World Soccer - UK (2022-05)

Goal machine...

Cyle Larin (left)

celebrates another

goal for Canada

anada, Mexico, and
the United States
will be present in
Qatar later this year
after securing places
in the top three of
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, but
as the all-important third round came
to an end, perhaps only Canada will be
pleased with their overall performance
after reaching their first men’s World
Cup since1986.
Below them in the table, a late surge

Canucks seal qualification in style to reach first World Cup in 36 years

CONCACAF

JAMES NALTON

from Costa Rica saw them book a

place inJune’s inter-confederational

play-off where they will face Oceania

representatives New Zealand.Los Ticos,

coached by Colombian Luis Fernando

Suarez, ended the third round as the

region’s form team.

But the headlines belong to Canada,

who began this qualifying cycle as the

seventh best team in CONCACAF

according to the FIFA rankings, and

ended it top of the qualifying table.

They were the only team to book

Canada top CONCACAF

World Cup qualifying

their World Cup place with a game

to spare, and their only defeats in 20

games across all three rounds came

with qualification all but assured.

The five top-ranked sides in the region

at the start of qualifying – Mexico, the

United States, Costa Rica,Jamaica and

Honduras – got a bye to the third round

(or the “octagonal”, as it’s known), which

kicked off in September 2021.

But Canada’s road to Qatar began

back in March 2021 with first round

games against Bermuda, the Cayman

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