Canada

Morocco top World Cup group after Ziyech and En-Nesyri see off Canada | World Cup 2022

Morocco are through to the last 16 of the World Cup for the second time after early goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri brushed aside whatever suspense remained of their progress, sealing a nightmarish exit to a tournament for Canada that began with so much promise eight nights ago.

The mighty Atlas Lions entered the group-stage finale on a tailwind of confidence, having followed a cagey goalless draw with Croatia with an emphatic 2-0 win over the second-ranked Belgians and needing only a point to book a place in the knockout stage for the first time in nearly four decades. They finished it, owing to Croatia’s draw with Belgium across town, the improbable winners of a group above of a pair of European giants fresh off runs to the last four in 2018.

“We said we wanted to give everything we’ve got to get out of the group stages,” said Walid Regragui, three months after he was appointed Morocco’s manager. “We can tick that box now. So why not aim for the sky? We needed to change and we needed to change our mentality. We’re not going to stop here. We’ve got a lot of respect for all of the different opponents, but we are going to be a very difficult team to beat.”

Les Rouges, who were picked apart by Croatia and eliminated from the competition after outplaying Belgium in their opener, appeared out of sorts from the start here amid a hostile atmosphere that jeered their every touch. Morocco needed only four minutes to send their supporters into delirium as Steven Vitoria’s undercooked backpass to Milan Borjan forced the goalkeeper to dash from his penalty area with En-Nesyri closing in. A harried Borjan played it directly to the Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, who chipped in from 35 yards and ignited the mass of red packed into the stadium’s south end – the howler of the tournament and surely the nadir of Canada’s first World Cup appearance since their largely forgettable debut in 1986.

Canada were able to get their feet under them but failed to generate a meaningful threat from their possession and set pieces and it was not long before Morocco were bossing the midfield again. They doubled their margin after 22 minutes through En-Nesyri, when the Sevilla striker chased down a long ball from the back, darted between a pair of defenders and beat Borjan at his near post to become the first Moroccan player to score in two World Cups.

There were remnants from Canada of the pace and industry that powered their swaggering performance against Belgium, but they were constantly done in by lack of organisation from front to back, unable to string together more than a few passes or long stretches of the first half. Their woes were embodied by an inability to get their star Alphonso Davies involved as the 22-year-old Bayern Munich star was constantly denied service by Morocco’s swarming defenders.

The well-drilled Morocco backline marshaled by Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi were one of two teams left in the competition, along with Brazil, who had yet to concede. But Canada pulled one back six minutes before half-time when Nayef Aguerd blocked a cross from the left past his keeper inside the near post, the first own goal of the tournament and a cruel end to Morocco’s run of six successive clean sheets.

Hakim Ziyech scores Morocco’s first goal against Canada. — Hakim Ziyech opens the scoring for Morocco in the fourth minute. Photograph: Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters

With nothing left to play for but the chance to end their tournament on a high note and set a winning tone for when they co-host four years from now, Canada’s fighting spirit shone through during the second half as John Herdman – the manager from Consett in County Durham – made a triple substitution at the hour and threw numbers forward with abandon.

They came agonisingly close to an equaliser when a header by the ageless captain Atiba Hutchinson – the oldest outfield player in Qatar – rattled the bar and caromed down on the goalline. But Morocco’s rigid backline refused to budge, ensuring Africa’s record sixth win at a World Cup while becoming the first team from the continent to take first place in a World Cup group since Nigeria in 1998.

“We’ve raised our bar finishing top of Concacaf and I thought that was a good standard to bring in,” Herdman said. “We always said the world level is the next level and I don’t think we were far off. Two inches tonight. Two inches from getting our first result. That’s all it was.”

Naivety cost John Herdman and Canada dear in the World Cup’s Group of Eff | Canada

The softly spoken Fifa translator paused for a moment. But she held her nerve. “In the end,” she said as she relayed man-of-the-match Andrej Kramaric’s words, “Croatia demonstrated who eff’d whom.”

Sunday night at the Khalifa Stadium was a cruel, chastening one for Canada. The ignominy didn’t end at the final whistle. Kramaric, whose two goals came in an emphatic 4-1 Canadian defeat, was joined by his manager Zlatko Dalic at the post-match top table where the final words, no matter which language you translate them into, were all Croatian.

The defeat meant Canada were the second team eliminated from Qatar 2022 but, technically, the first sent home, seeing as the pitiful hosts already are home. From the most moral victory in defeat to Belgium and then those fateful fighting words on Wednesday to it all being over by Sunday, it was a hell of comedown.

What part did Herdman’s “Eff Croatia” comments play in it all? Enough. Enough of a part for them to account for at least 20%, maybe 25%, of the combined questions from the floor after the Croatia game. But zoom out and look at the four days as a whole and there is, if not a pattern, then a patch. A sticky patch of naivety off and then on the field that brought Canada’s return to the men’s World Cup to such a screeching halt.

As largely harmless as they were, Herdman’s words did not help Canada. Why? Because they clearly helped Croatia. And the 2018 World Cup finalists, already operating on a higher plane than Concacaf’s top qualifiers, definitely didn’t need a leg up. Of all the teams to provide some bulletin-board motivation to, a gnarled veteran Croatian core coming off a dispiriting opening stalemate with Morocco is not one of them. Even to observe Kramaric and Dalic without the help of a translator told you as much. It was written on their faces.

