The Canadian national women’s soccer team now knows who stands in the way of a return trip to the World Cup.

Canada will face Costa Rica, Jamaica and Cuba during the group stage of the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship next month. The tournament serves as qualifying for next year’s Women’s World Cup in France.

The four teams in Group B will play their games at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas, beginning on Oct. 5. In Group A, the United States, Mexico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago will face off in Cary, N.C. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage in Frisco, Texas. From there, the top three teams will earn a berth in the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Canada, ranked fifth in the world, has only missed one Women’s World Cup in its history, when the tournament made its debut in 1991. The team is in a favourable position to return to the world stage. Of the seven other countries in the tournament, only two have ever beaten Canada: Mexico and the top-ranked Americans.

Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s upcoming opponents at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship:

Costa Rica
Current FIFA Ranking: 33rd
All-time record vs. Canada: 0-12-0
Best CWC finish: Runners-Up (2014)

Costa Rica cruised through the Central American Zone qualifiers to reach the CWC, finishing with a perfect 3-0-0 record and a goal differential of +16.  They have only lost twice this year in 10 games.

This is their seventh appearance at the CWC. Four years ago, they finished top in their group and qualified for their first-ever World Cup as runners-up, losing to the United States in the final. Besides the three North American teams, Costa Rica is the only other country in the tournament that has ever qualified for a Women’s World Cup.

Costa Rica has never beaten Canada, losing all 12 of their meetings. The two sides most recently faced each other in a pair of friendlies last year, with Canada taking both games by a combined score of 9-1. Canadian forward Janine Beckie scored a hat trick in their most recent meeting, while 17-year-old Jordyn Huitema netted her first two career international goals in the match.

Raquel Rodriguez is one of Costa Rica’s biggest offensive threats. She had a tournament-leading four goals in three games in the Central American qualifiers. She was also tied for the tournament lead at the 2016 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship with six goals in four games and scored the team’s first-ever World Cup goal.


Jamaica
Current FIFA ranking: 71st
All-time record vs. Canada: 0-6-0
Best CWC finish: Fourth place (2006)

Jamaica didn’t lose once during seven Caribbean Zone qualifying games, outscoring opponents by an astonishing margin of 41-4. Due to their strong showing in qualifiers, they jumped 47 spots in the FIFA rankings in June, a feat even more impressive considering they were unranked one year ago due to being inactive for more than three years. They also defeated 26th-ranked Colombia in July at the Central American and Caribbean Games. 

Jamaica hasn’t faced Canada since the 2007 Pan American Games, when the Canadians embarrassed the Reggae Girlz 11-1, tied for their greatest loss ever. Christine Sinclair had four goals in that game. In six all-time meetings, Canada has outscored Jamaica 46-1. 

Striker Khadija Shaw is one of the best stories to emerge from qualifying. She had a tournament-best 16 goals in seven games during the Caribbean qualifiers. Entering her senior year at the University of Tennessee, Shaw has been placed on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. The award is given annually to the best male and female collegiate soccer players in the United States.


Cuba
Current FIFA ranking: 85th
All-time record vs. Canada: 0-1-0
Best CWC finish: n/a

Cuba is making its debut at the CWC after finishing third in the Caribbean Zone qualifiers. Although Cuba lost two of its four games in the final round, including a 6-1 defeat to Jamaica, its two wins against Bermuda and Antigua and Barbuda were enough to propel the team to the final qualifying tournament. Like Jamaica, Cuba’s recent success has vaulted the country 33 spots in the FIFA rankings.

Cuba has faced Canada only once before – a 2-0 loss at the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic qualifier. The two countries don’t have much history at the youth levels, either. In both under-17 and under-20 competitions, they’ve met just once before – at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship (Canada won 2-0).

Like Costa Rica and Jamaica, Cuba did not have any problems putting the ball into the back of the net during qualifiers. Maria Perez, Rachel Peláez, and Lilian Pérez combined for 21 of the team’s 34 goals.