00:14Welcome to Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure. We are on the second day of the World Cup, Toronto
00:18Welcome the World, with a spectacular opening ceremony at the BMO Field, celebrating the country's diversity, culture and its passion
00:25for the sport.
00:26The show featured a star-studded lineup led by Canadian music icons Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé, alongside Alicia Cara,
00:34Jesse Reyes and many more. The ceremony was built around a vibrant mosaic theme, symbolizing Canada's multicultural identity and its
00:42role as one of the three host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The event also marked a historic
00:47milestone as Canada hosted its first ever men's FIFA World Cup match on home soil.
00:58And Canada's historic World Cup opener on home soil is on the last minutes of the second half. Bosnia, Herzegovina
01:05and Canada are tied 1-1 in Toronto.
01:07The breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Hover Lukic capitalized on a dangerous set-piece opportunity, silencing the Canadian
01:15supporters. The Canadian goal, on the other hand, came in minute 79 on the second half, scored by Kyle Lahren.
01:21It is worth highlighting that Canada has enjoyed moments of possession, but Bosnia's defence has remained organized and disciplined throughout
01:29the game.
01:29With Afoso Davis unavailable through injury, Canada has lacked some of its usual attacking spark. Canada in this match is
01:37looking to break the record of never winning a World Cup match before.
01:46And precisely as this game is underway, fans in Toronto are joining in the excitement and predicting the final results.
01:54Let's listen.
01:56Honestly, I'm very happy that we finally made it to the world to come after 12 years. It means a
02:00lot to us and the Bosnian community to finally get back together as one.
02:03So, yeah, we're going to reach the final. You are the man of music. Yes, my name is Jasmine and
02:10I'm from Bosnia. My dad was in one of the concentration camps and I'm rooting for Bosnia. It's going to
02:14be 2-1. Let's go.
02:16This is beautiful. It's beautiful. It's going to be 3-1. Bosnia, Demirovic, two goals.
02:24Let's go Canada. Let's go Bosnia.
02:31I think we're looking really good. I'm excited for the World Cup. Great atmosphere looking today. I'm excited. Let's go.
02:37I think Canada is going to beat them by three. That's my prediction. Yeah. Yeah.
02:41What are you seeing about this World Cup?
02:44It's really, it's a cool atmosphere. The stadium looks nice. A lot of people coming out. It's just great to
02:49see, you know? Yeah.
02:50Yeah, I think we needed it. Look at Toronto. It's a beautiful city. Look at Canada. It's a great showcase
02:55of all of our talents and all of our culture.
02:58I think it's sick. Love seeing all the fans come out. I think it's big, unity, everything. It's showing Canada
03:03off really well.
03:05Well, there are a few minutes remaining in that game for some of those predictions to come true.
03:09But let's now turn our attention to Los Angeles, where the United States and Paraguay are set to make their
03:13World Cup debuts.
03:14Speaking ahead of the clash, U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino said his team is physically, tactically and emotionally ready,
03:22while warning that Paraguay will be a difficult opponent.
03:25The Argentine manager called on his players to channel the excitement of playing at home and transform the pressure into
03:31positive energy.
03:32Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro, meanwhile, inside his side is not at a tournament simply to make up the numbers.
03:37Returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, Alfaro said his players have restored the nation's football
03:44identity
03:44and are determined to compete with anyone on the world stage.
03:53I don't want to talk about expectations because, in my opinion, expectations are for teams with roster full of players
03:59who play at elite level.
04:00For us, it's about hope. And that doesn't mean we don't have very good players.
04:04I have very talented players, but what drives us is hope. What drives us is expectation.
04:11And obviously, we want to play, we want to win, and we want to have a great World Cup, because
04:15that's the hope of an entire country.
04:20Well, we have talked. Yes, we have talked a lot about all the expectations people place on a group of
04:27players
04:28who have to perform through their talent and inspiration, and feel free on the pitch.
04:33I think it's always a bit contradictory.
04:39The people who want us to do those things, in those messages, want us to give what we know how
04:45to do with complete freedom,
04:46because they trust us. And that trust is what we have tried to generate, to cultivate, to maintain,
04:51so that the team can go out there, and enjoy themselves.
