OTTAWA — Mark Carney, a prominent advocate for Canada at the World Cup, is drawing mixed reactions from his fellow citizens, who worry that his support might be more detrimental than beneficial, especially given his history with sports.
In March 2025, Carney, the new prime minister, participated in a pre-game skate with the Edmonton Oilers. That evening, the Oilers were defeated by the Winnipeg Jets, and the team subsequently suffered a series of injuries. Ryan Whitney, a former Oiler and host of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, commented on X: “The Carney Curse is real for Edmonton. What the hell just happened. Guy is on the ice with the Oil this morning and now everyone is injured.”
Concerns have now arisen among Canadians that their prime minister may have brought this so-called “Carney Curse” to the World Cup, with some blaming him for Canada’s loss to Switzerland on Wednesday. Notably, Canada’s only goal was scored when Carney briefly left his box seat at Vancouver’s BC Place.
Last week, there was a momentary belief in Ottawa that the curse might have lifted. Carney did not attend Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, following days of speculation regarding his potential impact on the team, the prime minister was present to witness Canada’s victory over Qatar. If Canada had managed to either beat or draw against Switzerland, they could have advanced to play up to two elimination games in Vancouver. However, with the loss, they were demoted to runner-up status and faced a knockout-round match in Los Angeles against South Africa on Sunday.
Canada’s men’s soccer team is just one among several sports teams that have seemingly fallen victim to Carney’s unintended influence. The Toronto Blue Jays lost the World Series after his visit, the Canadian women’s rugby team saw him travel to the United Kingdom to support them at the World Cup last summer, and he labeled the Montreal Canadiens as “Canada’s team” during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
