Canada building towards bright future under John Herdman

2026 World Cup co-hosts have Qatar 2022 in their sights

North Americans up to 76th in latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking

Canada is a country known for its vast nature and wilderness. It is usually a source of pride for those that make the North American nation their home. However, if one was speak to a supporter of its men’s national team, the topic of being in the footballing wilderness is sure to arise and with a tone of lament and frustration.

Thirty two years has passed since Canada took part in the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™ - the country’s only appearance at the world finals. Take away the unlikely CONCACAF Gold Cup victory in 2000, the Canucks have struggled to be on the radar at the highest level in recent decades.

While that frustration may have been heightened, as Canadian football followers took in this year’s World Cup in Russia, 2018 is proving to be an important year of building towards Canada’s return to respectability in the footballing world.

That turnaround can be traced back to the beginning of the year when John Herdman made the unique move of leaving his post as Canadian women’s national team coach to succeed Octavio Zambrano as bench boss of the men’s programme.

The engaging Englishman wasted little time in setting his plans in motion, handing some of Canada’s promising young talent the opportunity to forge their careers as senior internationals from an early age. If recent results are to go by, Canadian fans may not have to wait for when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and USA, but dream of seeing the Red and White back on the world stage at Qatar 2022.