Where in Ottawa to watch Canada vs. Belgium at the World Cup
World Cup soccer will take over the capital on Wednesday afternoon as Canada's men's national soccer team plays its first World Cup match in 36 years.
The question for both diehard soccer fans and newcomers to the Team Canada bandwagon: where to watch?
Most sports bar in town will have the match on. Expect them to be crowded, and to get there early.
But there are a few parties that will hold special significance for many fans.
Louis Riel Dome
Forward Jonathan David, a key player for Canada, grew up in east Ottawa and graduated from Louis Riel High School in Gloucester in 2018. He has credited his athletic development at the school as a major reason for his success.
His former coach, Joe Fournier, is organizing a viewing party at the Louis Riel Dome. All are invited.
The dome is at 1659 Bearbrook Rd. A big crowd is expected to cheer on David and his teammates.
Canada forward Jonathan David (20) eyes the ball during practice ahead of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar on Saturday, November 19, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Glebe Central Pub
The Capital City Supporter Group and the Voyageurs - a national soccer supporter group - are hosting a viewing party at the Glebe Central pub, which will include giveaways of Atletico Ottawa gear.
"It's going to be packed in there," Capital City Supporters Group member Aaron Hooper told CTV Morning Live. "It's going to be the English football culture. In the pub standing cheering. We want a full house. We want people to be …really excited and bringing their full energy."
We're going to see scenes, especially if we win, that we've never seen before in Ottawa."
Canada Soccer parties
Canada Soccer has released a nationwide list of live viewing events. The Heart and Crown in the ByWard Market is listed as the official Carlsberg and Canada Soccer viewing party destination. Other pubs in the Market will be showing the match too.
They also say there are public viewing parties planned at St. Laurent Shopping Centre and Tanger Outlets.
Hometown Sports Grill
The Hometown Sports Grill on Bank Street calls itself Ottawa's biggest sports bar. They say they have more than 40 TVs, a full-screen TV and full volume. Bar staff will also be drawing names for a chance to win Team Canada jerseys during the game.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.