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The final window of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying play gets underway on Thursday, and Canada will look to widen their lead at the top of the table against Costa Rica. They’ll play against Los Ticos at the Nation Stadium of Costa Rica in San Jose with kickoff set for 10:05 p.m. ET.
The match will be shown on Univision and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo while livestream options will be available on Paramount+, fuboTV, and Hulu.
The Canadians will then return home to host Jamaica on Sunday, and wrap up the final round of qualifying with a trip to Panama on Wednesday. Costa Rica will visit El Salvador on Sunday, followed by hosting the US Men’s National Team on Wednesday.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Canada favored to win in Costa Rica with moneyline odds at +145. Costa Rica comes in at +205, while a draw is priced at +195.
Canada v. Costa Rica
Date: Thursday, March 24
Time: 10:05 p.m. ET
Channel: Univision, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Livestream: Paramount+, fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV
Canada is in a better spot than anyone else in the table at the moment. They sit at the top of the standings with 25 points, four points clear of second place USA and third place Mexico. A win for Canada on Thursday would be enough to officially earn their spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
A trip to Qatar would be the Canadians’ second-ever World Cup finals appearance, and their first since 1986. Nobody really expected them to be sitting at the top of the table heading into the final three matches of qualifying, but John Herdman has led his squad through the best showing we’ve seen from the Canucks in WCQ play as they’re the only unbeaten team left in the octagon.
Canada leads the pack in goal differential at +14 in this final round, with 19 goals scored and only five allowed throughout 11 matches played so far. Of those 19 goals, both Cyle Larin and Jonathan David have knocked in five apiece in the final round. If we include the first round of qualifiers where Canada absolutely dominated Group B, Larin has an impressive 12 goals through 13 appearances, while David has nine goals through 15 matches.
Regardless, this Canadian side will be more than a handful for Los Ticos. The Canucks have won the last two matches straight over the Costa Ricans, with a 2-0 win in the Gold Cup last summer and a 1-0 victory in a November WCQ match.