Herdman said he didn’t regret his words and then intimated that he did. He was processing it all in real time and, as Wednesday had taught him, that can be risky.

“No, not at all,” he replied when asked if he wished he hadn’t used the f-word. “As I keep saying, we’re here to push as far as we can. We’re here to change the mentality of the group. I could have been a bit more composed coming out of the huddle. That’s my learning. I’ll take that on the chin.”

If the comments and the ensuing Croatian tabloid mockery had helped turn an already chaotic Group F into Group Eff, it was Herdman’s job to get it all back on an even keel. That was something Canada never had Sunday at Khalifa Stadium. They roared out of the gates and Alphonso Davies created personal and national history with the fastest goal of this World Cup and the Canadian men’s first in any edition. For the next 20 minutes they searched for a second. But they never settled. So Croatia did. And naivety cost Herdman, and Canada, a second time.

Atiba Hutchinson is a beloved figure in Canadian football. Photograph: Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images

Captain Atiba Hutchison is beloved, an older brother to the other 25 players here. He was winning his 100th cap a couple of months before his 40th birthday. But as Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic got a grip and then ran rampant through the middle, Hutchinson was bypassed and bullied. Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio was hobbled by injury but inexplicably both were left in to flail and inevitably Croatia turned it all around.

Hutchinson was partially or prominently at fault for three Croatian goals yet Herdman argued that his captain was “next level” before admitting soon after that he could have made changes sooner.

“I think there are small margins,” he said. “For me it’s trying to get those tactical shifts in earlier. In that first half there was a moment where Modric and Brozovic had started to pick apart our midfield two and we needed a tactical shift a little bit quicker and maybe needed the subs a bit quicker. It might have made the difference. I’ve got to reflect. I’m a bit raw at the moment.”

When he did belatedly make the changes, Herdman brought in rising star Ismaël Koné and veteran Jonathan Osorio. A decade separates the two players but what ties them is that neither has ever played outside MLS. And here they were being sent into the white heat of a decisive World Cup game to tame a Croatian midfield built from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Internazionale. It’s the kind of moment to pause and realise how far Canada have come – and how far they still have to go.

In that wider context, Herdman was of course right to say he was “proud of what they achieved … we came here to make history.” Davies’ storming header was historic, an instant Canadian heritage moment. But zoom in again and it counted for little.

The team weren’t tipped by many to make it out of a group that was expected – and has proven to be – one of the least predictable and most competitive here. But for it to all be over before the final group game stings. Herdman will regroup for Morocco on Thursday and hope his side can have a say in how the group shakes out. But not too loud of a say. That lesson has been learned.

‘We thank him for motivation’: Croatia aim dig at Herdman after Canada go out | World Cup 2022

Having beaten Canada 4-1 the Croatia coach, Zlatko Dalic, and the forward, Andrej Kramaric, made it clear that they were unimpressed by John Herdman’s comments before the game and the fact he walked off without shaking the hand of his opposite number.

After Canada’s first game at the 2022 World Cup, an unfortunate 1-0 defeat against Belgium, an emotional Herdman said of his team in a TV interview: “I told them they belong here. And we’re going to go and ‘eff’ Croatia.”

Having scored two goals on Sunday to confirm Canada’s elimination at the group stage, Kramaric referenced Herdman’s now-infamous comment. “I’d like to thank the Canada manager for motivation. In the end, Croatia showed who ‘effed’ who.”

Dalic had repeatedly decried his counterpart’s lack of respect in the run-up to the match on Sunday. It also became a central talking point back in Zagreb, where the country’s 24 Sata tabloid ran a front-page photo of a naked Herdman with Canadian flags over his mouth and groin region and a headline that read: “You have the mouth, but do you have the [balls] as well?”

On Sunday night, after Kramaric’s double and strikes from Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer followed an early opener from Alphonso Davies, Dalic said: “I did not see the other head coach after the match. Whether I lose or win I always congratulate the winner.”

“He [Herdman] was not there and that’s his way of doing things,” Dalic added. “He’s obviously mad. He’s a good coach, he is a high-quality professional, but it will take some time for him to learn some things.”

Already a national hero after guiding Canada’s women’s national team to back-to-back bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Herdman has elevated his profile even further by lifting the men’s side back into the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

But the 47-year-old manager from Consett in County Durham admitted on Sunday that he may have spoken recklessly. “I could have been a little bit more composed coming out of the huddle, but that’s my learning,” Herdman said.

“I’ll take that on the chin. But from a mindset point of view, I think we showed in that first 25 minutes, that little old Canada can compete with the best in the world.”

Andrej Kramaric strikes twice as Croatia fight back in style to send Canada out | World Cup 2022

Alphonso Davies needed only 68 seconds to write his name into history as Canada’s first goalscorer at a men’s World Cup. But a dream opening spiralled rapidly into a nightmare when the fastest goal of the tournament so far was cancelled out by Andrej Kramaric (twice), Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer, whose clinical ripostes vaulted Croatia to the top of Group F alongside surprise package Morocco and sent Canada crashing out of their second ever World Cup, nearly four decades after their mostly forgettable debut.

Morocco’s shock 2-0 win over Belgium earlier on Sunday, their first World Cup victory in 24 years and the Belgium’s first group-stage defeat since 1994, had narrowed Canada’s path to the knockout stage but did nothing to change the stakes on the night. John Herdman’s group needed a win or a draw to keep alive their hopes of advancing from a suddenly topsy-turvy group.

