Canada qualified for the World Cup for just the second time on Sunday, beating Jamaica 4-0 to book its ticket to Qatar and end 36 years of failure and heartache.
After failing to clinch a spot on Thursday, with a 1-0 away loss to Costa Rica, Canada returned home with renewed purpose and a chance to complete the job in front of a frenzied, flag-waving and sold-out crowd of nearly 30,000 at BMO Field.
There would be no blown second opportunity as Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan netted in the first half and Junior Hoilett added another after the break, with Adrian Mariappa’s own-goal rounding out the scoring.
Canada will play at the World Cup for the first time since 1986 in Mexico, where it lost all three of its games and failed to score a goal.
With just one round of qualifying matches remaining, Canada sits top the CONCACAF standings on 28 points, six clear of regional powerhouses Mexico and the United States.
