As football fever continues to grip Canada during the FIFA World Cup, a group of young Bhutanese football enthusiasts in Toronto are preparing for a milestone of their own.
Toronto Phojas, a team formed less than six months ago by Bhutanese players in the Greater Toronto Area, will participate in the Shadhin Open Soccer Championship on June 28 at Oakridge Park Soccer Field in Toronto.
The amateur tournament will bring together teams from several South Asian and Himalayan communities for a day of competition and camaraderie. For Toronto Phojas, however, the event marks something more significant: their first official tournament as a team.
According to team coordinator Tshewang Phuntsho, the decision to participate was driven by a desire to connect with Toronto’s wider football community while testing the progress the team has made over the past few months. “Each player in our team has been working hard these past few months and this tournament will provide a platform to both showcase and challenge these skills,” he said.
Made up of players united by their passion for football, the team has been training regularly and playing friendly matches across the city in preparation for the tournament. Tshewang believes those efforts have helped build confidence and strengthen the team’s chemistry on and off the field.
“We came together as this team less than six months ago, and we are very proud of how far we have come,” he said. “This team represents the strength in consistency and the power of passion.”
Beyond the matches themselves, the tournament is also an opportunity for members of the Bhutanese community to come together around a shared love of the sport. Many of the players grew up playing and following football in Bhutan and now find themselves pursuing the same passion in Canada during a summer when the country is hosting the FIFA World Cup.
Toronto Phojas will begin their campaign with the following group-stage fixtures:
Fixtures
9:30 a.m. – Toronto Phojas vs Nepal
2:00 p.m. – Toronto Phojas vs Bangladesh Red
Date: Sunday, June 28, 2026
Venue: Oakridge Park Soccer Field, Toronto
This article is part of ABO’s Community Pulse series, highlighting stories, events, and community happenings involving Bhutanese across Ontario.