Good morning. History will be made today when the first FIFA World Cup game is played on Canadian soil. More on that below, along with news on Saskatchewan and the Snowbirds. But first:

• A Toronto police officer was killed in an operation tied to a March shooting at the United States consulate
• The family of the 22-year-old who died after donating plasma in Winnipeg shared new reports on what happened at the Grifols-run collection centre
• U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran, citing a breakthrough in peace talks

Hi! I’m Sarah Wallace, one of the audience editors for The Globe and Mail, the team responsible for connecting with readers like you. Like thousands of young kids across the country, my love for soccer began when my parents enrolled me in Timbits Soccer. I played both competitively and recreationally as a full back until I went to university, and now I love the opportunity to write about sports whenever I can.

The World Cup tournament officially started yesterday, with co-host Mexico facing South Africa and South Korea taking on Czechia, but soccer fever is now officially on the ground in Canada. Today, the hometown heroes face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto.

Visit our website for our live coverage of the games and the pregame festivities. In the meantime, we have answers to some reader questions down below.

How can I watch the World Cup in Canada?

Bell Media holds the rights to the World Cup broadcast in Canada, and all 104 matches can be watched on television on TSN, or streamed on TSN.ca and the TSN+ app. Thirty matches will be available to watch on CTV or will be streamed on Crave, including Canada’s three group-stage games.

Are there any new rules in place?

None that will fundamentally change the game. Virtual assistant replay (VAR) has added capabilities, including reviewing red cards issued after a second yellow card and reviewing corner kicks that may have been incorrectly awarded.

Players will also automatically be issued a red card if they cover their mouth during a confrontation with another player, or for leaving the pitch in protest. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had advocated for the former after an incident involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who was accused of making discriminatory slurs to Real Madrid’s Vinícius Junior.

Was it a good idea to expand the group stage from 36 to 48 teams?

I see it in two veins. One: The expansion of teams leads to potential growth of the sport in that home country. More teams also lead to possibilities of historic upsets, like when Saudi Arabia beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina squad in the last World Cup. But, two: The increase in competition leads to historic annihilations, which aren’t enjoyable to watch.

“The tournament will still present the same sort of high-end competition. It’s just going to take a while - until the round of 32 - to get there,” responds sports columnist Cathal Kelly.

Why does England get so much hype every World Cup? They always underperform.

As an England/Harry Kane fan myself ... ouch. But you’re not wrong.

Like the Dallas Cowboys, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ferrari in Formula 1, England’s fanbase is one of the loudest and most passionate in the sport, even if they haven’t won major titles recently. Plus, England always gets close to the top, but can never get over that hump.

“Contrast England with a team like France, which had never cracked an average of 20,000 fans in Ligue 1 until after France won the 1998 World Cup, and has since gone on to win another, with some people still feeling that France cares more about rugby than soccer,” writes sports reporter Paul Attfield.

What’s with all the injuries on Canada’s roster? Are our chances of winning a game gone?

Our chances of winning a game are not gone at all. Soccer, more than most sports, doesn’t really have an off-season with club and country responsibilities. Injuries are part of the game.

“You could argue the Canadian team maybe is hurting more than most, but most are back training and well on the road to recovery,” wrote soccer expert Neil Davidson. “I’m confident you will see a Canada win. But keep your fingers crossed on the health front.”

How can I get myself excited about the World Cup? I don’t follow any pro sports. FIFA seems like a corrupt, greedy machine and FIFA president Gianni Infantino giving a Peace Prize to Trump was stomach-turning.