UConn soccer fans could take a rooting interest in Team Canada when the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins.

A former UConn soccer star, Cyle Larin will represent his native Canada in the 48-team tournament, which begins this week. Canada is scheduled to open play in Group B on Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.

Larin, 31, is from Brampton, Ontario, about an hour west of Toronto.

Larin, a forward, was part of the recruiting Class of 2013 and started 22 of 23 games that season. He tallied 14 goals – sixth highest by an NCAA player – and was the American Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Year. He had five game-winning goals and three assists.

As a sophomore in 2014, Larin led the Huskies with 21 points and nine goals in 16 games (15 starts). He also recorded three assists. He led the conference in game-winning goals (three), goals per game (0.56) and points per game (1.31) and earned the AAC Offensive Player of the Year award.

His two-year totals at UConn – 38 games, 23 goals and six assists for 52 points – convinced pro teams of his draft worthiness.

Orlando City SC selected him No. 1 overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, making him the third Huskies player drafted first overall. He joined Chris Gbandi (2002) and Andre Blake (2014) as No. 1 picks. With the selections of Blake and Larin at the top of the draft, UConn produced consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks.

At Orlando City, Larin set a rookie record with 17 goals in the 2015 season and was named MLS Rookie of the Year.

In all, he spent three seasons (2015-17) in Major League Soccer, all in Orlando, and recorded 44 goals in 87 games. After being selected as an All-Star in 2015, he decided the following year that he wanted to continue his career in Europe.

Orlando City sold him to the Turkish club Besiktas in January 2018 and he has played in Europe since. Following the conclusion of the World Cup, he will join Southampton of England’s second-tier league on a two-year contract.

After his freshman season at UConn, Larin was invited to Canada’s senior national training camp and played in a pair of friendly matches. He played on the country’s 2015 CONCACAF U20 team and continued to rise up Canada’s soccer ladder.

He was part of Canada’s 2022 World Cup team in Qatar, and in 11 years playing for the national team, Larin has earned 89 caps – third all-time for the country. His 30 international goals in 64 starts are second in Canada’s history.

Canada finished 0-3-0 in Qatar. What is Larin’s prediction for this team, which is ranked 30th in the world?

“The ambition is to go as far as we can,” he told the FIFA website staff. “We made it to the semi-finals of the Copa America [in 2024] and played some of the best teams in the world. So I think we can go as far as we want to, and our mentality now compared to the last World Cup is a lot different. We're not just there to be there - we're there to win something.”

Canada also will play Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24. Both matches will be played in Vancouver.

This will be just the third World Cup appearance for the Canadian men, who also qualifed in 1986 before their 36-year wait until Qatar. The Canadians have never won a game in the event.

The United States, Canada and Mexico are jointly hosting the World Cup.

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