Four days after a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Belgium – where Canada became the first side to attempt in 44 years at least 20 shots and a penalty in a game while failing to score – Canada’s first World Cup goal was a thing of sweeping beauty worth the 36-year wait. A long, accurate distribution from goalkeeper Milan Borjan found Tajon Buchanan, who calmly waited on the touchline for Davies to make his run. The 22-year-old Bayern Munich full-back galloped down the pitch in full stride, rising between Josip Juranovic and Dejan Lovren and heading Buchanan’s perfect cross into the back of the net.

It was a spot of redemption for Davies, whose poorly taken penalty in the opening minutes against Belgium cost his side dearly – and perhaps fatally, as it turns out. Canada had to learn to win in Davies’ absence during their run through Concacaf qualifying, when he missed seven of the final 14 matches but Herdman’s team still managed to score more and concede fewer goals than any other side. But there is no question who the star player is and he has shown it throughout Canada’s better moments in Qatar.

Alphonso Davies scores Canada’s first ever World Cup goal — Alphonso Davies beats Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic in the second minute to score Canada’s first ever World Cup goal. Photograph: Reuters

The early goal left Croatia momentarily shellshocked as Canada, a blur of collective movement in their black kit, poured on the attack. But it was not long before the big-name holdovers from the World Cup runners-up in 2018 – Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic – found their footing and got matters under control in midfield. Gradually, they got more organised in attack and put one question after another to Canada’s increasingly vulnerable defence.

Croatia appeared to equalise when Kramaric careened around a thicket of black shirts and slid a rolling shot past Borjan after 26 minutes, but he was ruled offside by inches. They came even closer shortly after when Kovacic threaded a beautiful pass to Livaja – Zlatko Dalic’s lone change from the opener against Morocco – whose shot was turned away by the Canada goalkeeper.

Andrej Kramaric

The breakthrough when it came seemed inevitable as Perisic slipped through pass into the box for Kramaric, who finished with aplomb and was mobbed by his teammates. By the end of the half it was Croatia controlling possession and threatening with regularity until Livaja’s left-footed missile from a step outside the area tore into the netting for Croatia’s second goal, silencing the thousands of red-clad Canadian supporters packed into the south end of the Khalifa International Stadium.

Herdman, the 47-year-old Consett in County Durham, made a pair of changes at half-time – the young midfielder Ismaël Koné for the injured Stephen Eustáquio and Jonathan Osorio for Cyle Larin – and went to a three-man back line shortly after. Canada responded with a pair of promising chances in the opening 10 minutes, but the tactical fine-tuning was no answer for the humming Croatian midfield, who launched one counterattack after another that left Canada’s defence on the back foot.

Kramaric nearly had a second in the 54th minute when he found himself unattended at the top of the area only for his shot to be turned away by Borjan. The double finally came in the 70th minute when the Hoffenheim striker calmly collected a cross from Ivan Perisic inside the area and took one touch before firing a left-footed shot into the far corner through the legs of the captain, Atiba Hutchinson, the lone Canadian player who was alive the last time the country played in a World Cup and whose 100th international appearance will be one to forget. Majer made it four deep into stoppage time after a ghastly mistake by Kamal Miller, sending Croatia’s ultras into a state of delirium.

Canada had not even come close to qualifying for the World Cup since their first and only appearance back in 1986, when they crashed out of the group stage with losses to France, Hungary and the USSR without scoring a goal. Eight years ago, they were down to 122nd in the Fifa rankings, having been frozen out of the final round of Concacaf qualifying once again by an 8-1 bludgeoning at the hands of Honduras, before finally plotting a return to the sport’s biggest stage. This time they have shown far better, playing enthralling football at times, but will head home with cruelly little to show for it before co-hosting in four years’ time.

Croatian newspaper mocks up naked image of Canada coach after comments | Canada

Canada had just lost the first men’s World Cup match they had played in 36 years, outplaying Belgium for much of a 1-0 defeat, and an emotional John Herdman revealed in the on-field interview what he had just told his players during a post-game huddle. “I told them they belong here. And we’re going to go and eff Croatia,” the coach said with a smile, attempting to avoid a televised profanity. “That’s as simple as it gets.”

His words reverberated all the way to Zagreb as Sunday’s Croatia-Canada game approaches. Croatia’s 24 Sata (24 Hours) tabloid ran a full-page photo of a naked Herdman with Maple Leaf flags over his mouth and private parts and a headline that translated to: “You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?”

Croatian tabloids seem quite unforgiving towards Herdman, putting him on the cover despite Dalić’s claim that ‘Croatia will speak on the pitch’.

“You have the mouth (tongue)”, this one says, next to the, well, stripped Herdman. “But do you have the balls as well?” pic.twitter.com/Z7b4Ncdomk

— Juraj Vrdoljak (@JurajVrdoljak) November 25, 2022

“You say those things in an impassioned moment trying to inspire your team in a huddle, and when you’re asked the question what you said in that huddle, yeah, it was what I said,” Herdman said the following day. “It’s not massively respectful to Croatian people and the Croatian national team. I understand very well where they’re at on the world stage. But in that moment, you’ve taken your men to that next place,” he added.

