It’s been a while, but this weekend Canada’s men’s national team returns to the international stage and plans to become a force in world football.
The game’s most successful nation at the U20s level has dominated on internationally with three successive IFAF gold medals, but the men have been absent from tournaments since 2011. Back then, almost 14 years ago, they took home the silver medal from Vienna, beating Japan, France and Austria before losing to the United States in the final.
Canada takes on Italy in Sardinia this Saturday at the Impianto Polivalente Terramaini in Cagliari (kickoff 4pm CET, live on IFAF.TV) but far from being a one-off international friendly, it is first essential step on an overdue comeback trail.
“From our perspective, we’ve got to put Canada back on the map because we’ve been dormant from the senior team’s side,” says head coach Jesse Maddox. “Realistically at this point, we're not ranked, we're not relevant and there's not a whole lot going on when it comes to that adult category right now in North America.
“We're at a point here where we need the opportunity to let the world know that we're here and we figure by going to Italy, it's an opportunity for us to get our feet wet and welcome Canada back on the world stage.”
Maddox assumes a much wider role beyond his coaching duties, serving as general manager and director of football operations for a Team Canada Senior National Team organization that sits within the overarching auspices of the Football Canada federation.
“We have the directive and narrative to run this under the bylaws and standards of Football Canada, but we are running this entity,” explains Maddox. “It's our budget, it's us fundraising everything for this team, which is quite unique. We've brought in the right people to support this, and we’ve looked at two events this year, which translates roughly as $300,000 of fundraising.”
Selecting a 45-man roster from across a nation that covers a land mass of almost 10 million square kilometers presents a challenge, as has bringing all players into one central hub at Western University in Ontario for a camp before traveling to Italy.
“You have five days to put in something you might usually do over the course of two or three weeks,” says Maddox. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played at a high level, and we have an awesome coaching staff and guys that have and been there and done it, so it makes the transition a lot easier when you got good support helping you.”
Among those players are a pair of quarterbacks boasting an impressive college football and professional pedigree. Michael O’Connor was recruited by Penn State then played at the University of British Columbia, winning the Vanier Cup national championship as he was named the game’s MVP in 2015. Drafted by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, O’Connor also spent time with the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions.
Chris Merchant played at the University of Buffalo and like O’Connor earned MVP honors in guiding Western to the Vanier Cup in 2017. He has since played with Las Rozas Black Demons in Spain and with Hungary’s Fehérvár Enthroners.
The Canada coaching staff has some IFAF experience with defensive coordinator Sammy Okpro and running backs coach Matt Walter having both earned all-team honors at the IFAF World Championships in Austria in 2011. Defensive line coach Shaq Armstrong was a member of the 2011 IFAF World Team.
Traditionally, Canadian national teams have brought size up front and big play running backs to the international stage. The 2025 edition might be in a similar vein and Maddox’s philosophy is straightforward.
“I like to win,” he says. “You're always going to design plays to cater to your team strengths, so we came into this building a playbook around the players that we have. I think it was critical we had the right coaches in the room, coaches that I have familiarity with, and then we could focus on things like culture and setting a precedence and doing the things to make us successful.
“We're big, strong and explosive. We’ve got guys who have experience at the CFL and NCAA level and I may be biased but I think we have two of the best quarterbacks at this level.”
If the initiative to return Canada to the upper echelons of international American football continues to gain momentum, the next step after facing Italy on Saturday will be to return to Europe again in the fall.
“We’re willing to travel to face the European champions,” says Maddox. “We want that opportunity to play against the best teams in the world and we’re champing at the bit to get out there and play.”
