While there may have been more difficult destinations – Spain and Germany were drawn in Group E – it is a challenging group for 38th-ranked Canadian men. Belgium, which has spent more than three years at the top of the FIFA rankings, is currently ranked second in the world, while Croatia is No. 16 and Morocco is No. 24. Only the top two teams in the group will qualify for the round of 16 in 32 – country tournaments. Canada coach John Herdman was not intimidated by a smile as wide as the support behind his team. “Brilliant,” Herdman said of the team. “We wanted games like that. You’re going to a World Cup. There are no easy matches. And I think any team can beat any team on a given day. This is just a football tournament.” Canada was the last name in Friday’s draw for the tournament, which runs from November 21 to December 18. Herdman called it a “surreal moment” after the 36-year absence of Canadian men from the football show. “Let our team retire [out of a pot in the draw] and only to see that this is true. “Canada is on the big stage now,” he said. “We are not just heading to Qatar. We are ready to play in Qatar, where we know the teams we have. We have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us. “What emerged from that draw was just an opportunity for this county. The players – personally, professionally – the team collectively and as a country. What an opportunity.” CLOCKS John Molinaro on Canada’s tough competition in the group stage of the World Cup:

John Molinaro talks about CanMNT’s opposition to the World Cup

CBC’s Aarti Pole talks to John Molinaro about the tough competition CanMNT will face in Friday’s World Cup draw. 2:47
Canada will open on November 23rd with Belgium before facing Croatia on November 27th and Morocco on December 1st. The teams that will leave Group F will play one of the first two teams of Group E, which could mean a meeting with the former champion Spain or Germany in the round of 16. Herdman, whose team topped the CONCACAF qualifying round 8-2-4, watched the draw from a TV studio in Toronto. The timetable was too short to get to Doha from Panama City, where the Canadians finished qualifying with a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday. Croatia and Belgium finished second and third, respectively, in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Morocco remained undefeated in the African qualifiers (7-0-1), beating their opponent 25-3. The star-studded Belgium climbed to the top of the FIFA world rankings in September 2018 and remained there until this week, when it overtook Brazil. The Red Devils lost 1-0 to eventual champions France in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup before taking on England 2-0 in the third place match. The Belgians won their qualifying group for the World Cup this time with a 6-0-2 record against Wales, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Belarus. Croatia was runners-up in France in 2018. This time they beat Group H in the European qualifiers with a record of 7-1-2, finishing ahead of Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta, while beating the opponent with 21-4. Morocco secured their place in the World Cup with a 5-2 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo, after having a 6-0-0 victory in their original group.

“History of an underdog”

“That’s what we want,” Herdman said. “We want this underdog story. We will be at our best when we rely on our hard power, our spirit and then not be afraid [attitude]this opportunity that exists in such games against the best players in the world. “People like Alistair Johnston, Kamal Miller, Jonathan Osorio, local Canadian boys have the opportunity to match themselves, but they tell a story in these games. So for us, there will be a fearless mentality. naive, but there is no fear Just look at the opportunities to be a pioneer for this country and to score the first goal for Canada in a (Men’s) World Cup “. CLOCKS John Herdman participates in the Canada Soccer Legends Show after qualifying:

Canada coach John Herdman the day after qualifying for Qatar 2022

CanMNT head coach John Herdman is joined by Brendan Dunlop and Craig Forrest to consider qualifying for the 2022 World Cup at home at BMO Field. 9:56
The Canadians have never faced Croatia. Canada and Belgium have played once before, with the Belgians winning 2-0 in Ottawa in June 1989. Canada is unbeaten in three games against Morocco (0-2-1) with the most recent defeat with 4-0 in Marrakesh in October 2016 under interim coach Michael Findlay. Goalkeeper Milan Borjan and midfielders Samuel Piette and Osorio, members of the current Canadian team, all started in that game against Morocco. In Qatar, the Canadians will see their team face players such as the Belgian Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) and Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard (both Real Madrid) as well as the Croatian Luka Modric (Real). Madrid) and Ivan Perisic (Inter) and Morocco Ahraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Abde Ezalzouli (Barcelona) and Yassin Bounou (Sevilla). “As footballers we want to challenge ourselves against the best and we have this opportunity here,” said Osorio.

Preparing for Qatar

While Canada will play the CONCACAF Nations League in June, Herdman said there will be an opportunity to play a friendly against Canada at the start of the international window. He said he would look to the team going to Europe in the autumn to play more games to prepare for Qatar. The Canadians have played just two teams outside the CONCACAF since Herdman took over in January 2018 – a 1-0 defeat by Iceland in January 2020 and a 1-0 win over New Zealand in March 2018 in the first game of Herdman at the wheel. Herdman’s record with the Canadian men is 29-8-4 with the only defeats from the USA (twice), Mexico (twice), Haiti, Iceland, Costa Rica and Panama. Canada won their first place in the World Cup after 36 years with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica on Sunday at BMO Field in Toronto, but lost 1-0 to Panama on Wednesday in their last qualifying match. The Canadians finished at the top of the CONCACAF standings with a record of 8-2-4, but fell five places in the FIFA world rankings on Thursday – falling from their record to No. 33. The Canadians brought together France, Hungary and the Soviet Union as first-round opponents in their only other visit to the football showcase – Mexico in ’86. Canada lost all three matches and prevailed 5-0. Friday’s draw had Canada in Pot 4, which featured the teams with the lowest scores. The lottery rules meant that Canadians could not be grouped with CONCACAF qualifiers, Mexico and the USA Hopes were raised when the US and Mexico entered groups B and C respectively, leaving Group A open for a CONCACAF team hosted by Qatar, at No. 51 with the lowest ranking in Pot 1. Ecuador, the second team from Pot 4, finally landed in Group A. CLOCKS Canada closes a ticket to the World Cup with a victory over Jamaica:

Canadian men’s soccer team qualifies for 1st World Cup since 1986

Canada’s national men’s soccer team defeated Jamaica 4-0 to qualify for its first FIFA World Cup since 1986. t 2:00
However, Canada avoided several bullets. The winner of the Intercontinental Playoffs 1 – either the United Arab Emirates / Australia or Peru – was drawn in Group A, but had to move to Group D to stay away from other teams in the confederation. This meant that Canada would not face France, Denmark and Tunisia. The winner of the Intercontinental Playoffs 2 – either Costa Rica or New Zealand – was drawn in Group B, but had to move because the US was already there. That sent the winner of the playoffs to Group E, along with Span, Germany and Japan. The intercontinental playoffs are scheduled for June. Cameroon was drawn in Group F, but transferred to Group G to avoid the African team from Morocco. This meant that Canada avoided Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland. Ghana was the penultimate country selected, initially in Group F, but it also had to move due to the presence of Morocco. Thus, the Black Stars were transferred to Group H along with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay That left Bora Milutinovic, who took five World Cup countries as coach, to collect the last ball containing Canada’s name – and with only one destination – Group F.