Kolkata: After 24 long years of wait, Canada secured a spot in the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers after beating Haiti 4-0 on aggregrate in the second round. The third and final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers are set to begin from September 2. Canada’s last World Cup appearance came in 1986.
Placed in Group B along with Suriname, Bermuda, Aruba and Cayman Islands, Canada maintained an all-win record in the round-robin stages scoring an astounding 27 goals in the first round. Lucas Cavallini and Cyle Larin netted five times each. Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies also scored four goals. The only goal Canada conceded was against Bermuda.
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Canada kept on the momentum in the second round too winning both the games – 1-0 and 3-0 to advance into the next round for the first time since 1997. Cyle Larin played a significant role against Haiti scoring once each in both games.
In the final round, Canada will be facing the likes of Mexico, the United States, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Jamaica over 14 home and away matches till March 2022.
“We’ll enjoy this moment together as a team and as a country,” said Canadian head coach John Herdman. “We’re going to the (final stage). We’ve got a future, that’s the first thing. We’re an organization that has so much potential and we’re right on the cusp of it now.”
The young squad is hopeful to secure one of the three top spots for direct qualification to the World Cup in Qatar next year. In case Canada finish fourth in the table, they will head to an intercontinental play-off to get hold of their ticket to Qatar.