Canada have played only four men’s World Cup games in their history and are still searching for their first goal. The Canadians had 21 shots to Belgium’s nine on Wednesday but conceded a 44th-minute goal to Michy Batshuayi from a long pass on a counter. Alphonso Davies had had a chance to put Canada ahead in the 11th minute but his penalty was saved by Thibaut Courtois.

“We know exactly what our slingshot is and we’ve got to be ready to attack that across different games now because, as I say, the cover’s off from Canada,” Herdman said. “I think people come into this game, the next games respecting us a little bit more.”

The captain, Atiba Hutchinson, at 39 the only member of the current squad alive when Canada lost all three games at the 1986 World Cup, could make his 100th international appearance on Sunday – Julian de Guzman is second with 89. The midfielder Jonathan Osorio is looking forward to facing the 2018 World Cup runners-up. “We like to play the best,” he said after the Belgium match. “We’re excited for the challenge.”

Belgium run ragged by Canada but Michy Batshuayi strikes to grab victory | World Cup 2022

John Herdman was leaving the stage when it was announced the player of the match would be next up to face the media. The recipient of Fifa’s award left the Canada head coach stunned. “Kevin De Bruyne is player of the match? Wow,” he said. If there was an insult, it was only to Canada.

The Belgium playmaker was embarrassed to be singled out for praise after Canada brought everything to their first World Cup appearance for 36 years except a clinical touch. His honesty, and Michy Batshuayi’s ruthless finish, were the only highlights of a worrying night for Roberto Martínez’s team. “I don’t think I had a great game. I don’t know why I have the award, maybe it’s the name,” admitted De Bruyne. “We didn’t play a good game, me included, but the good thing was we found a way to win.”

Martínez claimed Belgium deserved victory – he was in a company of one – despite conceding a journalist had a point when they asked whether this was his team’s worst performance in a tournament fixture. “It depends what you mean by worst game,” replied Belgium’s head coach. “Technically, yes. But worst performance? No. We won, and you don’t win by accident.” Belgium won thanks to Canada’s profligacy, chiefly, and Thibaut Courtois’ commanding goalkeeping.

Canada had 21 attempts on goal to Belgium’s nine, but only three on target. One of those was an Alphonso Davies penalty and that didn’t find its way past Courtois either. Canada have now gone a record four games without scoring at the World Cup. Their achilles heel stood between a memorable night and an undeserved defeat. “We showed that we belong here,” said the English-born Herdman. “I’m sure our fans walked away proud that we are a football nation.”

Belgium began the World Cup in a trance. They looked dazed and pedestrian in comparison to an opponent that was a blur of energy and incisive movement in its all-white kit.

Canada had qualified for a first World Cup since 1986, and only the second in its history, with a fearless approach built on pace and a high press. They made no concessions in style against a team ranked second in the world. Their boldness should have brought tangible reward long before Batshuayi opened the scoring completely against the run of play.

But for greater conviction from the penalty spot, and more composure with the final ball or shot, Canada would have established a comfortable lead. They were awarded an early penalty when Tajon Buchanan’s shot struck the outstretched arm of Yannick Carrasco and VAR advised referee Janny Sikazwe to consult the monitor having initially ignored Canada’s appeals.

Sikazwe, the Zambian official who hit the headlines earlier this year when blowing for full time early in an Africa Cup of Nations match between Tunisia and Mali, corrected his decision. The Bayern Munich player’s attempt was weak and comfortably in range for Courtois, who parried low to his right. Davies and Jonathan David made a hash of the rebound too. Herdman said: “It was a big moment. He was carrying the weight of a nation after 36 years, longer as it would have been our first goal, and that takes a special character.”

Canada’s Alphonso Davies takes his first-half penalty, which was saved by Thibaut Courtois. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Davies, who has pledged to donate all his World Cup earnings to charity, was visibly deflated. Canada were not. They drove forward in numbers and exploited gaps in a creaking Belgium defence where Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen showed their combined age of 68.

A claim for a second Canadian penalty was missed by the erratic match officials when Eden Hazard played a careless backpass to Buchanan, who was caught by Vertonghen. Buchanan was flagged offside. VAR did look at another penalty appeal when Richie Laryea beat Axel Witsel for pace and was caught on the calf by the chasing midfielder. This time it sided with Sikazwe’s initial decision to award a goal kick.

Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson, the second oldest outfield player in World Cup history at 39, behind Roger Milla aged 42, sliced wide after an excellent run by Davies. Alistair Johnston forced Courtois into a fine save and David selfishly opted to shoot when Laryea was totally unmarked inside the area. His effort was deflected into the arms of the Real Madrid goalkeeper.

Belgium hardly threatened until a minute before the break when Canada were undone by a searching ball out of defence from Alderweireld. The pass sent Batshuayi sprinting through a gap between the otherwise impressive Kamal Miller and Laryea and he swept a first time finish beyond Milan Borjan.

With Romelu Lukaku expected to miss two games as he recovers from a hamstring injury, Belgium need the former Chelsea forward on clinical form. They also need a vastly improved collective display, although there was an upturn following Amadou Onana’s introduction for the second half. De Bruyne and Alderweireld were seen arguing at one point. “We were playing too long when we needed to play short-short-short,” said De Bruyne. “We were not brave enough. But there are no hard feelings with Toby.”

