Canada World Cup Odds: Team Bidding to Make History
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There were wild scenes of celebration straight after Canada booked its place in the 2022 World Cup. This ended a 36-year wait to compete in this tournament again following its first-ever appearance in Mexico in 1986.
On that occasion, the Canadians fell short when losing all three group games, although they have landed in Qatar feeling as though they can give a better account of themselves. After all, this is a team who were actually able to top the CONCACAF qualifying section.
While Mexico and the U.S. have previously dominated qualifying for the World Cup, Canada finished first by virtue of winning eight games and drawing four matches. It was the top scorer by bagging 23 goals and the best defensive side by giving up seven.
John Herdman is already a national hero for his achievement in steering the team to Qatar, with the country usually celebrating hockey and other winter sports achievements instead, but can they make an impact when it comes to the tournament finals?
Canada Kicks Off With Tricky Clash Against Belgium
Although the Canadians topped their CONCACAF qualifying group, a relatively lowly FIFA ranking meant that they were in Pot 4 when the draw was made. Things could have been worse for a team that was grouped with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Herdman’s side starts off with a very tricky opener against the Belgians, with that clash taking place on Nov. 23 and Canada is clearly the underdog to win against a team who reached the semifinal stage of the 2018 World Cup and could easily emulate that achievement in Qatar.
The Canadians are +800 on World Cup betting sites to claim a victory and even the draw is priced at +600. However, they might stand more of a chance against Croatia and then Morocco in their remaining games.
Canada Priced at +275 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16
After the initial excitement of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and then the draw, John Herdman has now set about selecting a squad that he hopes will be competitive when it comes to this much-awaited tournament.
The fact that betting sites are offering odds of +275 that Canada qualifies for the knockout stages means that the team has a puncher’s chance of making its way through and stranger things have certainly happened in the World Cup.
There was a big scare on the eve of their flight to Qatar after it emerged that star player Alphonso Davies had sustained an injury for Bayern Munich, with Canadians holding their breath that the defender would be able to join his international team-mates on the plane to the tournament.
It now appears that Davies is going to be available for selection and it’s a huge boost for a country that can’t draw on a particularly big talent pool when it comes to international football.
However, they are far from a one-man team and Cyle Larin – the top scorer in World Cup qualifying across all continents with 13 goals – has been part of Club Brugge’s amazing success story in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Canadians Trading at +20000 to Win 2022 FIFA World Cup
Canada is regarded as having the same chance as Ecuador, Morocco and Wales when it comes to winning the FIFA World Cup. It would represent the biggest shock in the history of the competition and the first port of call is to avoid defeat against Belgium in the group opener.
Indeed, if the Canadians were able to draw with the Belgians and then secure a point against Croatia, they could feasibly go through by simply beating Morocco in their final clash, with the two European sides potentially facing each other in a winner-takes-all match. Although that might be wishful thinking.
After all, betting odds of +20000 on the best betting apps illustrate the size of the task the Canadians have against Kevin de Bruyne, Youri Tielemans and Eden Hazard in their first World Cup match since 1986.
Canada Aiming to Avoid Finishing Last
Although Canada has only made one World Cup appearance, it provides the current squad with a brilliant opportunity to become the most successful Canadian team to have ever graced this FIFA tournament.
In 1986, the Canadians left Mexico after losing all three games and failing to score a single goal. They experienced a narrow 1-0 defeat against a fancied France team before a 2-0 loss against Hungary and then bowed out after losing by the same scoreline against the Soviet Union.
Therefore, the 2022 squad can etch their name into folklore simply by improving on that effort. It would be a great achievement if the 2026 World Cup co-hosts are able to avoid sitting bottom of the section by the time the group games have been completed.
Sportsbooks anticipate that Canada and Morocco will finish third and fourth, with the former slightly shorter in the betting to finish bottom of Group F and much rests on the outcome of the clash between the pair when they meet on Dec. 1.
The Canadians' friendly win over World Cup hosts Qatar on Sept.23 will offer encouragement and they also acquitted themselves well against Uruguay a few days later when losing 2-0 against one of the stronger South American teams.
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