After one of the most successful stretches in Canada men's national team history this past summer, head coach John Herdman will hope his team can continue that roll when it opens the final round of 2022 World Cup qualifying in September. Herdman called up a 23-player roster for the team's first three matches in the CONCACAF "Octagonal": at home to Honduras (Sept. 2) and El Salvador (Sept. 8) and away to archrival USA (Sept. 5).
It's the first time in nearly 25 years that Canada is involved in the final round of World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region. The Canadians will play a total of 14 matches against seven other opponents: USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama. A total of three automatic berths are on the line, with the fourth-place team advancing to an intercontinental playoff for the final ticket to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
“These men know they have a great opportunity to play in front of our fans for the first time in nearly two years, but more importantly the chance to get our campaign off to a great start in the next round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers,” Herdman said in a team statement. “There’s been a lot of competition for places in this selection, so assembling this squad posed some nice problems for a coach.”
MORE: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying schedule & standings
The roster features the return of 38-year-old veteran Atiba Hutchinson, who will be participating in his fifth World Cup qualifying campaign. That's compared to 20-year-old Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) and 21-year-old Jonathan David (LOSC Lille), who are taking part in their first cycle. Davies and David are also the youngest players on the roster, while Hutchinson is five caps shy of setting a new all-time appearances record for a Canadian male player.
But the most talked about Canadian of late has been 22-year-old Tajon Buchanan, who recently earned a move to Belgian Champions League side Club Brugge at the end of the 2021 season in Major League Soccer. That transfer was earned on the back of standout performances for Canada during the recently concluded CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he won the top young player award.
Les Rouges advanced to the semifinals of the Gold Cup for the first time since 2007, losing a heartbreaker to Mexico deep into stoppage time. The Canadians have won nine of their 11 matches so far in 2021, including a team-record eight in a row before losses to the USA and Mexico in the Gold Cup. They've also scored 42 goals during the current calendar year.
Canada’s two home matches on Sept. 2 (8 p.m. ET) and Sept. 8 (7:30 p.m. ET) will be broadcast live in Canada on OneSoccer.ca.
Canada roster: September World Cup qualifiers
| Position | Player | Club |
| GK | Milan Borjan | FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) |
| GK | Maxime Crepeau | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| GK | James Pantemis | CF Montreal |
| DF | Samuel Adekugbe | Hatayspor FC (Turkey) |
| DF | Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich (Germany) |
| DF | Doneil Henry | Suwon Bluewings (South Korea) |
| DF | Alistair Johnston | Nashville SC |
| DF | Scott Kennedy | SSV Jahn Regensburg (Germany) |
| DF | Richie Laryea | Toronto FC |
| DF | Kamal Miller | CF Montreal |
| DF | Steven Vitoria | Moreirense FC (Portugal) |
| MF | Stephen Eustaquio | FC Paços de Ferreira (Portugal) |
| MF | Liam Fraser | Columbus Crew SC |
| MF | Atiba Hutchinson | Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) |
| MF | Mark-Anthony Kaye | Colorado Rapids |
| MF | Jonathan Osorio | Toronto FC |
| MF | Samuel Piette | CF Montreal |
| MF | David Wotherspoon | St. Johnstone (Scotland) |
| MF | Tajon Buchanan | New England Revolution |
| FW | Lucas Cavallini | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| FW | Jonathan David | LOSC Lille (France) |
| FW | Junior Hoilett | Reading FC (England) |
| FW | Cyle Larin | Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) |