Canada At The 2022 World Cup Preview

Last Updated on September 2, 2024 by Mary

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is just around the corner, with the tournament in Qatar kicking off on November 20th. This year is a groundbreaking one because it is the first time Canada has made the World Cup since 1986. But with so much time passed, how can we possibly know how they will do this year and how will this affect our bets?

Luckily, we’ve put together a preview to help you determine the best bets to place. Although Canada hasn’t played in the World Cup for decades, there are many other factors we can look at. So, let’s get started!

Canada’s World Cup history

Canada has only ever played in the World Cup once, and that was in 1986 in Mexico. All other tournaments that have been held over the years have not had Canada due to the fact their men’s soccer team did not qualify. It has now been 36 years since the last time they appeared on the FIFA pitch, and they are heading to Qatar to make their comeback.

So, what exactly happened in 1986? Unfortunately, it wasn’t good news for Canada and their team. While they did qualify for the World Cup group stages, they didn’t make it any further than that. Head coach Tony Waiters and some of their best players headed to Mexico as part of Group C, and they played three matches against France, Hungary, and the Soviet Union. However, they lost every game and came 24th out of 24 teams for the entire tournament.

Against Hungary and the Soviet Union, the team lost 2-0, and against France, they lost 0-1. It was a bit disheartening and sent them into their 36-year drought. But things are starting to look up now as they have now qualified for this year’s World Cup and will be facing their first three matches against Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco.

Canada’s group and fixtures

This year, Canada has made it to the group stages of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They are in Group F, which also includes the previous World Cup finalists Croatia, as well as Belgium and Morocco. They have a lot to prove against these teams, especially after their failure in 1986, but fans are hopeful they can make it through this time.

The three matches Canada will be competing in are evenly spaced apart, giving the team a good amount of time for rest and recovery before the next one. You can view the Canadian fixtures as follows:

23 November 2022 – Canada vs Belgium
27 November 2022 – Canada vs Croatia
1 December 2022 – Canada vs Morocco

Canada’s competition

As we have already mentioned, Canada is part of Group F and will compete against Belgium, Morocco, and Croatia in this stage of the World Cup. While the official lineups haven’t been announced yet, there are predictions, and it has been reported that the squad will be comprised of 26 men.

The first game is against Belgium, a team that is currently ranked second in the world behind Brazil. They also came third in the 2018 World Cup and have some pretty good odds that they could win in 2022. Due to these factors, it isn’t looking hopeful that Canada will be able to beat Belgium, but they may surprise us.

On the other hand, Canada may have a better chance of winning against Croatia in their second game. Croatia is ranked much lower than Belgium, at 186th in the world, so they clearly come with a few downfalls that have placed them lower down the list. The match’s outcome is critical for Canada, as if they lose against Belgium and Croatia, they will most likely be eliminated before they even reach their final match.

Morocco is definitely the team that Canada is most likely to beat, coming in at 24th in the world. However, the main problem is that Morocco is the last team that Canada will be playing against, so their fate may have already been determined. So this match will either be a game competing for third place, or it could end up not meaning anything.
Canada’s predicted lineup

Canada hasn’t released its official lineup yet, but there are several predictions on who will be part of the main team and who will be standing out from the crowd during the World Cup. To begin with, the key player for this tournament will most definitely be Alphonso Davies, who has proven his skills over the year. Alongside Alphonso, we have Jonathan David, who hasn’t quite showcased his full potential yet but will undoubtedly be the team’s rising star.

The complete predicted lineup for Canada’s men’s team includes Borjan, Johnston, Vitoria, Miller, Buchanan, Eustaquio, Hutchinson, Adekugbe, Davies, Larin, and David.

Tips for betting on Canada

Unfortunately for Canada, although they have some promising players this year and they have beaten other big teams like the US out of the qualifiers, their history isn’t helping their odds for the World Cup. Therefore, the odds of them finishing at the bottom of Group F at the moment come in at 11/10.

We don’t recommend placing high bets on Canada getting much further than the group stages; however, they may still surprise us. Sadly, the teams they have been placed with for this stage have a much higher track record for winning.

Your best option at this moment in time is to bet against the team.

Final thoughts

Since Canada hasn’t played in the FIFA World Cup for 36 years, this is an exciting time for the team and fans to see if their outcome will change. Unfortunately, they have a lot to prove, so the odds are all against them now. However, many people argue that this team can come out as the event’s dark horse, so only time can tell.

However, with teams like Croatia, Belgium, and Morocco playing against them, they have a lot of competition they need to get through. Stay tuned during the group stages, and you may be able to change your bets once you know a bit more.