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Canada Will Face Belgium, Morocco, and Croatia

For its first game in 36 years at the World Cup, Canada could hardly have come up against a tougher opponent: Belgium, No. 2 in the world after occupying the top of the pyramid for several months.

“They’re not bad, are they?” I think I’m going to put seven players on [Kevin] De Bruyne,” Canada coach John Herdman joked on TSN a few minutes after the draw, about one of the best players in the game. planet. “Seriously, we’re going to enjoy this game. We’re going to do the work that needs to be done to be ready for this game and we’re going to enjoy everything they’re going to give us. We will play without fear.

Last country to come out of the abacus, Canada has therefore entered the last incomplete group for the tournament presented next November and December, in Qatar. He will kick off his tournament on November 23.

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Montreal fans react to Canada’s World Cup qualification

His second game, four days later, will be against Croatia, ranked 16th . It will complete the group stage on December 1 against  Morocco, which is ranked 24th in  the world.

Canada, which finished first in the CONCACAF qualifying standings, is currently ranked 38th in the  world. He fell five places due to his two defeats suffered in the last three qualifying games. These were Canada’s first two losses in this process.

This is only the second time in its history that the Canadian men’s national team has qualified for the World Cup, after the 1986 edition, presented in Mexico. Canada had not scored a single goal in this edition and had lost all of their group stage matches. Herdman says history won’t repeat itself this time around.

โ€œWhen I first met them [the players], I told them that we were going to be the first team from Canada to score a goal at the World Cup. That we were going to be the first Canadian team to score a shutout at the World Cup. And that we were going to be the first team from Canada to come out of the group stage. We talked to them about all this from the start. It is now in their thoughts.

โ€œHowever, we will not be naรฏve. We are not going to tread the field and do what we want against Belgium. But we will not be afraid. The players of this team now have a lot of preparation work to do in order to play the most important competition of their lives.

Each such draw results in the nomination of a “group of death”, which would fall to Group E, although the last representative of the group will not be known until June. We find Spain (7th), Germany (12th) and Japan (23rd), who will face the winner of the playoff duel between Costa Rica (31st) and New Zealand (101st).

Some might argue, however, that it is rather Group C, where are grouped Argentina (4th), Saudi Arabia (49th), Mexico (9th) and Poland (26th). Definitely another complicated band.

But why not Group B? All of its members will be among the top 40, although only three of its representatives are known at this time.

It will bring together England (5th), Iran (21st) , the United States (15th) and the winner of the European play-off match. This match will pit Wales (18th) against the winner of the duel between Ukraine (27th) and Scotland (39th).

Qatar-Ecuador as a curtain raiser

The tournament will be launched on November 21 with the duel between Qatar (51st ) and Ecuador (46th). Senegal (20th) – best nation in the African Confederation – and the Netherlands (10th) complete this group A.

Brazil, No. 1 in the world and the only nation to have participated in all editions of the World Cup, find themselves in Group G. The five-time champions will start their tournament against Serbia (25th), before facing the Switzerland (14th) and Cameroon (37th).

Defending champion, France (3 rd ) was paired with Denmark (11 th ) and Tunisia (35 th ) in Group D. These three selections await the winner of the intercontinental playoff match as Peru (22 nd) will play for the winner of the match between the United Arab Emirates (68th) and Australia (42nd).

Finally, Group H will pit Portugal (8th), Ghana (60th) , Uruguay (13th) and South Korea (29th) against each other.

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