Once again Canada is watching the World Cup from the sidelines.

The Canadian men, currently ranked 79th in the world, have qualified just once for the World Cup, in 1986 when they lost to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union and exited without scoring a goal.

Mexico (16 World Cup appearances) and the U.S. (10) have been the traditional heavyweights in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Costa Rica (five), Honduras (three) and El Salvador (two) are the only other CONCACAF teams to make the World Cup finals more than once.

With Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and the U.S., an automatic berth is likely B次元官网网址� if yet unconfirmed. Expansion to a 48-team field will also help CanadaB次元官网网址檚 chances in 2026 and beyond.

But the Canadian Soccer Association wants to get in via the front door in future tournaments, including 2022. And there is new blood in the program, currently under renovation by menB次元官网网址檚 coach John Herdman, who switched over from the womenB次元官网网址檚 side in January.

Here is Canada SoccerB次元官网网址檚 blueprint to get there, as detailed by Herdman, technical director Jason deVos and general secretary Peter Montopoli.

BEST IN CONCACAF

Herdman says while Canada may never be able to compete with the football culture and numbers of Mexico or the dollars available in the U.S., B次元官网网址渢here are things in Canada we genuinely can be best at.B次元官网网址�

That includes areas like sports science and mental preparation, with Herdman listing off names like Penny Werthner, Ceri Evans, Ian Renshaw, Nicola Hodges.

B次元官网网址淲e have got the resources, weB次元官网网址檝e got the people,B次元官网网址� said Herdman, known for leaving no stone unturned. B次元官网网址滱nd weB次元官网网址檝e got a clear template based on the success of the womenB次元官网网址檚 national team, who were able to utilize a lot of these resources and a lot of the learnings have been left behind.B次元官网网址�

It also means leaving little to chance. While coach of the Canadian women, currently ranked fifth in the world. Herdman would drill down to timing and traffic patterns getting to stadiums during tournaments.

TALENT PIPELINE

While Canada is huge geographically, Herdman says the number of football leaders is small. That means the number of people to be influenced B次元官网网址� or convinced B次元官网网址� to join the national vision is smaller than a lot of other countries with a string of leagues and regulatory bodies. While getting everyone B次元官网网址渓ooking in one directionB次元官网网址� may be harder than it sounds, Herdman believes hosting the 2026 World Cup will help provide the necessary impetus.

Herdman, who had great success identifying young womenB次元官网网址檚 talent, envisions one clear pathway helping develop players, integrate new migrants into the soccer system or track Canadians who have moved abroad.

The Canadian Premier League, the new menB次元官网网址檚 pro league set to kick off next spring, offers another piece of the pathway.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Herdman says Canada Soccer is looking to B次元官网网址渟treamline our systems behind the scenesB次元官网网址� to avoid duplication or mixed messages. That includes everything from how best to marshall a team at a tournament to what Canada expects from each position on the pitch.

Herdman and assistant Mauro Biello, a former Canadian international and Montreal Impact coach, are looking to lead the way, as shown by their taking charge of a Canadian under-21 side that placed a surprising sixth in its first ever appearance at the prestigious Toulon youth tournament.

B次元官网网址淭he likes of myself and Mauro are willing not to just sit in the ivory tower and look down on the game and just deal with the 23 (senior) players,B次元官网网址� says Herdman. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e here to system-build, weB次元官网网址檙e here to lay that foundation for 2026. WeB次元官网网址檙e here to influence whatB次元官网网址檚 happening at the provincial level.B次元官网网址�

HerdmanB次元官网网址檚 support crew will be more of the same, he says.

BOTTOM UP

DeVos, a former Canadian national team captain, is preaching change at the youngest level of soccer.

His goal is to train and develop as many coaches at possible at the grassroots level who understand that player development is not linear B次元官网网址� that the best eight-year-old isnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily going to be the best 18-year-old.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 up, down, sideways and it happens in spurts and fits,B次元官网网址� says deVos.

Imposing an adult results-based framework on kids doesnB次元官网网址檛 work, he argues. His goal is to give young players B次元官网网址漚ccess to good environments,B次元官网网址� changing structures and rules along the way if needed.

B次元官网网址淲e should create environments in which they can fall in love with the game, play with their friends on one day and play with similar-ability players on another day,B次元官网网址� he adds.

B次元官网网址淭his notion that anyone can predict where a child is going to be in five, 10, 15 years is laughable. Nobody can do that. So why are we de-selecting kids from programs based on competency as young as the age of seven B次元官网网址� These are the lessons that have been taught to us by the other nations who are punching above their weight, who are succeeding.B次元官网网址�

In the past, most coaching courses were geared towards working with senior players. Now Canada Soccer is creating coaching license courses that are more age-relevant.

B次元官网网址淎 10-year-old is not a miniature 20-year-old,B次元官网网址� says deVos.

Like Herdman, deVos reels off a list of academics and experts in child and youth development like Jean Cote, Joe Baker, Adam Baxter-Jones and Tracy Vaillancourt.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e reached out to them and said B次元官网网址楥an you help us?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he says.

B次元官网网址淗ot-housingB次元官网网址� the best 12-year-olds in the country does not translate into a crop of top pros, he argues.

Instead create good environments, provide good coaches, let young players percolate and allow them to have fun, and deVos believes Canada will have a deeper pool of talent.

A RISING TIDE

All three says CanadaB次元官网网址檚 success in the womenB次元官网网址檚 ranks is a resource that can only help the menB次元官网网址檚 game. They believe sharing knowledge and best practices can be a benefit.

Herdman brought womenB次元官网网址檚 coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller into the Canada Soccer fold, so the ties are already strong. Montopoli believes Canada is already a leader in the field in developing a symbiotic relationship between the two national teams.

While hockey may be king in Canada, there are more registered soccer than hockey players. And Montopoli notes that Canadians ranked 12th among all countries in terms of purchasing tickets for the World Cup in Russia.

B次元官网网址淚 feel the sport is incredibly relevant,B次元官网网址� says Montopoli.

B次元官网网址淲e might be one of the few countries that has that relevancy of menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 football,B次元官网网址� he adds.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

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