Canada is on the cusp of qualifying for its first men’s World Cup since 1986, while Costa Rica’s bid for a third straight berth is on life support.
That’s what’s at stake between the two sides as they meet in San Jose, Costa Rica on Thursday, the first of a set of three final matches remaining in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
John Herdman has led Canada to an undefeated record atop the CONCACAF World Cup qualification table. A win in San Jose would secure a spot at this winter’s big dance, while a point plus a Panama loss or draw against Honduras would do the trick as well.
Costa Rica, meanwhile, has absolutely no room for error. While the chance for an outright spot in the World Cup seems all but lost (five points behind third place), Los Ticos still have a great shot at finishing fourth in the table, which would secure a place at the intercontinental playoff match in June.
They need to beat Panama’s return this international window by one point, and both teams play the United States and Canada down the stretch. Gaining even a point from this game against the CONCACAF leaders would be a valuable return.
MORE: How Canada can qualify for the World Cup
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Canada | 25 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 5 | +14 |
| 2. USA | 21 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 7 | +9 |
| 3. Mexico | 21 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 8 | +6 |
| 4. Panama | 17 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 13 | +1 |
| 5. Costa Rica | 16 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | +1 |
| 6. El Salvador | 9 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 13 | -7 |
| 7. Jamaica (E) | 7 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 |
| 8. Honduras (E) | 3 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 22 | -17 |
How to watch Costa Rica vs. Canada
- Date: Thursday, March 24
- Time: 10:05 p.m. ET
- Canada TV channels: Sportsnet, Telus Ch. 980, RDS
- Canada streaming: fuboTV, OneSoccer.ca, Sportsnet NOW
- USA TV channel: Universo
- USA streaming: fuboTV, Paramount+
In Canada: Thursday’s match between Costa Rica and Canada from the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica will be broadcast on Sportsnet (English), RDS (French) and OneSoccer in Canada. The stream can be accessed on fuboTV.
In USA: It will be available via Universo (Spanish) in the United States, and that channel can be streamed on fuboTV, which is available on a free trial for new users. Paramount+ will carry an English-language stream for subscribers.
MORE: Remaining schedule for Canada, Costa Rica in qualifying
Costa Rica vs. Canada projected lineups
The biggest question mark for Costa Rica has been the fitness of veteran midfielder Celso Borges, who has been out since breaking his toe against Jamaica on Feb. 3. But he has trained for the last 10 days and Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez confirmed he’s ready and available to play despite the long layoff.
It will be interesting to see if Costa Rica deploys a more traditional 4-5-1 as it did against Mexico in a 0-0 draw, or if it resorts to a 5-4-1 as in the 1-0 win over Jamaica. Uncapped teenage attacking midfielder Brandon Aguilera was singled out for praise by Suarez, who hinted he could see minutes on Thursday, including as a starter.
Costa Rica projected starting lineup (5-4-1): Navas (GK) — Oviedo, Calvo, Vargas, Watson, Fuller — Martinez, Tejeda, Ruiz, Torres — Campbell.
¡Semana clave! 🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷#VamosSele pic.twitter.com/odujEsyov9
— FEDEFUTBOL Costa Rica (@fedefutbolcrc) March 20, 2022
The glaring omission for Canada is that of Alphonso Davies, who again misses out due to his bout with myocarditis. Davies has returned to training for Bayern Munich, but since he was held to limited physical activity during his recovery, he was not match fit and still requires time to build back up.
Sam Adekugbe and Doneil Henry are suspended, and multiple reports indicate Steven Vitoria has been recently battling a slight injury, and may not be risked for the match. In that case, Scott Kennedy would get the call alongside Kamal Miller in central defense.
Canada projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Borjan (GK) — Gutierrez, Miller, Vitoria, Johnston — Eustaquio, Hutchinson — Buchanan, Osorio, Hoilett — David.
MORE: When will Alphonso Davies return?
Costa Rica vs. Canada betting odds
Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction (Canada)
While Canada tops the CONCACAF group comfortably, John Herdman has preached safety first on the road. Canada has won its last two on the road, but prior to that, the first three all ended in draws.
Herdman knows he has room to play with, and Canada will not let a Costa Rica team hungry with desire to smell blood at any point. Canada is incredibly good at sitting back and absorbing pressure before counterattacking with vicious ability.
Costa Rica has not scored against Canada since a 1-1 draw in the 2017 Gold Cup, and while the home side have their backs against the wall, a point is plenty for Canada who will be happy to come back north and celebrate qualification with the home fans in its next match.