Buchanan missed a glorious chance to equalise from Laryrea’s cross in first-half stoppage time. Canada pushed for parity throughout the second half but with David heading wide after Stephen Eustaquio had nutmegged De Bruyne and floated over an inviting delivery, and Courtois producing a flying save to deny substitute Cyle Larin, they were punished severely for lacking the ruthlessness of Batshuayi. But Canada have something to build on.

Canada get everything except the points against Belgium in World Cup return | Canada

The opportunities came one after another. From distance and from close range. From corners, free kicks and open play. The fearless upstarts from Canada who have spent the past couple of years upending North American’s football long-standing order had arrived on the global stage and were taking it to the world’s No 2 team.

All of them shone on Monday night, from the stars to the supporting cast. Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Alphonso Davies, Richie Laryea, Junior Hoilett, Alistair Johnston and the ageless captain Atiba Hutchinson, three months shy of his 40th birthday, made demands of Belgium’s creaking backline and their world-class goalkeeper. Any one of them might have written themselves into history as Canada’s first goalscorer at a men’s World Cup.

The uptempo attacking verve that had defined the Canadians’ buzzsaw tear through Concacaf qualifying – and their first men’s World Cup appearance in nearly four decades – produced no fewer than 10 shots in the first half hour. Each successive attempt sent Canada’s pack of travelling fans, already in full throat from the team’s first emergence to Drake’s Started from the Bottom and a rousing singalong to Canada’s national anthem, into a deafening wall of sound.

Then, one minute from half-time, a dream start spiralled into a nightmare. From almost nothing Michy Batshuayi ran onto Toby Alderweireld’s inch-perfect ball and clinically buried it into the far corner of the net, leaving a constellation of white shirts frozen in stunned silence. It was the Belgians’ first solid chance of the game and, ultimately, all they needed to escape with three charmed points.

“We approached the game with the right mentality,” said Hutchinson, the lone Canadian player who was alive the last time the country played in a men’s World Cup. “There’s six more points to play for. Everybody in our change room knows what we’re capable of doing. It’s just a game that didn’t go our way today.”

Canada’s return to the sport’s biggest event after a 36-year absence was never going to be easy. Drawn into a group with a pair of European giants fresh off runs to the last four in 2018 – a Belgian side in the winter of a golden generation and Croatia, runners-up four years ago – Les Rouges always faced an uphill climb to reach the knockout stage.

But this one, a 1-0 defeat in a match they largely dominated, will sting. And not just because Davies, the 22-year-old Bayern Munich full-back and this swaggering group’s undisputed star, was denied from the spot in the 10th minute after the unflappable Thibaut Courtois dived correctly to his right.

Alphonse Davies’ missed penalty proved crucial. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Teams simply don’t play this well and lose very often. Canada became the first side to attempt at least 20 shots and one penalty in a game while failing to score since 1978. The advanced stats only added further context to the injustice: the Canadians’ 2.6 expected goals were the fourth-most in a World Cup loss since 1966.

“We won due to our experience and the quality of our goalkeeper and a few other things,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said. “Canada was better than us, but in the end the win is more important than playing well. We did what we had to do. But we have to be realistic: against bigger teams, we would have lost this match.”

Canada are no closer to the country’s first ever World Cup goal than when the night started, yet one can’t help but marvel at how far they’ve come. Eight years ago, Les Rouges were 122nd in the Fifa rankings – below the likes of Lesotho, Palestine and St Kitts – having been frozen out of the final round of Concacaf qualifying once again by an 8-1 bludgeoning at the hands of Honduras. They hadn’t even come close to qualifying for the World Cup since their first and only appearance back in 1986, when they crashed out of the group stage with losses to France, Hungary and the USSR.

But their prospects have shifted dramatically under John Herdman, their 47-year-old manager from Consett in County Durham, who was already a national hero after guiding Canada’s women’s team to back-to-back bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Buoyed by a glut of young stars who have developed into major contributors at European clubs, among them Champions League winner Davies (Bayern Munich), David (Lille), Buchanan (Club Brugge) and Cyle Larin (Besiktas), they were 17 games unbeaten across three grueling rounds of Concacaf qualifying until the final window of games and finished clear of both Mexico and the United States at the top of the group.

“I’m proud of the performance,” an emotional Herdman said after the game. “But you need to take three points in your first game. We had an opportunity tonight to be top of the group, that was the mission, and we missed it. But these lads showed that they can live on this stage and I think they made the fans proud and made them feel that they belong here.”

Herdman’s wholesale culture change bodes well for 2026, when Canada co-host the World Cup along with the US and Mexico. But with a suddenly vital match with Croatia in four days’ time, looking ahead is the last thing on his mind.

“We’re gonna go and eff Croatia, that’s as simple as it gets,” he said. “That’s our next mission now.”

Canada’s Jonathan David: ‘It would be a mistake to underestimate us’ | World Cup 2022

The thought of representing his country at a World Cup never seemed plausible to Jonathan David when he was growing up. “I just wanted to play,” the Canada striker says. “Have fun. I was nowhere near thinking: ‘One day I’m going to be playing in a World Cup with my country.’ All this was just a dream.”

Not any more. For Canada’s men, this is their first appearance on the global stage since 1986. Football’s popularity has grown thanks to the emergence of an exciting generation of players who reached Qatar after excelling during qualifying, and David is buzzing. “I’ve thought about that first game,” he says. “What it will feel like to walk on the pitch for the first time. To see the fans, the stadium and to see the big team you’re facing.”

