Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment: James Johnson and the Transformation to a New Era
By Nii Wallace-Bruce
Part Three of The Shape of Canadian Soccer, a five-part series on identity, infrastructure and the legacy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
From Scoring on the Pitch to Own Goals Off It
On the field, Canada was scoring. Off it, old disputes threatened to cancel the celebration. Olympic gold. Senior World Cup qualifications. Young Canadians starring abroad. Yet behind the headlines, tension simmered. Contracts opaque. Commercial opportunities fragmented. Visibility limited.
Canada Soccer Business (CSB), managing broadcast rights and sponsorships in partnership with Canada Soccer, had grown unwieldy. Over five years, both men’s and women’s national teams staged protests or strikes, turning frustration into action. In June 2022, the men’s team cancelled a friendly against Panama in Vancouver. In 2023, the women’s team protested during the SheBelieves Cup, participating under protest.
CSB Era: Contracts, Protests, and Player Frustration
OneSoccer, a channel dedicated to Canadian soccer, was stifled by cable providers. Visibility was limited when the sport demanded attention. Sponsorships were inconsistent. Players felt sidelined. Fans missed the chance to watch their teams on major platforms.
“I think we are moving in the right direction and obviously here in Canada, some massive steps have been made,” said former CanWNT captain and all-time leading goalscorer Christine Sinclair.
Christine Sinclair was in the middle of the 2023 strike/protest as captain of the CanWNT. (Photo credit: Nii Wallace-Bruce)
James Johnson: Architect of a Modern Soccer Vision
May 2026 marked James Johnson’s first anniversary at the helm of what was then CSB. His resume spans Football Australia, FIFA, the AFC, City Football Group, and Australia’s Professional Footballers Association.
At Football Australia, he rolled out a 15-year vision, delivered a successful 2023 Women’s World Cup, and reformed club licensing and player transfers. Key partnerships were forged with a focus on the women’s game. And he did it all during a global pandemic.
James Johnson brings experience as a player advocate, club executive, and national administrator to CSME (Photo credit: CSME)
A Club, a League, and the Problem of Alignment
Inter Toronto, in that sense, becomes less an exception than an example of the kind of club the CPL is now tasked with integrating.
“We’ve been saying since we got here that diversity is our strength,” Ricardo Pasquel said. “You have people from all over the world living in Toronto. It’s like a world within a city. So what better word to represent that than Inter.”
It is not accidental phrasing. “Inter” is a deliberate attempt to encode cosmopolitan identity into a club still shaping its competitive and commercial foundations.
Behind that sits Game Plan Sports Group, led by the Pasquel brothers, who entered Canadian soccer ownership with a familiar promise: structure first, results second.
“We are an ambitious group that has lived and breathed soccer all our lives,” Pasquel said at the club’s rebranding. “On the field, we expect to deliver trophies… Off the field, we are committed to understanding the needs of our supporters and the community.”
That dual promise—performance and belonging—mirrors the broader tension inside the league itself, where club identity must now be absorbed into a system designed to scale without fragmentation.
Launching CSME: Broadcast Deals, Sponsorships, and Media Storytelling
Under Johnson, CSB became Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment (CSME)—a modern media and sponsorship powerhouse. Every match, highlight, and fan interaction now reaches maximum visibility. Digital platforms consolidated. Sponsorships streamlined. Storytelling professionalized. Players and fans were at the center.
By February 2026, a binding agreement with Canada Soccer formalized the transformation. Within 100 days, the vision was tangible: CanMNT and CanWNT matches returned to TSN. Broadcast deals now included Bundesliga, UEFA Women’s Champions League, NWSL, and CONCACAF competitions.
"Partners get excited by big tournaments—and they should, because this is the biggest tournament in the world coming to our shores," Johnson told PSP Media. "Stability is key. This agreement gives confidence to the market. We’ll see new partnerships, and new investment, in the coming months."
The revived partnership between Canada Soccer and Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment gives certainty to the soccer community in Canada. (Photo credit: Canada Soccer)
Building the Bridge: Participation to Performance
Johnson’s work is more than corporate restructuring. It’s about bridging participation to performance. Grassroots players now see a clear path: youth leagues → CPL/NSL → national team. Domestic leagues are no longer developmental backwaters—they’re stages, showcases, and pipelines. Exposure brings opportunity. Visibility fuels growth. Performance is rewarded.
Legal Wins, Media Access, and the CPL Spotlight
OneSoccer’s legal victory against Rogers Communications was affirmed by the CRTC. Matches—from domestic CPL games to international fixtures—will now reach Canadian fans on cable and satellite platforms. Visibility is unlocked. It is noted that James Johnson is the Commissioner of the CPL as well as being a board member for OneSoccer. For clarity, the NSL independently secured their own broadcast and commercial agreements.
World Cup 2026 and Beyond: The Pipeline in Action
As Canada hosts the 2026 World Cup, CSME ensures the spectacle isn’t confined to stadiums. Media, sponsorship, and player support infrastructure now stretch from grassroots leagues to the national stage. Metrics—subscriptions, clicks, views—tell part of the story. The heart beats elsewhere: in locker rooms, in kids’ eyes seeing Canadian stars for the first time, in local clubs where dreams are being forged.
Past frustrations have been turned into opportunity. With media visibility, domestic league growth, and a clear bridge from youth to elite performance, Canadian soccer is finally positioned to thrive at every level.
Fans will get to see more soccer matches on television, before, during, and after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo credit: Nii Wallace-Bruce)
Sources:
Christine Sinclair, Former CanWNT captain, public lecture, 6 May, 2026
Canada Soccer Association, “Canada Soccer - CSME Binding Agreement”, 12 February, 2026
Football Australia, “Chief Executive Officer James Johnson to depart Football Australia", 9 May, 2025
Ricardo Pasquel, Part-owner, Inter Toronto FC, personal interview, 27 November, 2025
Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment , “Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment Releases Refined Vision to Accelerate Growth of Soccer in Canada”, 22 April 2026
James Johnson, Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment CEO, press conference, 13 February, 2026
Sportico, “Canadian Soccer Media Firm Finally Escapes Rogers’ TV Bottleneck”, Justin Birnbaum, Michael McCann, 12 May, 2026
Photo Credits:
Public lecture, Christine Sinclair, 8 May 2026 - Photo courtesy of Nii Wallace-Bruce
CEO James Johnson, 22 April 2026 - Photo courtesy of Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment
Canada Soccer and Canada Soccer Media and Entertainment logos, 12 February 2026 - Photo courtesy of Canada Soccer
2026 FIFA World Cup Draw, 12 December 2025 - Photo courtesy of Nii Wallace-Bruce
All photos are used with permission. All rights reserved to the creator.
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