Canada men’s path to 2020 Tokyo Olympics set

The next major step in front of the Canadian men hoping to continue their renaissance in the region is the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

We now know what it will take to get there.

Canada’s U-23 squad has been drawn in a group with Honduras (March 27), El Salvador (March 21), and Haiti (March 24).

In order to secure a place in Tokyo, Canada will need to finish Top-2 in that group and win a semifinal match against one of Mexico, USA, Costa Rica or Dominican Republic.

If they are able to accomplish the feat, it will be the team’s first Olympic tournament in 36 years (Los Angeles, 1984). The qualifying tournament is contested by solely the U-23 teams of each nation, but the two finalists will be able to add three over-age players to the squad for the Olympic Games.

As pointed out in this weeks Footy Talks podcast, the timing is fortuitous for CanMNT as many of their senior players also qualify for the U-23 team.

The entire tournament, including the March 30 semifinals and the April 1 Final will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico.