The Canadian men’s national soccer team has reached the World Cup qualifying final round for the first time since 1996-97 courtesy of a 3-0 win over Haiti on Tuesday night.
One step closer to the World Cup. @CanadaSoccerEN advances to the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after defeating Haiti! #CANMNT | #WCQ2022 pic.twitter.com/riNaS9nOEj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2021
Canada entered the match looking to finish the job after earning a 1-0 win over Haiti Saturday in Port-au-Prince. Sitting level at halftime, the red and white were gifted their first goal Tuesday via a gaffe from Montreal-born Haiti goalkeeper Josué Duverger.
ONE OF THE WORST OWN GOALS YOU WILL EVER SEE! Canada takes a 1-0 lead, 2-0 on aggregate!
Paging the Misplays of the Month @Sportsnet#CanMNT #WCQ
(: @onesoccer)pic.twitter.com/AUCCU8BouG— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) June 16, 2021
Canada capitalized on another Haitian error later in the second half, as Cyle Larin scored off a turnover to put his squad up 2-0 (3-0 on aggregate).
GOAL
Cyle Larin #CanMNT up 2-0 over Haiti, (3-0 agg.) and are cruising to the Concacaf Octagonal!
https://t.co/hishXepRT3 | #CanadaCan pic.twitter.com/rXuUCku7I7
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 16, 2021
Junior Hoilett capped off the performance with Canada’s third of the night, firing one in off the post and putting away his own rebound to lift Canada to 3-0 (4-0 on aggregate).
Junior Hoilett’s 3rd goal of the night gives #CanMNT a 3-0 win over Haiti … and BOOKS A SPOT IN THE OCT
The Concacaf Octagonal stage of World Cup Qualifying will be available on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/VYyx0Vevp1
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 16, 2021
With the two wins in tow and Canada now past Haiti, they’ll join the U.S., Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Honduras in the final qualifying round-robin. El Salvador is likely to join them after topping St. Kitts and Nevis 4-0 in the first leg of their second-round playoff, along with either Panama or Curacao.
Moving on to the final round brings a Canadian team flush with talent closer to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which would be a key step for the nation ahead of its joint hosting duties at the 2026 tournament. The Canadian men have only appeared in the World Cup once before, 35 years ago.
Even if the red and white fall short of that 2022 goal, the berth in the final round offers a chance to get meaningful matches against the top competition in the region, and seven home dates to hopefully fill the stands.
But the Canadians have their eyes trained on the ultimate prize.
“At the end of the day we know 2026 will happen, but 2022 is something that we’re aiming for right now,” Canadian defender Alistair Johnston told The Canadian Press prior to Tuesday’s match. “That’s where all of our focus is as a team, as a group.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
