Thomas Heffernan is a diehard Canada soccer fan and Toronto bar owner. His personal and professional dreams do not always line up.

Personally, when FIFA announces the 12 groups for the 2026 World Cup in a glitzy, star-studded spectacle Friday, Heffernan is dreaming of the weakest possible opponents for Canada. Cabo Verde, the island nation off the West African coast, would be ideal.

Professionally, as the owner of Garden Bar in Leslieville, he is hoping for the best teams and blockbuster matchups. Italy. Colombia. Scotland. But either way, business will be booming.

“It’s gonna be the busiest six weeks of our entire existence,” Heffernan said.

For the city of Toronto and those in it — fans, business owners and officials — Friday’s ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. wi

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