Canada to face Guatemala in Florida ahead of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team will face Guatemala in a training match on 22 January ahead of three crucial FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the upcoming January-February 2022 window. The Saturday match will help Canada prepare for upcoming matches away against Honduras on 27 January, back home in Hamilton, Ontario against USA on 30 January, and again away against El Salvador on 2 February.

The Canada-Guatemala match kicks off at 18.30 local at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, home to CF Inter Miami in MLS. The match will be broadcast live on OneSoccer at 18.30 ET / 15.30 PT, including OneSoccer.ca, Fubo.tv and Telus channel 980. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.

“Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team looks forward to facing Guatemala as part of our crucial preparations for the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers,” said Dr. Nick Bontis, Canada Soccer President.

Canada sits undefeated at the top of the table in the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers after their back-to-back victories at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, AB with a 2:1 victory over visiting Mexico on 16 November and a 1:0 victory over Costa Rica on 12 November. The win moved Canada into first place with 16 points from eight matches (4-4-0) ahead of USA (15 points), Mexico (14 points) and Panama (14 points).

Canada Soccer will continue to closely monitor all Covid-19 developments in consultation with the Public Health Agency of Canada and relevant governing bodies through the Canada Soccer Sport Medicine Committee to ensure the safety of all players and staff.

CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
Canada has built plenty of momentum in a landmark year for the Men’s National Team Program that featured a record 19 international matches including FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the Concacaf Gold Cup. Canada posted a record of 13-4-2 with nine clean sheets and a record 55 goals scored. Canada also set a record with eight consecutive wins and reached the Concacaf Gold Cup Semifinals for the first time since 2007.

Canada have played eight of their 14 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the Concacaf Final Round from September through November 2021: three matches in September, three matches in October, and two matches in November. In 2022, Canada will play three more matches in January/February and three more matches in March. Along with Honduras, USA and El Salvador, Canada’s other opponents in the Concacaf Final Round are Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama.

To reach the Concacaf Final Round, Canada won their First Round group against Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Suriname, then eliminated Haiti in a head-to-head Second Round series. This marks the first time since 1997 that Canada have reached the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. From the Concacaf Final Round of eight nations, the top-three nations automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and the fourth-best nation advance to an inter-continental playoff for additional FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™Qualifiers.

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team are two-time Concacaf champions, previously winning the 1985 Concacaf Championship and 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup. This year marked Canada’s 15th participation at the Concacaf Gold Cup since 1991. Along with their first-place finish in 2000, Canada reached the Semifinals in 2002, 2007, and 2021. Across the past five years from 2017 to 2021, Canada are one of only four nations that finished top-six across all four Concacaf major tournaments: fifth place in Concacaf Nations League A, sixth place at both the 2017 and 2019 Concacaf Gold Cups, and a semi-final finish at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.