Basic information about the Canadian national team
Canada’s national men’s soccer team is administered by the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and belongs to the CONCACAF confederation. The team’s nicknames are “The Canucks”, “The Reds” and “Maple Leafs”. Football uniforms usually come in one of three colors: black, red or white.
The Canadians played their first game in 1885. The team then battled with the United States and won with one goal. The meeting took place before the formation of the ASC, so it is often not considered the team’s first game. The official date is 1885, that is to say the lost match with the Australian team (3-2).
The current general manager of the Canadian national team is John Herdman, who has held the position since 2018. The current team captain is Atiba Hutchinson.
Canada’s National Team at the World Cup
The Canadian national team took part in the 1986 World Cup. The previous years were not very happy for the team which either failed to qualify for the main part of the tournament or did not decide to take part in the qualifying rounds. Unfortunately, the team ended the World Cup after the group stage – then they lost all matches and finished last in the group.
The Canadians qualified for the tournament after a 38-year hiatus while the team was coached by John Herman. The 2022 World Cup was opened to the team, which was unlucky in the last qualifying round. The team ended up in Group F with Belgium, Morocco and Croatia.
The exact start date for the 2022 World Cup is November 20.
Team Canada at the CONCACAF Tournament – medals (North American Championship)
The Canadian national team played in the 15th North American Championship, starting in 1991 (only retired in 1998). The Orcs finished the tournament eight times after the group stage, reached the quarter-finals three times and finished third the same number of times. Additionally, Canada has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but only once.
The team was eliminated in the first three editions of the tournament (1991, 1993 and 1996) after the group stage. A sea change did not come until February 2000, when Canada won the competition and lifted the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup. The final match was against the Colombian national team, which was beaten 2-0. Unfortunately, that’s when the team’s streak ended.
The Canadians managed to finish third in the next edition of the competition in 2002 after losing to the United States in the semi-finals. It should also be added that the group stages of 2003 and 2005 did not improve the well-being of the fans. Another third-place finish didn’t appear on the horizon until 2007, when the team again lost to the United States in the semi-finals.
The North American Championship, which took place two years later, ended only in the quarter-finals for the Canadian team, and the next three editions – after the group stage. The quarter-final stage also falls in 2017 and 2019. The next third place, and therefore a bronze medal, appeared on the team’s account in 2021, after Mexico won the semi-final (2 -1).
Overall, Canada’s national football team has won 3 bronze medals and one championship (gold).
Canada’s national team at the CONCACAF Championship
The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments were held from 1963 to 1989 as the CONCACAF Championship. Moreover, the matches played from 1971 to 1989 were not played in the CONCACAF zone, but were part of the World Cup qualifiers. The Reds took fourth place twice in the mentioned period and won gold once.
The Canadian national team took fourth place in the tournaments of 1977 and 1981 (previously they did not participate in the tournament and once did not qualify for the main part of the championship). The team won the CONCACAF competition in 1985, fighting in the last match against Honduras. The match ended with the score of 2:1.
