EXCLUSIVE! Ville de Montréal says no to England, France and the Netherlands

According to a number of reliable sources, CF Montreal was not only in talks with the French team to offer them the Nutrilait Centre and its facilities for the 2026 World Cup, but was also inserious talks with England and the Netherlands.The club – read Joey Saputo here – had set itself the goal of offering its facilities to a top nation during the World Cup, and was prepared to conclude at least one agreement. However, the City of Montreal was not prepared to cooperate, particularly in terms of transportation and logistics surrounding this three-week Montreal residency, even though it had been a great success with Real Madrid and Chelsea a few years ago… Unfortunately, according to information I received just a few hours ago, the project is now dead.

Harry Kane came close to settling in Montreal for three weeks in 2026. (Credit: Archives)

Reminder: Alexandre Pratt spoke earlier this week about the $600,000 the city would have had to spend on such a project.

If I were Joey Saputo, I too would like to be able to count on better collaboration with the City of Montreal.Meanwhile, in Bologna, the mayor has given Joey the keys to the city… so much so that the City of Bologna is even talking about the possibility of staging Euro matches in 2032. We're somewhere else, aren't we?We lost the Expos and Nordiques many years ago – mainly due to government inaction – and we're still mourning them today.We have an owner/family who has invested heavily in Québécois soccer – and hopes to do so for many years to come – so why not all sit down together and work more collaboratively, to make CF Montréal shine at the highest level? I asked myself that question this morning.