Canada beats Qatar 6-0 thanks to players from the Belgian Pro League

Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 to earn their first World Cup win. The 2022 hosts were completely outclassed and finished the match with nine men on the field. Besides an own goal, the other five scorers for Canada had one thing in common: they have previously played or are currently playing in the Belgian Pro League.

Let's start with Jonathan David, the hero with a hat-trick. He made a name for himself in European football with Ghent between 2018 and 2020, where he scored 37 goals in 83 games. His 23 goals in the 2019/2020 season earned him a transfer to Lille, where he once again showed his quality. David has spent five successful seasons with Lille, scoring 109 goals in 232 games and winning the Ligue 1 title in the 2020/2021 season. He moved to Juventus last summer but has not yet experienced the success in Serie A that he had hoped.

Cyle Larin, who opened against Bosnia and Herzegovina on the opening day, was also present against Qatar. The 31-year-old currently plays for Southampton, but also has a history in the Belgian Pro League. In the 2019/2020 season he played on loan at Zulte Waregem from Besiktas, where he scored nine goals in 33 games. In 2022, he returned to Belgium after his contract in Istanbul expired, signing for Club Brugge. However, his time at Brugge did not go well, with limited playing minutes and only one goal in 13 games. In 2023 he left for Real Valladolid, and after a short spell at Mallorca and Feyenoord, he ended up at Southampton.


The third Canadian goalscorer is Nathan Saliba, the only one currently playing in Belgium. Saliba scored a beautiful free kick for Canada against Qatar, the first of the tournament. He joined Anderlecht from CF Montreal in the summer of 2025, and has scored five goals in 45 appearances for the Mauves this season. Saliba has played 16 times for Canada and scored three goals, although this third goal will certainly be the best.

Another player who had a big impact on the game for Canada was Tajon Buchanan. The winger was explosive and caused a lot of problems in the Qatari defense. The 27-year-old, currently playing for Villarreal, moved to Europe from New England Revolution in 2022. He played 67 games for Club Brugge, in which he had five goals and seven assists. He earned a move to Italy and Inter, but like David struggled to make an impact in Serie A. However, in La Liga he has had more success and is a key player for Canada.

This win will likely send Canada to the next round for the first time in their history. If they want to go further, the players who have come through the Belgian Pro League will be of great importance.

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