Growing up on Edmonton’s south side, Rayan Elloumi did what most Canadian kids do — his parents took him to the rink so he could learn how to skate and play hockey.
But Elloumi absolutely hated being on skates. His mom, Houda, would have to bribe him with the promise of sweet buns from the local Safeway just to get her son to lace up his skates.
Lacing up soccer boots was a different thing entirely. He fell in love with soccer at an early age. By his teens he was playing for BTB Academy, one of the most recognized clubs not only in Edmonton, but in the country. He then made the move west to join the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, and made his Major League Soccer debut in 2025 against the Columbus Crew.
Even though he was born in Canada, Elloumi has two passports. And, at just the age of 18, Tunisia called him into its squad for the 2026 World Cup. If he plays in a World Cup match, even a minute-long spell as a substitute, he will be permanently tied to the Tunisian national team and will lose all eligibility to play for Canada.
Elloumi was in pre-tournament camps for both Canada and Tunisia earlier this year, auditioning for Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch and Tunisian boss Sabri Lamoushi.
“It’s a big blessing because you can play for both countries, but at the same time it’s a little bit unique because, no matter who you choose, you always feel like you’re letting the other one down,” Elloumi said during a media availability before he left Vancouver to join the Tunisian side.
“My decision to play for Tunisia was always an open conversation. I was never really pressured into it. I had great conversations with not only my agent, but coaches on both sides, from Jesse Marsch to Sabri Lamoushi in the Tunisian team. It was really just my decision, and I felt it was the right decision for me to go play, and also to play in World Cup at 18 years old is an insane opportunity, I think.”
A generation ago, a decision by a Canada-born player to represent the country of his heritage would have been met with sorrow. Canadian soccer has a long history of players deciding not to choose Canada.
Teal Bunbury, the son of former Canadian national team star Alex Bunbury, played for Canada as a youth, but then opted to represent the United States.
Two other famous examples are from Alberta — Calgary’s Owen Hargreaves, who went on to play for Bayern Munich and Manchester United, opted to represent England rather than Canada. And Asmir Begovic, an Edmonton-raised goalkeeper who represented Canada at the U-20 World Cup, opted to represent Bosnia-Herzegovina. Begovic never forgot his Edmonton roots, though. Daryl Fordyce, the top scorer in FC Edmonton history, roomed with Begovic when they were teammates in Portsmouth. And Fordyce said how he first heard of Edmonton was through Begovic’s non-stop obsession with the Oilers.
But, Canada’s national team is different now. It is filled with players who play regularly in Europe or MLS. The team isn’t desperate, and it was clear that Elloumi wasn’t on the radar for a place on the Canadian roster for 2026. Canada has four strikers who will be vying for playing time — Juventus’s Jonathan David, Promise David (Union SG, Belgium), Southampton’s Cyle Larin and Tani Oluwaseyi (Spain, Villarreal). A teenager who is currently a depth player with the Vancouver Whitecaps still has a lot of work to do to get into that rotation.
But Tunisia doesn’t have that kind of depth at the forward position.
“I think there’s a lot of great strikers in my position. There’s a lot of great footballers there,” said Elloumi. “I don’t know if I would have been in that group. I think I would have needed a couple of more years to develop to really become the player I want to be before I made that group.”
Some may remember that FC Edmonton midfielder and former Canada U-20 youth player Shamit Shome made the switch to represent the country of his parents’ birth, Bangladesh.
Tunisia opens the World Cup June 14 in Guadalajara, Mexico, against Sweden and its famed Arsenal striker, Viktor Gyokeres. Then comes a game against Japan in Mexico, before a date with the powerful Dutch side in Kansas City. Group F is as close to a Group of Death as we get in this 48-team World Cup.
Kondeh Mansaray, BTB’s technical director, coached Elloumi during the player’s time at the club.
“When I first saw him, I thought he was a very good player,” said Mansaray. “He loves the game, he wants to get better. When you have a person like that, it’s just a matter of time till they reach where they are supposed to reach. Those are the two most important things, you have to love something and you have to want to get better at it.”
As a coach who helped mentor a player to the biggest sporting stage of all, Mansaray said it’s a reflection on BTB as a whole.
“To know that we’re going to see him on television, playing at the World Cup, it’s very rewarding. The reason BTB started was to give opportunities for kids to live out their dreams, and that can be through soccer or other avenues.”
Houda is BTB’s treasurer, and Mansaray called her a “second mom” to many of the players. She said BTB is “my family” and Mansaray is like a brother to her.
Elloumi’s parents came to Canada from Tunisia as international students, and then decided to stay.
Houda leaves Friday for Europe, where she’ll watch Tunisia’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Belgium and Austria. She will be in Mexico for Tunisia’s first two group-stage games and will head to the United States for the third.
“It’s a big opportunity for him, for us, for the community, for Tunisia,” said Houda. “So, yeah, it’s a lot. It’s crazy. I don’t know how to express it. But it’s a big honour. To be honest, this was his dream. And I’m so proud of him.”
She remembered that when her son first tried to get into the Whitecaps’ Academy, he was cut. And he came back the next year for the combine, and played so well that he could not be ignored.
“The game started and then, in a few minutes, Rayan scores,” recalled Houda. “I didn’t feel like I was very nervous, but I was screaming. I was very emotional. And with Rayan they can see the confidence, the game was going crazy, he was playing very well, and scores again, and then everyone was congratulating him, and then this was being a blessing, that was a very, very special moment.”
If he plays in the World Cup, chances are his mom will have a new favourite soccer memory.
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and .
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun