Joe Casey
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Canada has qualified for just their second-ever World Cup and will be hoping to make a bigger impact than their cameo at the 1986 finals, where they lost all 3 games without scoring a goal.
There is a sense of optimism surrounding the Canucks after they impressed throughout qualifying, winning 14 of their 20 matches, scoring 54 goals and conceding just 8 in the process.
The ultimate test awaits but this could be a golden generation for Canadian soccer.
Canada head coach John Herdman looks to impress at 2022 World Cup
John Herdman became the first manager ever to lead a team to qualify for both the men’s and women’s World Cup this year, and he has done nothing but impress since taking over the men’s team in 2018.
His side have risen from 72nd in the World Rankings when he took over to a high of 33 in February. The team also won the award for “Most Improved Side” in 2021 from soccer’s governing body.
In his 45 games in charge, Herdman’s men have won 31, tied 4 and lost 10.
Get our 2022 World Cup winner picks, including a +5000 longshot!
Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David lead Canada’s golden generation
One of the key reasons for the improvement in this Canadian squad is the star quality that its squad now contains. Young players such as Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David are amongst some of the best youngsters in European soccer and they have improved the standard of their national team drastically. Despite being just 22 years old, David is now the second-top scorer in Canadian national team history with 22 goals in his 34 appearances.
Those star youngsters are supported by a consistent group of older players such as top national goal scorer Cyle Larin, midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and captain Atiba Hutchinson, who faces a race against time to return from injury in time for the World Cup.
We have a +6500 longshot for our 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner predictions
How will Canada perform in their World Cup group?
While Canada put together a strong qualifying campaign to reach their first World Cup since 1986, they have landed in a tough section in Group F, alongside Croatia, Belgium and Morocco. Croatia lost the World Cup final in 2018 while Belgium finished 3rd.
The pair are both ranked in the top 12 in the rankings, while the third team in the group, Morocco, are 22nd in the same leaderboard. Canada will be underdogs against such strong nations and as a result are +300 to qualify for the knockout stages.
2022 Canada World Cup best bet: Canada ML over Morocco (+210)
Canada has done nothing but improve over the last 4 years and is capable of improving on their performance from the last time they qualified for the World Cup. However, Belgium and Croatia are rock-solid European teams and may be too tough to overcome to qualify for the knockout stages.
John Herdman’s men can pick up at least three points, however, as they may be able to get the better of Morocco and look a solid bet at +210 odds.
See our full USA 2022 World Cup soccer predictions and analysis for how the USMNT will perform
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