Oct 18

Oct 18 Re-living Canada's 1986 World Cup Campaign

Reflecting on Canada’s World Cup Campaign in 1986 - by Alex Waite.

Canada qualified for their only ever football World Cup finals in 1986.

Despite initial success and jubilation, the team experienced challenging preparations.

The decline of US soccer before the 1986 World Cup in Mexico gave the Canucks a near-impossible task to be competitive in the competition.

Then, Tony Waiters’ side faced one of the toughest draws in the group stage to further their against-all-odds chances of success.

However, the experience of the 1986 team can be considered a success.

The grit, determination and achievements of Waiters’ squad provided a foundation for later generations to get better access to high-quality football in Canada and put football/soccer on the map as one of Canada’s most popular sports.

Canadian Football’s Momentous Moment

In the early 1980s, football in Canada was on the up. Optimism followed the Canucks to succeed on the world stage after the side pushed Brazil to penalties in the 1984 Olympics.

In addition, the Canadian squad had several strong players who played for leading North American Soccer League teams.

Others fielded for big teams in Europe, and only three players played in the amateur leagues of Canada. As a result, there was plenty of eagerness for the Canucks to reach the 1986 World Cup.

However, preparations to get through the CONCACAF qualifying section to make the World Cup were affected by the collapse of the North American Soccer League.

In March 1985, just months after Canada’s impressive display at the Olympics, the league was suspended, leaving hundreds of players without a team.

Weeks later, Canada began their 1986 World Cup qualification campaign with just a few squad players playing regular football.

To make the job tougher, only one CONCACAF nation out of 17 would qualify for the tournament as host Mexico qualified automatically.

The handicap of having few professionally active players did not appear to faze Waiters’ side. The Canucks went unbeaten in their first stage qualifying group against Haiti and Guatemala, winning three and drawing two.

Victory in the qualifying group set up a final round of fixtures against Honduras and Costa Rica in August and September 1985.

At this time, many Canadian players were still without a professional team, and they were only playing competitive football on the international stage.

Yet again, Canada defied the odds, but their final group results were less convincing. Two draws and a win set up a winner takes all match against Honduras on September 14, 1985.

Luckily, the Canucks were playing at home, and the hosts finally had a stroke of luck to help them in the showdown fixture. The match took place at King George V Park in St John’s, Newfoundland in front of 13,000 fans.

However, the handful of Honduran supporters mixed up their locations and found themselves in Saint John, New Brunswick, some 1,700 kilometres away.

The fully Canadian crowd was left to roar their team on in freezing conditions. This may well have provided a vital edge.

George Pakos struck on 15 minutes for Canada before they conceded just after halftime. Yet Igor Vrbalic tapped in with 29 minutes remaining.

The Canucks held on, and the final whistle sent the squad and fans into delirium as the nation celebrated its first-ever qualification for the World Cup.

Disrupted Preparations and Fundraising

After the initial joy of qualification, a sinking realisation arose. Just getting ready for the World Cup was going to be a tough challenge.

Many players still had no professional team to play for, and getting competitive minutes against quality opposition was a concern.

Other than the few players fielding for European teams, most Canadian squad members played in the US indoor leagues before the World Cup.

The quality was not equal to what Canada would experience on the international stage.

However, manager Waiters wanted to prepare his side in the best way possible. The former England goalkeeper put the squad through their paces in an enduring training camp in Colorado.

His philosophy was that his side could get fit and together, despite the lack of competitive playing time.

Also, while most nations heading to Mexico in 1986 had professional funding from their Football Associations, Canada had to raise money themselves to fund their World Cup campaign.

A range of fixtures in North Africa and Asia took place where the team played exhibition matches that were paid for by the hosting nations and clubs.

In another desperate bid to fundraise, the Canadian Soccer Federation sold memorabilia under the ‘March to Mexico’ campaign.

It was hardly the professional build-up to a major tournament that most nations experienced at the time, but the preparations helped to build solidarity and closeness among the players.

A Plucky Yet Predictable 1986 World Cup

This togetherness was evident in Canada’s World Cup campaign.

As the squad entered the Estadio Nou Camp, in León, Mexico for their opening Group C fixture, their coach was mobbed by spectators gleefully shouting the amount of the humiliating score line that awaited the Canucks as they faced 1982 World Cup semi-finalists, France.

However, the discipline, togetherness and hard-working philosophy that Waiters demanded from his team was evident against France.

Canada missed a host of chances before Jean-Pierre Papin scored for France in the 78th minute. It was a display that highlighted the Canucks’ gritty approach. But, ultimately, their lack of skill and quality was also telling.

Canada then fell to consecutive 2-0 defeats against Hungary, who had thrashed El Salvador 10-1 in the previous 1982 World Cup, and Russia.

Both results were convincing for Hungary and Russia, but for Canada, keeping the score lines to a minimum showed progress and competitiveness which had never been seen from the national side.

Despite the relative disappointment of a goalless and pointless World Cup campaign, Waiters echoed the optimism of football within the nation.

A report in the Globe and Mail in June 1986 published Waiter’s grounded and inspirational message of hope for the future.

"In this World Cup, that was not enough to win a game or score a goal. But I think we have a solid base for the future. We realize what we have to do to improve as a country.”

Canada’s World Cup Legacy

Almost exactly one year after Canada crashed out of the 1986 World Cup, the Canadian Soccer League began. The competition was formed to give Canadian players a domestic, competitive league to play in regularly.

The professionalism of football in Canada continued to evolve, and the Canadian Soccer League was formed in 1998 as the sport moved to a semi-professional standing.

Ultimately, these developments came because of the pioneering work and experience of players, coaches and organisers from 1986.

In March 2022, Canada beat Jamaica 4-0 to finish top of the CONCACAF qualification section to earn a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It will be the nation’s first appearance at the tournament in 36 years, and there is a sense this side will be more competitive than their 1986 predecessors.

However, the spirit and determination of the 1986 side to consistently defy the odds will likely inspire John Herdman’s side this Winter.

The principles of hard work, grit and the challenge of finding playing time against a troubling backdrop in North American football history is a bedrock for the current crop of Canucks.