The Canadian men's national team will host Dominica in the first home match of the 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League qualifying on Oct. 16 at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada Soccer announced on Tuesday.
Canada will begin the 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying series at U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 9. After hosting Dominica, Canada will face St. Kitts & Nevis away on Nov. 18 and then French Guiana at home on March 26, 2019 in their last match in this round.
At stake in 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying is a spot in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup as well as the classification groups in Concacaf Nations League. From 68 qualifying matches, the top 10 nations will qualify for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup while the top-six nations will additionally qualify for CONCACAF Nations League “A".
The expanded 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup – up from 12 to 16 nations – will feature Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and those 10 nations from 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying.
“We know that as a country, we can strive to be the best in Concacaf,” Canada head coach John Herdman said in a statement. “We know that these matches are going to be very important as they count towards Concacaf Nations League, Concacaf Gold Cup, and eventually FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. There is a real opportunity within this competition to enhance our skills within Concacaf so that we can build that resilience for when it really matters.”
Canada has won each of their last three home matches dating back to 2015. Herdman took over the program on Jan. 8 and defeated New Zealand, 1-0, in an international debut on March 24 in Spain on his debut.
“Speaking to some of our key players, they know how important the next four years are and they know that they have an opportunity to become game changers and heroes for this country,” Herdman said. “There is real clarity in the group and there is belief that we can take the game to a place it hasn't been in more than a quarter of a century.”