04:56Well, every World Cup has had its own mascot.
04:59The tradition began at the 1966 tournament in England,
05:02and since then, they have reflected local identity through typical animals, human figures, or abstract concepts.
05:08Let's take a look at how they have evolved in the following work.
05:21The first official World Cup mascot was World Cup Willie.
05:26He was an anthropomorphic lion wearing a jersey featuring the United Kingdom's flag.
05:31For Mexico, in 1970, Juanito was a young boy wearing a traditional charro style sombrero,
05:37and the Mexican national team jersey.
05:39He became iconic as the tournament was the first FIFA World Cup to be broadcast in color.
05:45Tip and tap were chosen as the symbols of West Germany in 1974.
05:50The two boys conveyed a message of unity and friendship,
05:53reflecting the country's political division at the time.
05:57Naranjito represented Spain in 1982,
05:59breaking away from the human character format by introducing a smiling orange dressing the Spanish national team's kit.
06:06For Mexico, in 1986, the chosen mascot was Pique,
06:11a jalapeno pepper with a mustache and a large Mexican sombrero,
06:14continuing the country's festive and culinary theme.
06:18For Italy, in 1990, the mascot was Shao,
06:22an abstract faceless figure made of cube-shaped blocks displaying the colors of the Italian flag,
06:27topped with a football ball-shaped head.
06:30Stryker was the official mascot of the United States, 1994.
06:34It featured a dog dressed in the national colors.
06:37For France, 1998,
06:39Furix was a rooster,
06:41one of France's most recognizable national symbols,
06:44featuring blue coloring and a highly charismatic design.
06:47At the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup,
06:50Ato, Kaz and Nick made their debut.
06:53For the first time, there were three mascots,
06:55futuristic computer-generated characters representing referees and players in the tournament.
07:00Goleo-6 and Pile represented Germany, 2006.
07:05Goleo was a friendly lion, accompanied by Pile, a talking football ball.
07:10At South Africa, 2010,
07:12Sakumi became the mascot of the first World Cup held on African soil.
07:16He was a leopard with green-dyed hair,
07:19whose name combines South Africa's international abbreviation with the number 10.
07:24Fuleko was selected as the mascot for Brazil, 2014.
07:28He represented a Brazilian tree-branded armadillo,
07:32and his name was a blend of the words football and ecology.
07:36For Russia, 2018, the mascot was Savivaka,
07:40an energetic and friendly Siberian wolf wearing sports goggles.
07:44For the landmark Qatar 2022 World Cup, the mascot was Laib,
07:49a floating, abstract character inspired by the traditional Arab head covering known as the gutra.
07:54His name translates as skill player.
07:57In 2026, for the first time in World Cup history,
08:00the tournament features three official mascots representing the three host nations.
08:05Maple, a Canadian moose,
08:07Sayu, a Mexican jaguar,
08:09and Clutch, the iconic US bald eagle.
08:12The evolution of World Cup mascots
08:14demonstrates how these characters have grown beyond simple entertainment figures
08:18to become cultural and technological ambassadors for each host nation.
08:32And Cristiano Ronaldo shared an emotional message on social media as Portugal departed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,
08:39expressing confidence and optimism ahead of what would be his record sixth appearance in the tournament.
08:45The Portuguese captain told fans that the team is approaching the competition with a lot of hope,
08:49and emphasized that the squad is fully focused on the challenge ahead after an intense period of preparation.
08:57Ronaldo also said he feels physically ready as Portugal begins his quest for World Cup glory.
09:02Portugal opens his World Cup campaign against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17th.
09:15Well, at least we have come to the end of this edition of Beyond the Game, the Boston Spew.
09:19We recall that Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently in overtime, but it remains tied 1-1.
09:25So stay tuned with Telesur to know the final score of this opening match in Canadian.
09:30Soyo, we go back to you, Alejandra.
09:32Thank you. Thank you very much, Lucy, for the updates as all the eyes of the world and all this
09:37major football event.
09:39And after this special segment, we have come to the end of this news brief.
09:43For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra Garcia.
09:45You can find this and many other stories on our website at telesurenglish.net.
09:50Also join us on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.
09:56Thank you very much for watching.
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