The 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar between Nov. 21 and Dec. 18. Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team (CanMNT) will compete in the competition for the first time since 1986. Here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup before CanMNT kicks off on Wednesday.
Location
This World Cup is the first to take place in the Middle East. Qatar’s hot temperatures have pushed the competition from its usual summer months to the late fall and early winter seasons.
Qatar has automatically qualified as the host country, despite never having qualified for the tournament before. CanMNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 on March 27 to qualify for the competition and is now ranked 43rd in the FIFA world rankings as of Aug. 25.
Tournament format
The tournament is divided into two stages — the group stage and the knockout stage.
During the group stage, the 32 qualifying teams are split into eight groups of four. Each team plays a match against the three other teams in their group. Teams get three points in their group standings for a win and one point for a draw.
At the end of the group stage, the top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, where the final 16 teams play each other in elimination matches until a champion remains.
Canada has been drawn into a group with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Canada’s matches
Canada versus Belgium.
Date: Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. EST.
Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Canada starts the competition against Belgium, which will most likely be their toughest match of the tournament. Belgium is ranked second to Brazil in the FIFA world rankings. Its roster consists of top talents including English Premier League star Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City.
Despite being one of the highest rated soccer nations in the world, Belgium has never won a World Cup. The team failed to get over the hump in its best World Cup showing when they lost 1-0 to France — the tournament winner — in the 2018 semifinals.
Canada vs Croatia
Date: Nov, 27 at 11 a.m. EST.
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar.
Canada will take on 2018 World Cup finalist Croatia in its second match of the tournament. With a small population of only 4 million people, Croatia is ranked 15th in the FIFA World rankings.
Star midfielder Luka Modric will be a challenge for Canada to handle. The 37-year-old is a serial UEFA Champions league winner and essential piece for Real Madrid, the current champions of Europe and winners of LaLiga Santander, Spain’s top soccer division.
In the event that Canada loses to Belgium, Canada must find a way to pick up at least one point against Croatia to have a chance at advancing.
Canada vs Morocco
Date: Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. EST
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Canada’s final group stage match will be against Morocco, which will likely be Canada’s easiest opponent of the tournament. Nonetheless, the team is currently ranked 22nd in the world, 21 spots higher than Canada.
Depending on Canada’s results in its first two group stage matches, this game could decide if the team advances to the knockout stage. On the flip side, it would be a symbolic match to gain experience if advancing to the next round is mathematically impossible.
Key Canadian players
Alphonso Davies, 22, is the most well-known player on the team. The Bayern Munich player was born into a refugee camp in Buduburam, Ghana before his family moved to Edmonton. He signed an MLS contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps when he was 15 years old and now plays for the current Bundesliga champions.
While Bayern uses Davies as an attacking fullback, one who loves to venture down the wing and challenge defenders, it’s expected that Davies will be used as a forward for Canada, based on recent Canadian international friendlies.
Jonathan David
Jonathan David, 22, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but moved back to Haiti, his family’s home country, when he was three months old. His family eventually settled in Ottawa.
David is not your typical out-and-out striker. He is heavily involved with link-up play in the attacking-third and loves to run at defenders when given the space and opportunity to do so.
David now plays for the Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille in the French division.
Stephen Eustáquio
Born in Leamington, Ont., Stephen Eustáquio, 25, is one of Canada’s most prolific midfielders. Known for his soccer IQ and passing ability, the defensive-midfielder has already won several trophies with Porto FC in the Liga Portugal Bwin, including last year’s Primeira Liga title.
Eustáquio has also been named as one of Canada Soccer’s players of the month for September and October 2022.
Qatar controversy
Hosting the World Cup has become a very controversial issue for Qatar. Concerns about human rights in the country have become an issue for some competing nations, including Germany, whose government condemned the Qatar World Cup ambassador for describing homesexuality as “damage in the mind.” Qatar is not considered a safe country for the LGBT+ community, as homosexuality is a punishable offence.
Qatar has been accused of poor working conditions during World Cup preparations. There have been three reported deaths of migrant workers during the construction of the stadiums. The United States men’s national team are pushing a “Be the Change” movement at the World Cup and have invited migrant workers to join them in a training session before the competition begins.
The competition kicked off on Sunday with Qatar losing to Ecuador 2-0.
Featured image by Rhett Lewis/Unsplash.