The draw has not been kind to Canada. Group F contains Croatia, who were beaten finalists at the 2018 World Cup, and an ageing but dangerous Belgium. Morocco are also an awkward proposition and yet, as David thinks about the prospect of taking on Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne, he is keen not to leave the impression Canada will be suffering from an inferiority complex.

The message is that Canada have no intention of making up the numbers. They have made rapid progress since appointing John Herdman as head coach in 2018. Herdman had performed well with the women’s team, guiding them to bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and the 47-year-old Englishman has had a similarly galvanising effect on the men.

Canada, who face Belgium on Wednesday, will back themselves. They value possession, fly forward on the break and, in David, possess a forward key to Lille stunning French football by winning Ligue 1 in 2021.

“We haven’t been to a World Cup for 36 years, but I don’t think teams are thinking we’re not a good team,” David says. “I don’t think they’ll underestimate us. It would be a mistake to do so. It’s going to be very hard because our group is very tough. But we have the belief we can get out of the group.”

David praises Herdman. “I think the biggest secret to our team is our coach. He came at a great time, right after the 2018 World Cup, so we had four years to prepare. One of the first things he told us was: ‘We’re going to qualify for the World Cup.’ Obviously at the beginning we didn’t know what to think because we hadn’t been to one for so long.

“But he really brought us together. He brought in a brotherhood, with everyone working for each other and working hard. Over the years that grew and got us where we are today. From what I heard from the older players who who were on the national team before me, before John came the group wasn’t united. There were some here, some there. He brought everybody together. And tactically he’s very detailed in what he wants and how he wants to achieve it.”

When did David realise that something special was happening? “When we played the USA at home in 2019 and won 2-0. The first time in 34 years that we beat them at home. That was like: ‘Woah, something is happening here.’”

Canada’s rise is a triumph for openness and diversity. Their flying left-back, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, was born in a refugee camp. David was born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents and spent his early years in Haiti, where he caught the football bug. “I already loved the game before I got to Canada,” he says. “I was playing with my dad, watching him play, playing in the street with friends.”

Canada's English coach John Herdman, who led them to first place in Concacaf qualifying and a first World Cup in 36 years. — Canada’s English coach John Herdman, who led them to first place in Concacaf qualifying and a first World Cup in 36 years. Photograph: Florian Schroetter/AP

David, who supported Barcelona and Brazil, moved to Ottawa when he was six. He wears the Canada shirt with pride but he loves the multicultural aspect to his identity. “The American part is what I have least because I didn’t grow up there,” he says. “But the Haitian part and the Canadian part are what make me who I am.

“My Haitian part is always working hard. Never giving up, no matter what situation you’re in. From the Canadian standpoint it’s just always work hard as well but know that what you have is something that other people don’t have.”

It has been a long journey to the top. David joined his local side, Ottawa Gloucester SC, at the age of 11 before moving to Ottawa Internationals and was picked up by Canada’s youth programme four years later. Focus was key. “I had doubts here and there,” he says. “You have a lot of people in your ears when you’re young, telling you this and that, and when you’re young you’re very gullible and want to believe everything.

“I was lucky enough to have the right people around me. The best piece of advice might have been: ‘Just remember in the beginning what you set out to achieve and you have to be a man of your word.’”

David stuck at it after moving to Belgium to join Gent in 2017. He kept the homesickness at bay and took his chance when he finally made his first-team debut, coming off the bench to score a last-minute equaliser. “After that everything happened very fast,” he says.

Blistering form led to David joining Lille at the start of the 2020-21 season. The early months in France were tough, but he soon hit his stride. “We came back from the Covid period,” he says. “I came very late to Lille. I didn’t get a pre-season and had to get to know the team.”

The results were devastating once David settled. Managed by Christophe Galtier, Lille took on Paris Saint-Germain. “When I first arrived I didn’t think about winning any league titles,” David says “I just thought about getting myself into shape. But as the season goes on and you think anything’s possible. It’s incredible to finish in front of PSG given the finances they have. It will stay in my my mind for ever.”

David’s improvement was crucial. He scored 11 times after Christmas and opened the scoring when Lille clinched the title by beating Angers 2-1 on the final day. “The whole day leading up to the game I was nervous. This is the game that would define our whole season. You lose this game and all the work you did was for nothing. Everybody was a bit nervous.”

Jonathan David

Fortunately David is adept at controlling his emotions. The disappointment for Lille is that their rise was unsustainable. The team broke up – Galtier manages PSG now – and it would not be a surprise to see David move on next summer. He has played well since Paulo Fonseca’s arrival at Lille. Fonseca’s attacking style has brought the best out of David, who has 10 goals this season.

It is important for David to feel free on the pitch. He analyses the art of finishing. “It’s when you have more time to think that you have doubts,” he says. “When a cross comes in I think it’s all up to instinct. It’s more when you’re going through against the goalkeeper and you have space to think about what you’re going to do that it becomes more difficult. But if it’s touch, finish, there’s no time to have doubts. Every game is an experience and you become better for it.”

David’s hero was Thierry Henry. The former Arsenal striker once said he valued an assist more than a goal. “I see where he’s coming from,” David says. “But for me it’s not at the same level. The goal is more! But the assist is close.

“My job is to score goals. But playing well and being involved in the game is what’s going to get me my goals. Getting my touches, combining, making my runs in behind. After that everything is set.”

