36 years later, Canada is in the World Championship. The Canadian team had only been there once, in Mexico and in 1986, in the final of the highest international competition, and it has already made history just by qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar. More than three decades later, Maple Syrup Country will show that Canadian sport isn’t just ice hockey.

With Alphonso Davies as the team’s absolute reference, it is a selection that lives in addition to the effectiveness of Jonathan David, the individual quality of Cyle Larin and the experience of captain Atiba Hutchinson. The Luso-Canadians Steven Vitória and Stephen Eustáquio are regulars in the starting eleven of Englishman John Herdman — who made the unusual journey of moving from the New Zealand and Canadian women’s teams to the Canadian men’s team.

Inserted in a complex group, where Belgium and Croatia start as natural candidates for qualification and Morocco has another international experience, Canada hopes to achieve the best result in its history in World Championships. However, just making it to Qatar was an impressive show of force by the Canadians.

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