2022 World Cup: Best Bets for Canada
by Kevin Richard | by Kevin Richard
Qatar will be the center of the footballing world’s attention from November 21st to December 18th when it hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup in eight venues across five host cities. This rendition of the historic tournament is significant for a number of reasons; it marks the first time the World Cup will be hosted by an Arabic country, the first time it’s held in a month other than May, June or July, and will be the final iteration to include 32 teams before being expanded to 48 for the 2026 World Cup.
We turn our focus today towards Canada, who are making only their second ever appearance and first since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Does this talented young side have enough about them to cause a serious shock in Qatar? We’ll break down their chances while also providing a look at some of the best online betting sites and odds for what is sure to be a memorable month of football.
Bet on the World Cup 2022 on Bet365
Canada’s chances: Legitimate dark horse or one-trick pony?
Canada somewhat surprisingly topped the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group with an 8-4-2 record, putting them even on points with Mexico but ultimately edging first due to their superior goal differential. It was a brilliant campaign for the Maple Leafs, who finished as the groups top goal scorers with 23 and best defense with only seven goals conceded. They were also able to snatch the bragging rights of the region after taking four points each off of their biggest rivals in the United States and Mexico.
Canada will be hoping to fare better this time around than they did in 1986, where they not only lost all three matches but suffered the ignominy of failing to net a single goal. There is definite cause for optimism around this side however, with a number of talented young players competing at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Bayern Munich’s versatile wing Alphonso Davies and LOSC Lille’s Jonathan David are the pick amongst the group, with the former shouldering a large burden of the team’s offensive spark from the left flank while the latter will be expected to link play to the midfield as well as operate as the team’s main goal scoring threat.
Canada boasts a number of other established veterans with the likes of 39-year-old captain Atiba Hutchinson and Cyle Larin, both of Turkish side Besiktas, as well as FC Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio and Toronto FC’s own Jonathan Osario. Rising Club Brugge star Tajon Buchanan could also play the role of influential x-factor with the 23-year-old’s dynamism from the right side.
While it may be slightly unfair to categorize this Canadian team as one that simply sits deep and tries to hit teams on the counter, that is likely going to be the approach John Herdman’s men take given the quality of opposition that they will encounter in Qatar. Canada have shown throughout qualifying that they excel when deploying a compact defensive block which then opens up space for their speedy attacking threats to exploit in transition. In a group with an abundance of technical players on teams that will prioritize keeping possession of the ball, Canada are a definite threat to catch one of their opponents by surprise with their direct counter attacking style.
World Cup 2022 - Canada’s fixtures
Being drawn out of the fourth pot, Canada are the lowest ranked team in Group F at #43 currently. Les Rouges are faced with a substantial challenge to make it out of a tough group which includes the second ranked FIFA team in the world in Belgium, 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia and a Morocco side that was undefeated in qualifying.
Their full schedule is as follows:
- Wednesday, 23/11/2022 vs Belgium (Al Rayyan Stadium)
- Sunday, 27/11/2022 vs Croatia (Khalifa International Stadium)
- Thursday, 1/12/2022 vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium)
How to Bet Canada at the 2022 World Cup
You can currently get odds of between 100/1 to 150/1 on sites like Bet365, Vbet and BetOBet for Canada to win the World Cup and you could see as high as 200/1 on sites such as 1xBet. While they won’t be expected to realistically challenge for the World Cup trophy, their odds of around 13/4 to simply qualify from their group could potentially provide some decent value. Canada’s path to the knockout stage would likely come at the expense of Croatia, whose aging squad is nearing the end of their golden generation and will be nearly another six months older by the time Qatar 2022 arrives.
Focusing on Canada’s individual group stage matches could provide another profitable avenue. While they won’t be expecting to get anything out of the opening match against Belgium, it will be the matches against Croatia and Morocco that the Canadians will be targeting. Most bookmakers don’t have odds available yet for the second and third group stage matches but Canada on a double chance type of bet against Croatia should provide some enticing odds. They have the pieces to make life difficult for their opponents on the counter attack as the Croatian defense is undoubtedly the weakest part of the squad. The final match against Morocco should also prove interesting and depending on the outlook of the group, could potentially be a pivotal one. Canada are certainly capable of getting the three points in this type of fixture in what should be a much more even matchup from the oddsmakers' point of view.
Lastly we’ll throw out a juicy 100/1 shot to keep an eye on in the form of Jonathan David to win the Golden Boot. A player who has been linked to a host of Europe’s elite clubs over the past 12 months, the 22-year-old is the real deal. David is coming off a 19 goal season for Lille in 47 matches across all competitions and has already netted 21 goals for his national team in 32 caps. If Canada are to make a run in this tournament, you can be sure that their #20 will play a starring role.
Bet on the World Cup 2022 on Bet365
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