After Canada topped CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying tournament, talk quickly shifted to how the team would do outside the region.
The Canadians hadn't faced non-CONCACAF opposition since early 2020 and hadn't played on a different continent since 2018. So the concern was rightly focused on how John Herdman's team would do against unfamiliar opponents as the World Cup inched closer.
On Friday, they got their first test as they faced Qatar in an international friendly in Vienna, Austria — and the Canadians passed with flying colours.
Two early goals set the tone as Canada cruised to a 2-0 victory. Cyle Larin got the scoring started in the fourth minute as he rose to nod a lofted Sam Adekugbe cross into the back of the Qatari goal.
Then, just nine minutes later, Jonathan David doubled the Canadian lead. In red-hot form with club side Lille, David brought that momentum to his national team as he pounced on a loose ball after an extended sequence of good play by his teammates.
That was it for the goals, but the Canadians had several opportunities to add to their tally as they put eight shots on target (versus two for Qatar) and enjoyed 61 percent possession. Wholesale changes for both teams in the second half led to some spells of disjointed play, but the Canadians remained the better side throughout the remainder of the match.
While the Qataris are nowhere near the level of Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco — the teams Canada will face in the World Cup group stage — they still represent a significant departure from what Herdman's squad is used to facing. Things get considerably tougher on Tuesday as Canada heads to Bratislava, Slovakia, to take on world No. 13 Uruguay to close out the September international break.