With less than two weeks until the FIFA World Cup begins, Canada’s national men’s team is putting the final touches on preparations for a tournament 36 years in the making.
The team had only qualified once previously — in 1986 — which means a whole new generation of supporters are gearing up to cheer for the national squad as it enters the world’s top soccer tournament.
To help Canadians understand the path to a title win, and who might eventually prevail, CBC News has prepared a guide for bandwagon fans, with everything you need to know about the beautiful game — and Canada’s chances.
Soccer newbie, here! What basics should I know?
The World Cup is held every four years. Canada is one of 32 teams after qualifying in its continental federation’s tournament.
Qatar is hosting this year’s tournament (it’s controversial — more on that later) and will play the opening match against Ecuador on Nov. 20.
The World Cup final is scheduled for Dec. 18, with the winner taking home the FIFA World Cup trophy.
In case you were wondering, there’s also a Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand next July — and Canada will be playing.
The Al Thumama Stadium is pictured in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Qatar has spent tens of billions of dollars on new infrastructure for the World Cup. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
How does the competition work?
First, the group stage: The teams are separated into eight groups of four, and will play each team in their own group once. There will be four matches each day over a 12-day period.
In this stage, a win is worth three points, a draw worth one and a loss earns zero points. The top two teams from each group — that is, the teams with the most “points” — will advance to the knockout round.
The knockout round: The remaining 16 teams will play against different groups (for instance, the top team in group A will play the second-top team in group B). Each losing team is eliminated from the tournament until the semifinals, when there are four teams left. Two will advance to the final, while the remaining two will play for third place.
Who is Canada playing against?
Canada is in group F, so will play Belgium (Nov. 23), Croatia (Nov. 27) and Morocco (Dec. 1) in the group stage.
For the soccer uninitiated, that’s three tough matchups: Belgium is currently second in FIFA’s men’s rankings, Croatia lost the 2018 World Cup final to France, and Morocco was undefeated in its World Cup qualifying run.
So, we’re not going to win the World Cup?
Experts say probably not — but don’t let that get you down.
Remember: this is Canada’s second-ever World Cup. In 1986, the team lost all three games, without scoring.
Canada’s team sings the national anthem ahead of a friendly match against Qatar in Vienna on Sept. 23. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images)
“The benchmark of success, in some ways, is a goal … If they get a win, that would be enormous,” said soccer writer Chris Jones, who will be in Qatar covering the World Cup for CBC Sports.
“If Canada gets out of the group [stage], that’s incredible, like, that’s our version of winning the World Cup.”
Who’s likely to win, then?
Bookmakers are favouring Brazil to win the tournament, followed by Argentina, which hasn’t hoisted the Cup since 1986.
France, the 2018 champs, are third favourite, followed by England, whose fans are praying for their first World Cup title since 1966.
Brazil is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the World Cup. The team’s captain, Neymar, is pictured in Rio de Janeiro on June 23, 2021. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Tell me more about the Canadian team. Who should I name-drop?
Star midfielder Alphonso Davies is one of the world’s best young soccer players. Fans were left worried after the 22-year-old suffered a hamstring strain while playing for Bayern Munich over the weekend, but the German club told CBC News that Davies’ participation in the World Cup “is not at risk.”
A kid born in a refugee camp wasn’t supposed to make it! But here we are GOING TO THE WORLD CUP. Don’t let no one tell you that your dreams are unrealistic. KEEP DREAMING, KEEP ACHIEVING! <a href=”https://t.co/GT4hjz4ebO”>pic.twitter.com/GT4hjz4ebO</a>
Tajon Buchanan, 23, is also a rising international star who plays for Belgian First Division A side Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. “This is a very exciting player. This is a guy who opposing defenders absolutely loathe dealing with because he’s so quick,” said soccer journalist John Molinaro, a CBC contributor and the founder of TFC Republic.
Captain Atiba Hutchinson is overcoming a long injury to play in his first World Cup. At 39, it’s also set to be his last. “From an emotional perspective, it’ll be fun to see him [play],” said Andi Petrillo, host of CBC Sports’ Soccer North.
Also keep an eye out for defensive midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and forward Jonathan David who are both heading to Qatar from standout seasons in Europe. “If you had to place a bet on which Canadian man was going to score the first goal in World Cup history, I think Jonathan David is a really good bet,” Jones said.
Soccer North host, Andi Petrillo gets you caught up with how Canada’s best did around globe this week in ‘Keeping Up with the Canadians’.
You mentioned there’s controversy around this World Cup. Tell me more?
There are several, including the heat, Qatar’s human rights record, Iran’s participation and, as has become the World Cup norm, corruption allegations involving FIFA.
First, the heat: Expect to see the players sweating in 30 C-plus temperatures. The tournament was moved from June-July to November to keep it a bit cooler. But that shift also means many players are coming straight from European and North American soccer seasons, without a break to acclimatize to the heat.
“They are probably going to be a bit more sloppy and slower, so to speak, in their play than if they were in a kind of a perfect thermal situation,” said Prof. Stephen Cheung, an expert in environmental stress on human physiology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
A migrant worker sleeps on a bench in front of Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Oct. 15. Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, including those constructing its World Cup stadiums, has been in the spotlight in the lead-up to the tournament. (Nariman El-Mofty/The Associated Press)
That heat has also proven deadly for potentially thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, a figure Qatar’s government disputes, which brings us to another controversy: Qatar’s human rights record.
Then there’s Iran’s participation: in recent days, Ukraine and international activists have called on FIFA to ban Iran from taking part due to its role supplying weapons to Russia, as well as its crackdown on activists.
FIFA has responded by telling teams to “focus on the football”, rather than human rights issues, at the same time as the football organization continues to be dogged by corruption allegations.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently wrote to the 32 teams participating in the World Cup, urging them to “focus on the football,” rather than human rights issues in Qatar. Infantino is pictured in Managua, Nicaragua, in August. (Inti Ocon/The Associated Press)
Yikes. OK. Anything else I should be watching for?
Two huge names in soccer are (probably) playing their final World Cup: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neither has ever won the World Cup, so hoisting the trophy during their final tournament would be a massive deal for either captain — and their country’s fans.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are likely playing their final World Cup. Neither has won the trophy during their career. (Albert Gea/Reuters)
Any tips for my World Cup viewing schedule?
You can view the schedule so far here. Unfortunately for Canadian fans, World Cup kickoff times are between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET, which could make it challenging to tune in on a workday (especially from a bar), unless your boss is also a soccer fan.
Finally, am I supposed to say soccer or football?
Although Canada, the U.S. and Australia call the game “soccer,” the World Cup is officially a “football” competition, and FIFA is short for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. You can keep calling it soccer if you want — just be prepared for other teams’ fans to correct you.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
