these critical areas, noting that Canada and Ireland have shared objectives in driving investment in energy security and the clean energy transition and building on our current relationship; and to

• Strengthen cooperation on methane mitigation, particularly in the oil and gas sectors through the exchange of best practices, and improved transparency and work together to advance international methane action, including through the Global Methane Pledge and coordination in multilateral fora such as the UNFCCC. 

5. Research, innovation and talent

The leaders agreed that the long-term competitive advantage of Canadian and Irish businesses in strategic sectors depends on the creation of new pathways to connect their best minds and most innovative businesses. They committed to:

• Explore opportunities for collaboration between Research Ireland and Canadian counterparts, by identifying areas of mutual interest and opportunities for international collaboration including across the European Research Area; Strengthening cooperation on the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence, including by establishing linkages between Canada Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute and Ireland’s AI Office to advance research collaboration, information sharing and the development of trustworthy AI systems grounded in shared democratic values;

• Promote the creation and commercialisation of new products and services, including through collaborative research and innovation projects under Horizon Europe and the Eureka platform;

• Leverage bilateral forums, including through the Irish–Canadian Technology Advisory Council, to identify opportunities to deepen collaboration, drive innovation, and strengthen links between innovation ecosystems; and

• Strengthen talent pipelines, including through collaboration on skills development and researcher mobility.

6. International relations, security and defence

In the current complex geopolitical environment, the leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression and committed to continue to work together to support peace and stability in the Middle East. The leaders underscored the importance of cooperation on security and defence in a more complex and contested global environment and reaffirmed their commitment to working with like‑minded partners in support of transatlantic security. They welcomed Canada’s participation in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument, currently the only non-European country to join. They committed to:

• Launch annual consultations between foreign ministries; and

• Enhance practical cooperation between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Irish Defence Forces in relation to maritime security training, including through training exchange opportunities.

7. Canada–EU cooperation

Looking ahead to Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU starting in July 2026, the leaders underscored the strategic importance of the Canada–EU relationship and recognised Ireland’s role as a trusted and longstanding bridge between Canada and the EU. They noted Canada’s participation in the European Political Community Summit on May 4, 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia, marking the first time a non-European leader has joined the summit. They looked forward to Canadian participation at a number of high-level meetings and events in Ireland during the Irish Presidency. 

The leaders committed to working together, including during Ireland’s Presidency, to:

• Advance shared priorities under the Canada–EU Strategic Partnership of the Future;

• Support closer Canada-EU cooperation on economic security, supply chains and competitiveness; and

• Advance Canada-EU collaboration on the digital and green transitions including through regulatory cooperation and innovation partnerships.

8. Cultural cooperation

Recognising the close historical and cultural ties between Ireland and Canada, the leaders:

• Welcomed the launch of Canada-Ireland 180, a major cultural and commemorative initiative supported by both governments;

• Acknowledged the tradition of Gaelic sports in Canada and their growing popularity;

• Welcomed the opening this year of the Corleck cultural centre in Toronto with significant funding from both governments; and

• Welcomed enhanced Canada–Ireland cooperation in the screen sector, building on the longstanding Audiovisual Co-Production Treaty and growing collaboration between producers, studios and creative industries in both countries.

Conclusion

The leaders affirmed that this set of commitments reflects a practical, forward-looking, and action-oriented framework for strengthened bilateral cooperation. They committed to maintaining close engagement and to delivering concrete outcomes that benefit peoples, workers, and businesses in both countries.