Canada has reason for optimism after being drawn into a group with Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco for the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup.
“I think any team can beat any team on a given day. That’s just tournament football. Belgium, we know their quality players like [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Romelu] Lukaku and what they’ve done on the international stage, and then the Croatians who, four years ago, were the finalists,” Canadian head coach John Herdman said on a conference call with reporters.
“This is what we want. We want that underdog story. I think we'll be at our best when we rely on our grit, our spirit, to bring that ‘no fear.’ … That opportunity … exists.”
Herdman is the only coach to take both a women’s and a men’s team to the World Cup.
Canada was the last of the 32 teams to be drawn following a grand ceremony with song, dance, and speeches from dignitaries in Doha, Qatar, on April 1.
The World Cup draw allocates four pots of eight teams into eight groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group reach the knockout stages.
Regarding the opportunity in front of Canada, Herdman told TSN, the official television broadcaster of the World Cup in Canada: “We gotta be smart, but not scared.”
Canada’s first Group F match will be against Belgium, the former No.1-ranked team on Nov. 23. The Belgians are nearing the end of their “golden generation” of talent and have a very experienced squad with a number of players playing at the top clubs in Europe.
It’s a good time to be facing Belgium, said former Ireland international Kevin Kilbane, an analyst with TSN. “It’s a good draw … it could have been worse,” he added.
Croatia reached the World Cup final in 2018 and lost to France. The Croatians are also an aging side and their talisman Luka Modric, 36, is likely playing his last World Cup. Canada faces Croatia in its second match of the tournament four days after facing Belgium.
“Canada will cause them some problems,” said former Scotland international and TSN analyst Steven Caldwell.
Morocco were drawn out of Pot 3 into the group and have a handful of world-class players, but as a national team have not tested themselves against very strong opposition. On paper, the Morocco game looks to be the must-win match for Canada. This match will be played on Dec. 1.
If Canada finishes in second place, it could likely face Spain or Germany, who are the favourites to win Group E.
The next task for Canada is Nations League matches in June and trying to line up friendly matches to prepare for Qatar. Herdman said that two friendlies can potentially be lined up in September after which the team will have just over a week to be together prior to the World Cup’s start.
Canada was drawn out of Pot 4, consisting of the five lowest-ranked teams to make it to the World Cup and the three teams that still need to qualify through playoffs.
Canada ranked fourth in its CONCACAF region at 38—despite winning the eight-team final qualification tournament—behind Mexico at 9, USA at 15, and Costa Rica, who face a playoff against New Zealand, at 31.
Eye on 2026
Herdman also has an eye on 2026 when Canada will co-host the World Cup with the United States and Mexico. Qatar 2022 provides an opportunity to lay that foundation to further grow the sport in Canada, he said.
“This four years, similar to countries like Japan, is about building the plan because we will have the additional resources now to not only strengthen our international programs, but strengthen the Canadian Soccer Association, strengthen again the provincial association for support,” he said.
“We bought ourselves the chance to really capture the moment in 2026.”
In the Mexico 1986 World Cup, Canada lost all three of its group stage matches and failed to score a single goal. Now the opportunity is there for Canada to score its first men’s World Cup goal, to record its first men’s World Cup win, and potentially ruffle the feathers of the higher-ranked teams.
Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETSports
