By Canadian Press

Canadian men to host Honduras on March 28 in Toronto in CONCACAF Nations League play

Feb 9, 2023 | 12:09 PM

TORONTO — Canada will host Honduras at Toronto’s BMO Field in CONCACAF Nations League play on March 28.

The League A match marks Canada’s first on home soil since the World Cup in Qatar, coming a year and a day after a history-making 4-0 win over Jamaica in World Cup qualifying at the lakefront stadium.

“The last time we played in Toronto in March, we qualified for the FIFA World Cup,” Canada coach John Herdman said in a statement Thursday. “This is just the start of the journey and we hope the fans that were there celebrating will support us on our first step toward our home World Cup preparations for 2026.”

Canada (1-1-0 in Nations League play) will open the FIFA international window March 25 in Curaçao (1-2-0) before heading back home to face Honduras (2-1-0).

The 53rd-ranked Canadian men lost 2-1 at No. 81 Honduras on June 13, four days after blanking No. 86 Curaçao 4-0 at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium. Those Nations League matches came amidst turmoil in the Canada camp, with players refusing to take part in a planned July 5 friendly against Panama over ongoing labour talks.

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Canada, Curaçao and Honduras make up Group C, one of four pools in League A.

The four group winners from League A will meet in June in a knockout format, featuring semifinals, third-place match and final.

The top two teams from each of League A’s groups automatically qualify for the 2023 Gold Cup, as do the four group winners from League B. The remaining four Cup berths will be decided in a playoff.

The CONCACAF Nations League features 41 teams from the confederation split into three tiers: League A (12 teams), B (16) and C (13).

There is promotion and relegation, with teams that finish bottom of their groups in Leagues A and B relegated and replaced by countries that win their groups in Leagues B and C.

The Canadian men are unbeaten in a record 15 matches at home, a run that includes seven straight wins. The Canadian men and women, meanwhile have a combined 11-match undefeated streak at BMO Field since June 2017.

Canada finished atop the final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. The Canadians finished with a 14-2-4 record over three rounds of qualifying.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2023

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press