The calendar has flipped to November and the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be underway in less than two weeks. The tournament this year is being played in Qatar and that's going to be one of the biggest concerns for the two North American underdogs --- The United States and Canada.
That said, this time a lot of hopes are pinned on both US and Canada. Both teams have been dubbed underdogs and even if they don't win the cup, they are capable of coming up with some real surprises. While the United States will kick things off against minnows Wales, Canada will face Belgium in their first match of the tournament. Here's how to watch the matches in the United States and Canada.
North American Underdogs
The World Cup 2022 will get underway on Sunday, November 20 with host nation Qatar squaring off against Ecuador. The United States will kick off their World Cup 2022 on November 21 against Wales, while Canada will face the mighty Belgians on November 23.
Fans in the United States and Canada have lots of expectations from their respective teams. When the U.S. failed to qualify for the last tournament in Russia in 2018 it was the first World Cup without an American side since 1986.
This time, the hopes of the nation are placed in the young group led by new head coach Gregg Berhalter, who was instrumental as a player in the United States' journey to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002.
In a fiercely competitive preliminary campaign in North, Central, and the Caribbean, the Americans finished third behind Canada and Mexico and just managed to edge Costa Rica on goal differential for the final automatic qualifying spot (CONCACAF).
The team is now placed in Group B alongside Wales, England, and Iran after qualifying for the 2022 world finals.
New Beginning
After being in the wilderness for 36 years, Canada will return to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Canada has featured in one only World Cup, which was held in Mexico in 1986. Their historic appearance was marred by three humiliating defeats against France, Hungary, and the then-Soviet Union.
Participation in the 1986 competition was the pinnacle of Canadian football, which would not be topped for many years until they qualified for this year's World Cup.
However, the 1986 outing isn't worth remembering, as they failed to score a goal and gave up five in 270 minutes of play.
This time, the team looks strong on pen and paper but they have a tough road ahead with teams like Croatia and Belgium in their group.
Canada performed well in the qualification round and will hope to carry forward that in the finals. The team won eight of its 14 games during the CONCACAF qualifying round, including unexpected victories over the higher-ranked United States and Mexico. The team also finished first in the group.
World Cup 2022 –USNMT Schedule
Group B
November 21 (Monday): United States vs. Wales (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium) | 2:00 pm EDT
November 25 (Friday): England vs. United States (Al Bayt Stadium) | 2:00 pm EDT
November 29 (Tuesday): Iran vs. United States (Al Thumama Stadium) | 2:00 pm EDT
Where and How to Watch
Fans in the United States can watch the matches live on FOX network and FS1 (English) and Telemundo (Spanish).
Live streaming of United States' World Cup matches will be done on Vidgo, Fubo, Sling TV, Peacock TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.
World Cup 2022—Canada Schedule
Group F
November 23 (Wednesday): Canada vs. Belgium (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium) | 2:00 pm EDT
November 27 (Sunday): Canada vs. Croatia (Khalifa International Stadium) | 11:00 am EDT
December 1 (Thursday): Canada vs. Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium) | 10:00 am EDT
Where and How to Watch
All matches including the ones featuring Canada will be broadcast live on CTV/TSN, TSN2.
The matches will be live streamed on Those without cable can still catch every match live on the TSN App (English) RDS (French).
