For the first time in 36 years, Canada are back on the biggest stage in football as they qualified for World Cup 2022. The co-hosts of the next World Cup in 2026 will be welcomed back to the tournament by perennial powerhouses Belgium as well as 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and Morocco.
The World Cup 2022 odds have the Belgians installed as the big favourites to win the group, but all three of Canada, Croatia, and Morocco had impressive qualifying campaigns and look capable of claiming second spot.
Read on below as SBOTOP recaps how all four teams in Group F made their way to World Cup 2022.
Belgium
It was yet another impressive qualifying campaign from Belgium, who have made it to their third straight World Cup and their fifth consecutive major tournament.
The Red Devils went undefeated in Group E with six wins and two draws – one of which was a dead rubber in their group finale away to Wales – as they extended their remarkable unbeaten run in World Cup qualifiers to 28 straight matches (23 wins, 5 draws).
Such was Belgium’s dominance that they were behind for all of 42 minutes throughout qualifying as Roberto Martinez’s side scored 25 goals and conceded just six in the eight games. They conceded more than one goal just once in eight games, and that came in a 5-2 drubbing of Estonia.
Unsurprisingly, Romelu Lukaku remained among the goals as he scored five goals in qualifying. Hans Vanaken was second on the team with three goals, two of which he scored in their 8-0 thrashing of Belarus, one of the biggest wins in UEFA World Cup qualifying.
Canada
Canada were already guaranteed a spot in the 2026 World Cup as co-hosts along with the United States and Mexico. But the Maple Leafs made sure they would be making back-to-back appearances as they qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years and just their second World Cup ever after a terrific qualifying campaign.
Canada finished top in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying, ahead of the region’s established heavyweights, Mexico and the United States.
Coach John Herdman, who took charge in 2018, has been instrumental in Canada’s rise in CONCACAF. Les Rouges have won 30 of 43 matches under him, with 4 draws and only 9 defeats. They won 8 of 14 games in the third round of qualifying, with 4 draws and 2 losses.
Canada had a bit of a shaky start as they drew four of their first five games, although two of those draws were away to both the United States and Mexico. But after that, they went on a blistering six-match winning streak, which included huge home wins over both the USMNT and El Tri.
Despite suffering shock 1-0 defeats away to Costa Rica and Panama in their last three qualifiers, Canada still qualified on top, edging out Mexico with a superior goal difference.
The Canadians boast a couple of talented young forwards in Cyle Larin and Jonathan David, who combined to score 11 of their 23 goals in qualifying. Those two, along with Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies, were Canada’s key players in qualifying and figure to create some World Cup 2022 highlights in Qatar.
Croatia
After their terrific run to the World Cup final in 2018, Croatia are back in Qatar with the hopes of replicating that unlikely success in Russia.
With captain and midfield maestro Luka Modric still going strong, the Croatians produced one of their best World Cup qualifying campaigns as they won seven, drew two and lost just once in 10 games to win Group H, edging Russia by a single point.
And despite lacking big-name defenders, the Croatians conceded just four goals in 10 games, which was one of the best defensive records in European qualifying.
Croatia suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Slovenia in their World Cup qualifying opener, but they then went on a terrific six-game run where they did not concede a single goal. That run eventually came to an end in a 2-2 draw at home against Slovakia. But they bounced back to thrash Malta 7-1, then beat Russia 1-0 at home in their crucial group finale to clinch top spot in the group.
Morocco
Morocco may seem like the least renowned team in this group, but don’t make the mistake of underestimating the Atlas Lions, who had an outstanding qualifying campaign. The Moroccans were the only side in Africa to come away from the second round of qualifying with a perfect record of six wins out of six.
Vahid Halilhodzic’s side steamrolled through Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan as they scored 20 goals and conceded just one, which was a remarkable record. Moreover, they won all but one of their six games by three or more goals. Then came the two-legged playoff, where Morocco drew DR Congo. After a surprise 1-1 draw away from home in which they needed to come from behind, the Atlas Lions roared to a 4-1 win in the second leg at home – by far the most convincing victory of the five playoff ties – to reach the World Cup once again.
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