Edmonton tickets to go on sale after Labour Day

The FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ are returning to Edmonton. Starting this 2 September, Canadian fans can purchase their tickets to the 15 October match at Commonwealth Stadium. The CONCACAF Stage III match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers will pit Canada against Mexico. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.ca or 780.447.6822).

The Canada-Mexico match, presented by BMO, kicks off at 19.00 MT on 15 October. Tickets range in price from $20-$45. Group packages are available with the purchase of 15 or more tickets.

CONCACAF Stage III of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers features 12 teams divided into three groups. Canada was trumped into Group 2 with opponents Mexico, Jamaica and Honduras. All four teams play each other twice with only the top-two teams advancing to the CONCACAF final stage to be played in 2009. Come 15 October, all four teams in the so-called “Group of Death” are expected to still be in contention for the top-two spots.

Players of note on the Canadian team are three-time Canadian Player of the Year Dwayne De Rosario, La Liga sensation Julian de Guzman, and captain Paul Stalteri. The team is coached by Dale Mitchell, a former player and the national team’s all-time leading goal scorer. So far in 2008, the team has a record of three wins, two draws and two losses. Canada has scored 13 goals in those seven games.

This will be Canada’s ninth FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Edmonton. Canada has a record of five wins, two draws and one loss in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ in Edmonton, including a 2:2 draw with Mexico on 12 October 1997. Canada’s first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Edmonton was 31 July 1993 (a 2:1 win over Australia) while it’s most recent was 4 September 2004 (a 1:1 draw with Honduras).

Of course, another famous Canadian match at Commonwealth Stadium was the 5 June 1994 match against Brazil, shortly before the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA(tm). That day, 51,936 fans packed the Edmonton stadium for a 1:1 draw against the soon-to-be crowned world champions. Canada’s Eddy Berdusco scored the tying goal in the 69th minute.

Canada has high hopes on its road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Canada’s last participation in a senior FIFA competition was the FIFA Confederations Cup Japan 2001, following the team’s successful championship at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. After opening CONCACAF Stage III with a 1:1 draw against Jamaica on 20 August, Canada now faces Honduras on 6 September (Stade Saputo in Montréal) and Mexico on 10 September (Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico). Canada then travels to Honduras for the 11 October match (venue yet to be announced), returns to Edmonton for the 15 October match, then finishes up in Jamaica for the 19 November finale (Kingston, Jamaica).