Few players are better than De Bruyne when it comes to making chances. “All this guy thinks about is: ‘How can I assist my striker?’” David says of the Belgium midfielder. “To play with a guy like that would be a dream. You just have to run and you’ll get the ball. We just have to find a way to stop him.”

John Herdman: the mastermind who has led Canada to the men’s and women’s World Cups | Canada

John Herdman stands in front of a yellow conference room wall, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, off to the side of a projector screen. It displays a quote from Sun Tzu in one corner and a dramatic description of a wildfire along the bottom. He leans into the latter.

“It gains a terrifying momentum. That’s what it gains – a terrifying momentum. This red shirt, this team,” the Canada manager tells his players. “It consumes everything in its path: Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Aruba, Suriname … and then you’ll be ready. What a fucking journey.”

If the identities of the four teams in that path somewhat detract from the speech, they really shouldn’t. This is the world that Canada’s men’s national team were operating in just a year and a half ago. Next week Herdman, an Englishman who has become a hero in Canada, will send his team out to face Belgium in the country’s first men’s World Cup match for nearly four decades.

The speech is one of the first stirring moments from WeCAN, a behind-the-scenes series charting Canada’s rollicking run through Concacaf qualifying en route to Qatar. There are plenty more. But in truth, this is all merely part of the journey.

Just one Canadian player was born before Mexico 86, the last time the country played on the game’s grandest stage – indomitable skipper Atiba Hutchinson who turns 40 in February. Much is rightly made of the rawness and inexperience of the team he captains. But Herdman, the 47-year-old former teacher from Durham, does not lack for experience. Qatar, remarkably, will be the fourth senior World Cup of a management career that started in earnest 16 years ago.

Herdman talks about history as something to be torn up or rewritten, to be challenged or made and remade. When asked last week what it meant to him to be the first manager ever to take a team to a men’s and women’s World Cup, he spoke of how pivotal it is to be “practicing what I preach”.

The preaching is, and appears to have always been, the key part of Herdman’s practice. Spend time with any of those who he’s brought with him on his journey from skills camps in northern England and doubters at the Sunderland Academy to grassroots roles in New Zealand that turned to national team jobs there and in Canada, and the talk always comes back to the talk. Herdman is a master of motivation.

“John is built for these kind of tournaments,” says Melissa Tancredi, the former Canadian stalwart who played under Herdman at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. “He’s been through it all. He’s been through one at home [in Canada] when we all felt that pressure so I don’t think that there’s any inexperience with John.

“This man has something that most managers don’t and that’s his ability to actually connect with players and get the absolute best out of them. He’s a mastermind. I’ve never had, or heard of, a coach who is able to connect with players like he does. He’s an absolute beauty in terms of a motivator. He has that ability to calm the situation or bring it to where he needs to bring it, he’s a calibrator. You don’t really learn that, it’s something you’re innately given.”

While Herdman has undoubtedly grown as a tactician during his years in the international game, Tancredi’s argument that the psychological and cultural skills were a feature from the jump is backed up by those who were there at the start.

Wendi Henderson was long since retired from the New Zealand national team and was feeling her way back into club football, initially for fun, in 2006 when someone approached her on the sidelines in Wellington.

“It was John Herdman. He said he’d just been appointed as Football Ferns manager and asked: ‘Where are you at?’” Henderson says. “I started laughing. ‘Where am I at? I’m 35 and retired three years ago!’”

John Herdman celebrates with his players at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Photograph: Dan Riedlhuber/EPA

Henderson would soon be on a plane to China for a two-match tour, Herdman handing her the captain’s armband for both. She’d retired on 48 caps but now rang up her half century as a new era dawned under a manager four years her junior.

“He and I used to laugh about the age difference,” adds Henderson. “But he had a way of really connecting with people and drawing them in to the journey. He has done that with every team he has coached and you can see it. You can see the goosebumps. It instantly takes me back to those moments, making us want to die for each other and die for our country.”

Henderson led the line at Herdman’s first World Cup, the 2007 women’s edition where he set up his side to contain their opponents. By the time the 2011 tournament rolled around, the journey had progressed and Henderson watched a more expansive Ferns side. Herdman’s motivational skillset was being sharpened too. Defender Kirsty Hill, on the 2011 team, shared with Herdman a Maori saying that he has often come back to: “You have to touch someone’s heart before you can take them by the hand.”

New Zealand had touched the Herdman family. His son Jay now represents their U-19s. But there was a new calling. Canadian hearts were barely beating when Herdman arrived in the country in 2011. Canada had been the worst performer at that year’s Women’s World Cup.

“We were completely broken,” recalls retired defender Emily Zurrer, who was also part of that 2015 squad. “Some of us were thinking about hanging up our boots and here’s this guy talking about being on a podium and seeing our flag rise … and very quickly he instilled that belief in us. It wasn’t this false sense of belief, it was: ‘Holy shit we can actually do something here with this guy leading our way’. He’s not just talk, he’s the hardest working person I’ve met in my life.”

Herdman guided the women to back-to-back Olympic bronzes before they went two better at Tokyo last year. It’s therefore understandably hard to find dissenting voices, anyone left unmotivated by all the talk. Would his earnestness have such a runway in the more cynical confines of his homeland? We may one day find out. Herdman is a demanding leader but surrounds himself with a staff who know the drill. One minor criticism is that he perhaps wants to be liked too much and delays hard conversations. His jump from the women to the men in 2018 was hugely controversial and Herdman has admitted regret about how it was handled, particularly a hurried apology to veteran captain Christine Sinclair.

