Eleven-year-old Theo Labelle from Bouctouche, New Brunswick, fulfilled a major dream by serving as an official FIFA World Cup Match Ball Carrier at Toronto’s BMO Field on July 2, 2026. Selected by Kia Canada for the role, Theo carried the match ball onto the pitch before a Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia, standing near soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić in front of nearly 50,000 spectators.
Theo Labelle returned home after leading players onto the field before nearly 50,000 fans
Polina Kozlova · CBC News
· Posted: Jul 07, 2026 12:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 7
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Theo Labelle from Bouctouche, N.B., took center stage at Toronto’s BMO Field as an official FIFA World Cup Match Ball Carrier. (Submitted by Isabelle Allain-Labelle)
For 11-year-old Theo Labelle, walking onto the pitch at Toronto’s BMO Field wasn’t intimidating. It was exciting.
The Bouctouche boy carried the official match ball onto the field last Thursday when Portugal faced Croatia in a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match, standing just metres away from two of the sport’s biggest stars — Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić — in front of nearly 50,000 fans.
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