• Jonathan Osorio has been speaking to FIFA.com

• The Canada midfielder was recently appointed Toronto FC captain

• He tells us about the city chosen yesterday to host Canada’s FIFA World Cup 26™ opener

Jonathan Osorio loves Toronto. That much is clear not only in the way he speaks about his hometown, but from the actions and decisions that have kept him in the city.

Now 31, this highly regarded Canada international could have moved to Europe, or other lucrative destinations, at several points in his distinguished career. Instead Osorio has become, in the words of his club president, "the essence of Toronto FC", setting an ever-expanding appearance record (341 and counting) that reflects over a decade of sterling service.

The love Osorio has for his city, and his club, is also warmly reciprocated. That was confirmed once again in the last fortnight, when he was named club captain with a ringing endorsement from his head coach.

“Jonathan’s a very special person at this club,” John Herdman said. “You only have to see his connection with kitchen staff, the equipment people, down to the kids at the academy who look up to him as that player who went all the way… He’s ready to take on this big responsibility. And he’s excited for it.”

Osorio, therefore, was the perfect man to talk Toronto in an interview with FIFA.com that also touches upon Herdman, Canada’s national team and growing excitement around FIFA World Cup 26™.

FIFA.com: Jonathan, congratulations on being named Toronto FC captain. Can you tell us what that honour means to you. Jonathan Osorio: It means a lot, partly because I'm a local guy, but more so for the amount of years I've been at the club, the amount of time and work that I’ve put in, and the sacrifices I’ve made to try to always play my best and do what's right for the club. That's what really makes it extra special for me.

You don’t see many one-club players these days, and you’ve had good opportunities to leave down the years. What is it that’s kept you at Toronto? Each time I’ve had the opportunity to leave, the club has really shown that it values me a lot. As a footballer, that feeling of being valued is such a big thing, and to feel this way at my hometown club is something I don’t take for granted. It’s always been Toronto for me. When it came down to it, it always felt that this club and this city was my best option, and that there were opportunities here to challenge myself in different ways.

It’s an exciting time for the country and city, with the World Cup coming your way in a couple of years. Can that be something that spurs on Toronto FC between now and 2026? Of course. It's so exciting that the World Cup is coming not just to our city, but to our stadium. For Canada as a whole, it's just a wonderful opportunity – maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, yeah, it’s a huge motivation for us all, and I do think it’s important for Toronto FC to be competitive going into the World Cup because that will help a lot with all the build-up in the city. That’s my goal. I want to bring the club back to being a contender in this league, and also to personally make sure I’m in the mix and making myself a strong contender to be picked to play in this home World Cup.

There’s added incentive now, of course, with Toronto having been selected to host Canada’s opening match in 2026. Can you imagine what it would it be like to walk out in your home stadium for that one? That would be just incredible. It’s actually hard to even imagine it right now but even just the idea is very, very motivating. It’s incredible to think about that becoming a reality, and I know how lucky I would feel to be part of an occasion like that in Toronto.

For fans of other nations whose teams end up playing in the city, can you sell Toronto to them? What I would say is that I've had many team-mates from many different countries over the years, and most of them have never wanted to leave. I think that's because Toronto is such a welcoming city, and Canada in general is such a welcoming country. It's so diverse too - you have a little bit of everything when it comes to things like restaurants, places to go and things to do. It's such a great city. I honestly think that if Toronto had Miami's weather, it would be completely overpopulated. Every time I see someone come here, they just fall in love with the place and everything that comes along with it.

On the field, the club has endured some tough times in recent seasons. But in John Herdman, you have a coach who did amazing things for you with the national team. Are you hopeful he can have the same impact at club level? Definitely. I know he has the tools to help this team and get us back to where we want to be. I've obviously been a part of him building a program and taking a team to heights that no-one thought could be reached, so I know what he’s capable of. For me, it’s his work ethic and the passion he has for what he does that really sets him apart as a coach. I must say, too, that the staff he has behind him, and the amount of work that they do, is incredible.

You and John obviously went to the 2022 World Cup with Canada. Can you tell us about that experience and how it measured up to your expectations? You hear this a lot but, honestly, it was a dream come true. Everything about the whole experience was incredible. It was obviously a unique World Cup in the sense that it was all contained in one city, and the whole thing was just great for our families and friends to be a part of. Everything about the organisation was fantastic, and of course the games – the atmospheres, and the level of competition – were the best part. Everything was just at the highest level. It was better than anything I could have imagined.

Canada competed well, too, even if the scorelines didn’t always reflect that. Is that the big aim for 2026: to turn performances into results? Yeah, I think that's really the next step for this country. We’ve now qualified for a World Cup, which was great, and our performance there definitely deserved more in terms of points. But in football, the reality is that people don’t really remember performances – they remember results. That’s the most important thing. For us at the next World Cup, we have to feed off the energy of being at home and the support we’ll receive, get some points on the board and, yeah, look to get out of our group.

You don’t have a qualifying campaign to negotiate this time, of course. With that in mind, how important is it that you make it to the Copa America after the defeat to Jamaica left you in a bit of a sticky spot in qualifying? The game in March (a qualifying play-off against Trinidad and Tobago) is huge for us. We’re well aware of that. We’re not putting any more pressure on ourselves, but it’s a game we feel we need to win because it’s really important for us to be involved in the Copa America. Without qualifiers, we need to get that level of competition and experience going into the next World Cup. So yeah, it’s a huge game and I know we’ll put ourselves in the best position to get the result we need.

Results have been pretty mixed since that great run that took you to the World Cup. Do you feel that this Canada team still has the same ingredients that saw you top the Concacaf qualifying standings last time out? Definitely. We also have a lot of younger players that are coming through now, maturing, gaining more experience, and players who’ve made moves to bigger clubs and are playing at higher levels. We have a good core group, and for me it's just about going back to the basics of what made us successful in the first place. There was that humility and hard work that went into every success we had in those 2022 qualifiers, and it’s just about making sure that’s still there every time we take the field.