What Can We Expect from Canada at the World Cup

With the 2022 Qatar World Cup well underway, football fans across the planet are following in earnest to see who will progress to the later stages and lift the sport’s biggest prize.

While the attention will be focused primarily on the major footballing nations from Europe and South America, there are a number of other countries represented at the World Cup that are worth keeping an eye on. What can we expect from Canada at this year’s tournament? Keep reading to find out.

Canada Qualifies For The World Cup

Back in March of this year, Canada thrashed Jamaica 4 – 0 to secure qualification to the World Cup For the first time in 36 years and for just the second time in their history. The victory meant Canada sat atop their CONCACAF qualifying group on 28 points, ahead of the USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

They failed to secure qualification away to Costa Rica but progressed through in style with an emphatic home victory over Jamaica in front of a rapturous crowd of supporters. Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan netted goals in the first half, before Junior Hoilett and Adrian Mariappa secured victory with two further goals after the break.

The Canada Squad

Canada is led by manager John Herdman, who achieved past glory with the Canadian women’s team, securing bronze at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. The Englishman is renowned for his tactical nous, with the willingness to change strategies and formations on the fly to best suit the game being played.

Despite missing several of the qualifying games, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is expected to be a key part of Canada’s World Cup campaign. Used to playing at left back, we could well see Davies deployed in a more attacking position to take advantage of his creative abilities.

Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is also tipped to be integral to Canada’s success. He will be joined in the centre of the pitch with Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea, Besiktas’ Atiba Hutchinson, and Hatayspor’s Sam Adekugbe. Leading the line will be forwards Tajon Buchanan from Club Brugge and Lille’s Jonathan David.

Who Will Canada Face?

This year’s World Cup is packed full of talent. Brazil and Argentina are among the favorites, with fans across the world and gamblers participating in soccer betting in South Africa backing the South American superpowers.

Canada has been drawn into Group F, alongside Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco. This is among the toughest groups they could have got, with Croatia reaching the final and Belgium the semi final in the 2018 World Cup.

They were thrown into the deep end with an opening game against Belgium. The Belgians have some incredible talent at their disposal, with superstars like Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku, Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois available for selection, and true to form, the Canadians lost their opening game to the stronger Belgium side

Canada will have their work cut out for them if they want to progress to the knockout stages. Let’s take a look at who they could potentially face if they could pull it off.

The Knockout Stages

If Canada were to do the unthinkable and win their group, they would head into the last sixteen and could face Spain or Germany. If they made it through to the quarter final, they could be up against Portugal, Uruguay, Serbia, or Switzerland. Victory would send them into the semi final, where they could find themselves facing France, Argentina, or England. If they managed to reach the World Cup final, they could face South American titans Brazil.

Coming second in the group could still see Canada facing Spain or Germany in the next round, but should they progress from there they would have an even tougher test in a potential quarter final with Brazil. Argentina, France, or Denmark could await them in the semi final, while a final against Portugal or fellow Group F member Belgium could be the only thing standing between Canada and the World Cup trophy.

What Are Canada’s Chances?

This potential route to the final is obviously hypothetical. The reality is that this is one of the most talent-packed World Cup tournaments in years. While the big teams are obviously stacked with incredible players, even some of the smaller nations have some fantastically strong squads, and there are no real easy games to be had.

Conclusion

Just reaching the World Cup was an achievement in and of itself for Canada. Qualifying was a historic moment that the fans hope is a sign of things to come in the future. While success may be out of this reach this year, who knows what might happen in the future.