Panama's Kahiser Lenis (26) and Canada's Alphonso Davies (19) battle for the ball during first half men's international friendly soccer action in Toronto, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Canada will face Suriname in next month's two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Canada will face Suriname in next month’s two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal.
Suriname, ranked 138th in the world by FIFA, advanced by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of League A play. The 38th-ranked Canadian men, along with No. 17 Mexico, the 18th-ranked U.S. and No. 37 Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF competition.
Suriname, which finished ahead of No. 107 Guatemala, No. 156 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe in its group, will host the first leg of the quarterfinal on Nov. 15 with the return leg four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
The other quarterfinals are Panama versus No. 50 Costa Rica, the U.S. versus No. 61 Jamaica and Mexico versus No. 77 Honduras.
The four winners will advance to the CONCACAF Nations League Finals at Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and also qualify for next summer’s Gold Cup.
The Canadian men have faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 in a friendly Tuesday in Toronto.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024
