Nothing is more exciting to soccer fans everywhere than the quadrennial event that will be gracing our screens until mid-December. The FIFA World Cup, hosted this year in Qatar, is consistently one of the most-viewed televised events and sees 32 nations vie for the cup over the course of a month. As soccer is the most popular sport in the world, you can imagine the intensity with which the planet tunes in. With fans far and wide cheering for their country and waiting to see who will take home the title of the world’s best team.
What is particularly exciting about this year’s tournament is that Canada has made its way to Qatar to compete – their first and only appearance at the World Cup since 1986. History was made this past Sunday, Nov. 26, when Canada played Croatia and scored their first-ever goal at the tournament. Thanks to a beautiful crossing assist from Tajon Buchanan, finished perfectly with an exceptional header from global superstar Alphonso Davies.
Unfortunately, Canada has been eliminated from continuing on past the group stage after losses to both Belgium and Croatia, but not before proving that they truly belong in a world-class tournament and are able to give these football powerhouse nations a run for their money.
Canada’s upcoming game against Morocco, the fourth nation in their group, could go on to make further headlines. Dec. 1 could mark Canada’s first win at the World Cup or perhaps their first clean sheet. A top priority for this Canadian team will be to leave the tournament having earned at least one point, which they could achieve either through a win or a draw.
The 2022 World Cup has proven that anything could happen with teams like Saudi Arabia taking the ‘W’ over Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team. Further upsets, like Morocco beating Belgium (the second highest-ranked national team in the world) 2-0, have turned the group stage on its head – it’s anyone’s game. One thing is for sure though: Canada has made its mark on the game of football and the team will be in full competitive form in 2026 when we’re partial hosts to the world’s greatest sporting event.