With Croatia and Morocco alongside Belgium, Group F in Qatar looks daunting. But then so did getting there. What’s remarkable is that the same powers of persuasion and motivation that brought Henderson, a city worker in her mid-30s, back to a World Cup in 2007 was just as effective in 2021 in convincing someone like Alphonso Davies, a $100,000-a-week Champions League winner barely out of his teens, that he could guide Canada there too.

Tancredi, Zurrer and Henderson give knowing smiles when they hear Davies say he’d “run through a brick wall” for Herdman. The coach is doing it again.

And it’s a lot more than Sun Tzu quotes. Before a ball had been kicked in qualifying Herdman arranged mocked-up Canadian front pages celebrating World Cup qualification and passed them to the players. History there to be written. On a Zoom call recently from his home office, Herdman had a freshly hung poster from Mexico 86, where Canada played three, lost three and didn’t score a goal. History there to be remade. Nothing would surprise his former charges.

“John works best with his back against the wall,” says Tancredi, a sentiment Zurrer echoed. “He loves to be the underdog, it’s where he thrives. That’s where he has shown with our team and with this men’s team: the more you doubt him, the more work he’s going to put in to prove you wrong.”

What a journey.

World Cup 2022: complete guide to all 831 players | World Cup 2022

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Ecuador

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This is Ecuador’s fourth World Cup and there are hopes they will equal their best performance, reaching the last 16. Read the team guide here.

Star player
Moisés Caicedo

Strengths

Ecuador have a very young team and with that comes speed, energy and adrenaline, with several new talents hoping to make their mark.

Weaknesses

Goalscoring. La Tricolor do not concede a lot but on the other hand they don’t find the net that often themselves either.

Netherlands

United States

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Belgium

Cameroon

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There is a lack of stars in Cameroon’s squad but that may not be a bad thing. Read the team guide here.

Star player
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa

Strengths

The squad has an impressive mental strength and the FA has worked hard to add players of dual nationality, such as Mbeumo.

Weaknesses

The coaching staff and players have only worked with each other for eight months and form has been patchy.

Serbia

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Every tournament is the same in Serbia: expectations that do not match the reality. However, there may be ground for optimism this time. Read the team guide here.

Star player
Dusan Vlahovic

Strengths

All the attacking players are on the rise and full of confidence. There are no egos and coach Stojkovic gives them freedom to play.

Weaknesses

The defence does not instil a lot of confidence in Serbian fans and one single mistake can lead to a full-blown collapse.

Switzerland

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Yakin has been able to build on Petkovic’s foundation and they stayed in the Nations League top group despite a poor start. Read the team guide here.

Strengths

The generation that won the Under-17 World Cup in 2009 are in their peak years and players such as Akanji and Embolo are in fine form.

Weaknesses

Three of the four goalkeepers have had injury problems and the decision to take only two recognised full-backs could backfire.

Ghana

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This is a young Black Stars team in transition. The quality is there but this World Cup could be either a spectacular failure or a rip-roaring success.

Star player
Mohammed Kudus

Strengths

Ghana outsmarted Nigeria in the play-off and have added players of dual nationality since then, especially in defence and on the wings, and look better for it.

Weaknesses

Where will the goals come from? That is the main question for coach Addo. If that is answered, Ghana could go far in Qatar.

Portugal

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s power is on the wane and Fernando Santos has lost some of the credit gained in 2016 but Portugal have never had a stronger squad.

Star player
Cristiano Ronaldo

Strengths

Portugal have excellent goalkeepers, some of the best full-backs in the world and quality solutions all over midfield. Oh, and firepower up front.

Weaknesses

Santos does not have an abundance of centre-backs and up front Ronaldo’s struggles and Jota’s injury have cast a cloud over the preparations.

South Korea

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Things were looking good for manager Bento, until Son broke his eye socket. He could still play though.

Strengths

Bento’s 4-1-4-1 system worked well in qualifying with a 2-0 win against Iran the highlight.

Weaknesses

Son’s injury the major concern but several key players, such as the two Hwangs and Kwon, have been out of form.

Uruguay

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Uruguay are an unknown quantity but Diego Alonso has a good mix of youth and experience in the squad.

Star player
Federico Valverde

Strengths

Alonso has one of the best midfields at the tournament, led by Valverde, while Núñez, Suárez and Cavani are a threat up front.

Weaknesses

There are huge question marks about the defence with the fitness of Godín, Giménez and Araujo uncertain.

Qatar: beyond the football

Qatar: beyond the football

Qatar: beyond the football

Qatar: beyond the football

Qatar: beyond the football

Qatar: beyond the football

Ecuador

Strengths

Weaknesses

Netherlands

Strengths

Weaknesses

Qatar

Strengths

Weaknesses

Senegal

Strengths

Weaknesses

England

Strengths

Weaknesses

Iran

Strengths

Weaknesses

United States

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Weaknesses

Wales

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Weaknesses

Argentina

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Weaknesses

Mexico

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Weaknesses

Poland

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Weaknesses

Saudi Arabia

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Australia

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Denmark

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France

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Tunisia

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Costa Rica

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Germany

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Japan

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Spain

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Belgium

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Canada

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Croatia

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Morocco

Strengths

Weaknesses

Brazil

Strengths