Every World Cup has the stars you expect: the strikers, the keepers, the coaches pretending they are calm.
Toronto has two more names on the prep list: Ben and Sally.
They are border collies, and their job is very specific: keep Canada geese off a World Cup training pitch before visiting teams use it. Not exactly a glamorous assignment. Still important. Still very much a job.
The assignment
According to Reuters, Ben and Sally are working with Border Control Bird Dogs, a goose-management agency, at a FIFA World Cup training field in Centennial Park in Toronto. Their schedule is not casual: twice a day, five days a week, with handlers on standby if the geese decide they would also like some pitch time.
Which, apparently, geese do.
The issue is not just that Canada geese enjoy a nice open field. It is what they leave behind. Goose droppings can carry disease and damage turf, which is a real problem when international teams need a clean, safe, playable surface. In other words, this is not “cute dogs chase birds for fun.” This is field maintenance with paws.
Ben is the veteran: 8 years old, experienced, and always watching for movement. Sally is 2 and a half, and her handler says she switches into work mode as soon as the hi-vis vest goes on. Very fair. Some of us need coffee. Sally needs the vest.
The work also makes sense for the breed. Border collies are built for focus, movement, and reading space. Here, that instinct is being used in a controlled way: no chaos, no tackles, just steady pressure from trained dogs and handlers until the birds move along.
And that is the charm of the story. World Cup prep usually means security plans, turf checks, media crews, and teams arriving with entire operations behind them. In Toronto, it also means two border collies making sure the field does not become a goose lounge.
Ben and Sally may not be on the team sheet, but they have their own match to win before the players arrive. Their opponent: Canada geese. Their game plan: focus, instinct, and absolutely no nonsense. The pitch stays clean, the teams get to train, and the geese are politely shown the exit.
Sources: Reuters reporting, published June 25, 2026; CityNews Toronto video via YouTube.
