Canada controls own destiny heading into final World Cup qualifiers

James Sharman and Martine Gaillard discuss all things soccer Canada, including Cyle Larin's importance as a goal scorer, Milan Borjan stepping up in front of goal, and how much pressure is on the team ahead of their tilt with El Salvador.

Canada's men's national soccer team beat the United States in World Cup qualifying for the first time since 1980 in a massive 2-0 win on home soil on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the result and Canada staying unbeaten in the octagon, they are yet to qualify for the 2022 World Cup due to Panama's 3-2 win over Jamaica keeping them from clinching.

With four games remaining, here is how the table currently stands:

Now, with a game against El Salvador on Wednesday to finish this window and three more games in March, here's are some ways Canada can secure a spot in Qatar:

• Canada, first in the table, has 22 points. Panama (fourth) has 17 points and Costa Rica (fifth) has 13 points.

• The maximum number of points Costa Rica can finish with is 25, while the most Panama can finish with is 29.

• So, Canada needs a combination of four points to steer clear of Costa Rica -- whether it's by earning points themselves or from Costa Rica dropping points.

• The same goes for Panama, except Canada will need a combination of eight points.

In many ways, Canada controls its own destiny as it faces both Panama and Costa Rica in the final match window. If Canada can keep those two teams from getting full points in those games, it would go a long way towards clinching a berth in the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Each Concacaf team has one game left in the current window, with the final three games of qualifying in March. Canada faces El Salvador on the road on Wednesday, visits Costa Rica on March 24, hosts Jamaica on March 27 and closes the tournament at Panama on March 30.

The top three teams in Concacaf earn direct berths to the Qatar World Cup (Nov. 21-Dec. 17) while the fourth-place team will face the winner of the Oceania region in a playoff for another chance at a World Cup spot.

TEAMS THAT HAVE QUALIFIED

Qatar
Germany
Denmark
Brazil
France
Belgium
Croatia
Spain
Serbia
England
Switzerland
Netherlands
Argentina
Iran

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