Macklin Celebrini reflects on soccer helping his game, captaining Canada, how hockey could learn from World Cup atmosphere

TORONTO — It was a hot summer's day when two of the world's biggest names in soccer were set to clash in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić. Portugal taking on Croatia in the World Cup Round of 32, at BMO Field, brought Canadian soccer fandom to a fever pitch and in the middle of all of it was Macklin Celebrini.

The 20-year-old hockey phenom, who has already represented Canada at the Olympics and captained the nation at the World Championships all while racking up 115 points for the San Jose Sharks this past NHL season, teamed up with Airbnb to host a soccer camp involving 40 guests and Glen Shields Juventus Academy coach Vince Petrasso.

"Sports has been a huge part of my life and even if you don't want to compete or live it out as a professional, it's still an amazing opportunity to do something you enjoy and keep yourself healthy," Celebrini said of the event.

Celebrini grew up with soccer as a big part of his life. His father, Rick, was a professional soccer player primarily in Vancouver and also made an international appearance for Team Canada. His mother, Robyn, also played at the collegiate level. Celebrini and his siblings Aiden, RJ, and Charlie all developed an early affinity for soccer and Macklin has been soaking up every moment of Canada having the opportunity to host the 2026 men's FIFA World Cup.

"It's been amazing," Celebrini said in an exclusive interview with Yahoo Canada. "Soccer's been a big part of my life, both my parents played soccer growing up and obviously my dad's background is in soccer, it's just really cool to kinda follow this team and watch how much success they're having."

Celebrini took part in some drills run by Petrasso before the event, showing off some of the early childhood soccer skills that had been instilled in him. Between his slick passing and sharp movement on the ice, which has made him an NHL star, Celebrini feels that he has soccer to thank for at least some of it.

"Growing up playing soccer probably helped with some footwork and agility," Celebrini said. "Mostly, it's the vision. Soccer is a bit slower in some parts but there's a lot more thinking that goes into it and it's more like chess. You gotta think three steps ahead and that's helped me in hockey."

Here's the rest of the 1-on-1 conversation Yahoo Canada had with Celebrini:

Yahoo Canada (YC): What's it been like to see Canada host a men's FIFA World Cup?

Macklin Celebrini: It's amazing. I've been around BC Place a little bit during the games and, just to see that energy, I was down there when New Zealand played Egypt and that was unbelievable. It was really cool to see two countries I've never been to and see how much passion and energy they brought to Vancouver.

YC: Do you think Canadian sports fans can learn from these other countries' soccer fandom?

Celebrini: 100 per cent. My brothers, my buddies, and I love the chants, especially that European soccer fans bring. You see it all over social media but I think that kind of thing is super cool and I wouldn't hate to see that transfer a little bit into hockey.

The chants and when the fans are really into the game makes the atmosphere that much more fun.

YC: Canada has long been known as a hockey country, but do you feel like it's steadily becoming more of a flat-out sports country?

Celebrini: I think it's only good for Canada. To be a high-level country in every sport and compete with the best in every sport is only good for Canada.

YC: Changing gears to hockey, what was it like captaining Canada at the 2026 World Championships?

Celebrini: It was an amazing honour. I don't think I can really put into words what it meant to me personally and probably one of the biggest honours and accomplishments of my career so far.

YC: What it did mean to you when Crosby decided to play the World Championships but wanted to keep you as captain?

Celebrini: From [Ryan] O'Reilly and [John] Tavares and Sid, I just appreciate them having that trust in me and wanting me to have that experience. They're amazing role models to follow and learn from, I think all three of them are leaders on their own team and have been around the game for so long and legends of the game so just being around them and having that responsibility was special. I don't think it changed what I did very much, just being able to watch them and see how they led helped me learn. It was a really good experience.

YC: What about your upbringing has prepared you for everything that's come your way at such a young age?

Celebrini: The way my parents raised me, always to be a good person first and treat everyone with respect. That's something they were big on for me and my siblings, that was one of the values you needed. It doesn't matter what you do in your life, it's all about treating other people the right way and I think being humble is the biggest thing. You're never bigger or better than anyone, but at the same time, I probably have more confidence in myself than anyone has in me. I believe in what I'm able to do and that really helped me keep my confidence and prepare me for what's come.

YC: Is there anyone who helped you find that balance between supreme confidence and humility?

Celebrini: As far as inspirations, you look at all the legends of our game, that's kind of the way hockey players have been. That's the culture that's been created by guys way before me. Guys like Sid have carried that on, how to act the right way and present yourself the right way. That's something I watched as a kid, guys like Jonathan Toews are role models for kids and I learned from.

YC: What was it like to get your first Olympics experience under your belt?

Celebrini: If you look back two years ago, not a lot of people thought I'd be on that team and that was, again, an amazing honour and privilege to be with that group and compete for a gold medal. It's what you dream of as a kid and looking at it from that perspective was a really special experience but we had a goal in mind to go over there and win and we didn't accomplish that so it's a little bit sour for every guy looking back at it.

YC: What's your biggest learning lesson from the Olympics having had the time to reflect?

Celebrini: Just how small the margins are, especially at that level of the game. That's as good as it gets, gold medal game in the Olympics and it's inches. Every little detail matters, the difference between winning and losing, you see that even in the playoffs. It really is a flip of a coin when you get into those kinds of situations. It sucks the way it ended but a really cool experience.

YC: Do you have a favourite highlight from the Olympics?

Celebrini: We all went to a speed skating event as a team, which was amazing for me. To be able to see other athletes, we were cheering on Canada. Watching other athletes live out their dream and perform at the highest level in their sport was amazing to watch and cheer them on.