Canada will face Belgium, Morocco and Croatia in Group F in the opening group stage of the World Cup in Qatar this November.
Canada will face Belgium, Morocco and Croatia in Group F in the opening group stage of the World Cup in Qatar this November.
Canada was the last ball taken in the draw for the tournament, which runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 18.
While there were perhaps tougher destinations — Spain and Germany were drawn in Group E — it is a challenging group for the 38th-ranked Canadian men.
Star-studded Belgium moved into top spot in the FIFA world rankings in September 2018 and stayed there until this week, when it was leapfrogged by Brazil.
No. 16 Croatia was runner-up to France in the 2018 World Cup. This time round it won Group H in European qualifying with a 7-1-2 record, finishing ahead of Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta while outscoring the opposition 21-4.
No. 24 Morocco went unbeaten in African qualifying, securing its World Cup berth with a 5-2 aggregate win over the Democratic Republic of Congo after going 6-0-0 in its initial group.
WATCH | John Molinaro on Canada’s stiff competition in World Cup group stage:
John Molinaro speaks about the CanMNT’s World Cup opposition
CBC’s Aarti Pole speaks with John Molinaro about the stiff competition that CanMNT will face at the World Cup after Friday’s draw. 2:47
The Canadians drew France, Hungary and the Soviet Union as first-round opponents in their only other visit to soccer’s showcase — Mexico ’86. Canada lost all three matches and was outscored 5-0.
Friday’s draw had Canada in Pot 4, which featured the lowest-ranked qualified teams. Rules of the draw meant that the Canadians could not be put in a group with fellow CONCACAF qualifiers Mexico and the U.S.
The teams are divided into eight groups of four for the opening stage. Each team plays the others in its group once, with the top two advancing to the knockout stage.
CANADA’S SCHEDULE
- Nov. 23: vs Belgium
- Nov. 27: vs Croatia
- Dec. 1: vs Morocco
The draw took place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center with actor Idris Elba and broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury as hosts.
“Wow, what an emotion it is to be here in front of you,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Now it’s getting serious.
“This World Cup will simply be the best World Cup ever. The greatest show on earth,” he added.
Referencing “some turbulences around the world,” Infantino called for the World Cup to bring people together “since we know that hundreds of millions of people are watching this draw and many leaders of the world are also watching.
“Our plea and the plea of the world football community to everyone, to all the leaders and to all the people of the world is stop the conflicts and the wars. Please, please engage in dialogue. Please engage in peace. Because we want this to be the World Cup of unity and the World Cup of peace.”
Friday’s draw featured a global lineup of football royalty with Cafu (Brazil), Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia) assisting.
Former U.S. international Carli Lloyd and former England player Jermaine Jenas also took part.
FIFA also unveiled La’eeb as the tournament’s official mascot. La’eeb, described as “adventurous, fun and curious,” is an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player.
Canada clinched its first World Cup berth in 36 years with a 4-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday at BMO Field in Toronto, but they fell to Panama 1-0 on Wednesday in the final match of their qualifying campaign.
The Canadians finished atop the CONCACAF standings with an 8-2-4 record, but they dropped five places in Thursday’s FIFA men’s world rankings — falling from their record-high of No. 33.
WATCH | John Herdman joins Canada Soccer Legends Show:
Canada’s Head Coach John Herdman on the day after qualifying for Qatar 2022
CanMNT’s head coach John Herdman joins Brendan Dunlop and Craig Forrest to reflect on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on home soil at BMO Field. 9:56
Canada will face Belgium, Morocco and Croatia in Group F in the opening group stage of the World Cup in Qatar this November.Retired soccer manager Bora Milutinovic, right, holds up Canada’s card while assisting in the 2022 World Cup draw on Friday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar. (Darko Bandic/The Associated Press)Canada will face Belgium, Morocco and Croatia in Group F in the opening group stage of the World Cup in Qatar this November. Canada was the last ball taken in the draw for the tournament, which runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 18. While there were perhaps tougher destinations — Spain and Germany were drawn in Group E — it is a challenging group for the 38th-ranked Canadian men. Star-studded Belgium moved into top spot in the FIFA world rankings in September 2018 and stayed there until this week, when it was leapfrogged by Brazil. No. 16 Croatia was runner-up to France in the 2018 World Cup. This time round it won Group H in European qualifying with a 7-1-2 record, finishing ahead of Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta while outscoring the opposition 21-4. No. 24 Morocco went unbeaten in African qualifying, securing its World Cup berth with a 5-2 aggregate win over the Democratic Republic of Congo after going 6-0-0 in its initial group. WATCH | John Molinaro on Canada’s stiff competition in World Cup group stage: John Molinaro speaks about the CanMNT’s World Cup oppositionCBC’s Aarti Pole speaks with John Molinaro about the stiff competition that CanMNT will face at the World Cup after Friday’s draw. 2:47 The Canadians drew France, Hungary and the Soviet Union as first-round opponents in their only other visit to soccer’s showcase — Mexico ’86. Canada lost all three matches and was outscored 5-0. Friday’s draw had Canada in Pot 4, which featured the lowest-ranked qualified teams. Rules of the draw meant that the Canadians could not be put in a group with fellow CONCACAF qualifiers Mexico and the U.S. The teams are divided into eight groups of four for the opening stage. Each team plays the others in its group once, with the top two advancing to the knockout stage. CANADA’S SCHEDULE Nov. 23: vs Belgium Nov. 27: vs Croatia Dec. 1: vs Morocco The draw took place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center with actor Idris Elba and broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury as hosts. “Wow, what an emotion it is to be here in front of you,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Now it’s getting serious. “This World Cup will simply be the best World Cup ever. The greatest show on earth,” he added. Referencing “some turbulences around the world,” Infantino called for the World Cup to bring people together “since we know that hundreds of millions of people are watching this draw and many leaders of the world are also watching. “Our plea and the plea of the world football community to everyone, to all the leaders and to all the people of the world is stop the conflicts and the wars. Please, please engage in dialogue. Please engage in peace. Because we want this to be the World Cup of unity and the World Cup of peace.” Friday’s draw featured a global lineup of football royalty with Cafu (Brazil), Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia) assisting. Former U.S. international Carli Lloyd and former England player Jermaine Jenas also took part. FIFA also unveiled La’eeb as the tournament’s official mascot. La’eeb, described as “adventurous, fun and curious,” is an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player. Canada clinched its first World Cup berth in 36 years with a 4-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday at BMO Field in Toronto, but they fell to Panama 1-0 on Wednesday in the final match of their qualifying campaign. The Canadians finished atop the CONCACAF standings with an 8-2-4 record, but they dropped five places in Thursday’s FIFA men’s world rankings — falling from their record-high of No. 33. WATCH | John Herdman joins Canada Soccer Legends Show: Canada’s Head Coach John Herdman on the day after qualifying for Qatar 2022CanMNT’s head coach John Herdman joins Brendan Dunlop and Craig Forrest to reflect on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on home soil at BMO Field. 9:56