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Canada on Verge of World Cup Qualification
Canada look set to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after taking a huge step towards the finals in the most recent international break.
The Canucks Les Rouges defeated Honduras, USA and El Salvador all by a 2-0 scoreline and now sit four points clear at the top of their group with just three games to play.
With Canada having qualified for just one FIFA men’s World Cup in the nation’s history – 1986 – these are momentous times for this exciting generation of players led by Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David.
Canada will have to wait until March to seal a World Cup berth. A win in Costa Rica on the 24th would have them mathematically clear of five other teams and assured of a top-three finish and a ticket to Qatar. They may not even need that if other results go their way.
“The team is fearless,” captain Atiba Hutchinson said after the El Salvador win, in which he scored a bizarre goal when the ball ricocheted in off his back as he lay prone on the ground.
“There’s nobody that we fear now. We know that we can go up and play against anybody in this region. And that’s because we stick together and we know and trust in each other.”
Canada are unbeaten through 11 games in the current qualifying cycle and are the envy of North America.
“It means everything,” Hutchinson added.
“This team, this program, we’ve gone through a lot. We’ve had a lot of rough times and heartbreaking results.
“You go into games with different feelings now. The confidence is there.
“We’ve got a whole nation that’s finally behind us, supporting us. And we feel that and that really pushes us on.”
In just five years Canada’s men have gone from being ranked 120th in the world to preparing to be confirmed at No 33 this month, their all-time highest FIFA ranking.
They are a step away from Qatar and will be looking to see the job through against Costa Rica in March.
/Stewart Sports news editor
