If your office is anything like Redwood’s, chances are you’ve been riveted to the 2026 World Cup of Soccer over the past few weeks. And who wouldn’t be? Canada is not only a host nation but also a viable contender, with a team that has made it clear it can compete and win on the world stage. And while the world cheered Spain for a well-deserved victory, we can all share a sense of pride in our Canadian team!
This year’s breakthrough Canadian performance didn’t happen by accident. It came from years of investment in opportunities for young players, stronger coaching, and the confidence that comes from being tested against the world’s best. And while we may not yet be a global powerhouse, we served notice of how far we have come and our future potential.
Over the course of the tournament, I learned a lot about soccer. And having observed the games through the lens of a learning and development professional, I was struck by the parallels between a winning team on the pitch and one in the workplace. In this post, I’d like to share a few World Cup lessons that can help Canadian businesses train people more effectively.
1. Focus on the Game at Hand
A winning coach begins by asking powerful questions: Who are we playing? What are their strengths? Where are they vulnerable? What are the key situations that will decide the game?
It’s the same for businesses. Before designing the training, ask the questions that will make it most effective: What tasks require improvement? What factors need to be addressed? Is it a customer service issue, safety risk, sales performance, team leadership, or outdated technology?
Key Takeaway:
When designing training, don’t focus on what courses you need. Begin with “What must people do to perform their jobs better?”
2. Train for the Moments That Matter
In soccer, key events win games and tournaments: a lapse in defence, an unnecessary penalty, a corner kick, superior positional awareness, or a lapse in communication can make the difference between a win and a loss.
The success of every business is also determined at key moments: Handling an irate customer, spotting an obscure fraudulent transaction, making the right safety call at the right time, using AI tools properly, explaining products to customers, or escalating a risk will all have an impact on an organization’s success.
Key Takeaway:
Design training that builds expertise around key moments. At Redwood, we use scenarios and simulations to challenge learners and enhance performance at key decision points. Even better, they can practice handling challenging situations in a safe, risk-free simulated environment.
3. Match the Training to the Role
In soccer, a goalkeeper gets different training than a striker. Obviously, each team position has specific skills that must be learned and consistently practiced.
Business is no different. Frontline managers require different skills from line workers or sales personnel. A new employee does not require the same depth of training as an experienced specialist. When learners see how training improves their performance, engagement improves by leaps and bounds.
Key Takeaway:
Design learning that matches a learner’s role, tasks, risks, and responsibilities. Know the specific areas where generic training is desirable, such as DEI. Otherwise, design training that addresses each learner’s specific needs.
4. Simulate “Real World” Pressures:
What sets champions apart is the ability to compete and win when the going gets tough. They rise to the occasion, even when players are tired, playing in pain, and forced to change the game plan quickly.
Business training most often happens in controlled conditions that look nothing like the workplace. That’s problematic. You can’t expect people to develop the skills needed to manage the unexpected when they’ve been trained in controlled conditions. To be most effective, training must simulate real-world challenges.
Key Takeaway:
Raise the stakes with realistic pressures: time limits, competing priorities, operational constraints and the consequences of poor choices. At Redwood, we create engaging and realistic simulated environments that train people to manage challenging events and conditions. Our experience has shown that simulations and other advanced learning tools boost engagement and retention.
5. Use Continuous Feedback
Champion soccer teams consistently review game video. The intent is to help players become aware of opportunities to hone their skills – things like timing, positioning, decision-making, or teamwork.
Similarly, organizations should take advantage of every opportunity to provide meaningful feedback. Equally important, learners should receive feedback throughout the course. In our experience, consistent feedback ensures faster learning and deeper understanding.
Key Takeaway:
Make ample use of observation, coaching, peer review, manager check-ins, short quizzes, scenario debriefs, and post-training performance data. Communicate performance levels to learners at key points throughout the training.
6. Build Team Coordination
One of my strongest takeaways from watching this year’s World Cup was how the best teams seamlessly combined outstanding individual and team performance. A pass is only perfect when a teammate “makes the run” to receive it.
In our work, we often see opportunities to improve in the handoffs: leadership to managers, sales to operations, policy to frontline execution, and training to execution.
Key Takeaway:
Train individuals to work on team workflows. Emphasize communication, escalation, decision-making, and collaboration. Make human skills an integral pillar of all training (Learn more about Redwood’s human skills expertise here).
7. Stay Agile as the Game Changes
World Cup coaches routinely change tactics. Factors like injuries, opponent strategies, fatigue, or whether a team should play offensively or defensively at a particular point in the match. To be effective, training must help players adapt to any situation.
Canadian organizations face the same ongoing challenges: AI adoption, productivity pressures, hybrid work, regulatory change, and evolving skill requirements, all of which impact business performance.
Key Takeaway:
View learning as a dynamic and constantly evolving system. Courses should be quickly refreshed, and development cycles significantly shortened. It is especially important to listen to learners and incorporate their on-the-job observations into course development.
Why World Cup Training Lessons for Canadian Businesses Matter
Canadian organizations need to do more to upskill people than ever before. Adapting to AI, our critical productivity challenge, employee retention, and many other factors are crucial to our ability to compete. But what we need is not just more training. We need training that addresses today’s learning needs and anticipates tomorrow’s challenges.
And that’s the overarching lesson we can take from this year’s historic advancement made by our Canadian team. It shows the benefits of years of investment, strong coaching, meaningful practice, and the confidence that comes from being challenged by higher standards.
Congratulations as well to Spain for an outstanding tournament! Their skill, dedication, discipline, and relentless pursuit of excellence inspired football fans around the world and set a standard that all teams can aspire to.
The same is true for workplace learning. When we train people to read the play, make the run, and deliver when it matters most, we can be confident that Canadian businesses can compete and win against the world’s best!