The World Cup starts in less than three weeks. So close, right? In under 21 days, the greatest event in all of sports will kick off in the Middle Eastern Nation of Qatar where 32 worthy teams who went through different routes to secure qualification for the tournament will arrive in order to prove themselves as the greatest of them all.
The World Cup always has its storylines, narratives and expectations. Will Brazil entertain their way to a sixth World Cup? Will France be the third nation to win back to back tournaments? Will Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo win the tournament that will make them the greatest of all time? Or Will Ghana exorcise their Uruguayan demons? Which youngster will emerge and take the world by storm? All these questions asked before the tournament will be answered during.
Another question which is commonly asked this time of year, a question we are going to focus on, is the question of who will be the team that emerges in the World Cup as dark horses?
In some tournaments, there is a nation that comes out of nowhere to make a huge splash and create shockwaves around the world.
The best example of this occurred in 2014. Costa Rica not only qualified from, but topped a group that had Uruguay, Italy and England. Their wonderful journey was halted in the quarterfinal stage against The Netherlands.
This year, we predict that this tournament will produce a Costa Rica type story once again and the protagonists of said story will be Canada.
Canada’s fairytale story
Having qualified for only one World Cup (in 1986) prior, Canada have successfully qualified for their second tournament after topping the CONCACAF qualification group on goal difference. They lost only two of their 14 games, scoring 23 goals and concerning 7. They were formidable in qualifying.
A World Cup qualification for Canada, especially now is a very massive thing for the nation. A country known for its love for Hockey has gradually embraced the beautiful game. So much so that when Canada beat Mexico to seal their World Cup qualification, 1.15 million Canadians were tuned in at home to watch and support their country. This will be a number that will rise significantly when Canada face Belgium on the 23rd of November in their opening game.
Canada’s remarkable road to glory begins in the group stages. They have been drawn in a really tough group that consists of last tournament’s bronze medalists, Belgium, last tournament’s runners up, Croatia and a good African nation in Morocco.
Canada are placed as the 41st best nation in the world. This FIFA ranking suggests that they are far away from their group rivals in terms of quality but that may not be the case. In the CONCACAF qualification stages, Canada faced 13th ranked Mexico as well 16th ranked USA and beat them both. Both countries
are ranked higher than Morocco who ranks at 22nd in the world. This simply shows that Canada are better quality wise than their FIFA rankings suggest.
Belgium come into this World Cup as the number two ranked nation in the world but are not without their frailties. The Belgians have shown defensive struggles in recent months due to their ageing defenders who can get beaten for pace. This is a trait that Canada have a lot of in their ranks.
Croatia may have been second in the tournament four years ago but their team has been weakened since then. Their best players have announced retirement from international football and they’re only just bringing in a new generation of players to the fold. They will still be a formidable force in Qatar but they will be less threatening than they were in Russia.
If their world cup qualification run showed us anything, it’s that they are a team with strong offensive capabilities. Four out of the top five top scorers were Canadian with Cyle Larin at the top with 13 strikes.
They possess in their ranks a lot of experienced players that play all over the world. The likes of Reading’s Junior Hoillett, FC Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio, Club Brugge’s Cyle Larin and FK Cverna Zvezda’s number one Milan Borjan are just a few names of players that are experienced pros enjoying their football in Europe. They also have players playing for Canadian teams in the MLS as well but their best players are their two young stars, Alfonso Davies and Jonathan David.
Canada players to watch out for
At 21 years, Alfonso Davies could already be Canada’s greatest export ever. Regarded by many as the best left back on the planet, Davies is a multiple time Bundesliga winner, DFB Pokal winner and UEFA Champions League winner. Davies has waved the Canadian flag high in Europe and he is far from done. In a League that consists of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, Lille Striker Jonathan David has kept pace. His nine league goals have only been bettered by Neymar and Mbappe’s 10 and 11 strikes respectively.
With three assists to his name, Jonathan David has made 12 goal contributions in 12 League games this season as Lille continue their push for an European Spot. At 22 years, David is one of the most sought after strikers in Europe with teams as massive as Manchester United linked with the forward.
He may not have the trophies that Alfonso Davies has as of yet but if he continues to play like this, a massive club that will be able to present him the opportunity to fight for such honors will come knocking.
Though two players cannot win football matches on their own, the hopes of a nation and how well they progress will rely heavily on the form of these two players.
Truth is, country will not believe that they have what it takes to win the World Cup, but if they are able to put great performances together and provide some shock results against the big teams in their group, the belief will grow and the connection between the nation and its fans will solidify even more. Canada has the potential to create a storm in Qatar earn the respect of the world before they become co-hosts of the tournament in 2026.
Toronto and Vancouver welcome the spectacle of the World Cup as one of the three hosts in 2026. By this point, the growth of football in the country would have grown exponentially and one of the major reasons that will happen will be Canada’s brave performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
