Canada’s men’s soccer team meets next World Cup hosts Qatar on Friday in John Herdman’s men’s first international pre-show friendly.

In preparation for the World Cup scheduled for November, Canada only met teams from their own association, CONCACAF. Next week they will cross swords with Qatar and Uruguay, two countries that will also take part in the tournament.

These meetings will take place in Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia.

“We know we have to step up our game against rivals who will be at the World Cup. Now we’re just excited and ready to play,” forward Cyle Larin said in an interview with TSN on Thursday.

As they host the competition on their territory, the Qataris automatically got their ticket to the event. They shouldn’t be underestimated, however, as they sit 48th in the FIFA rankings, five places behind Canada.

A general

Before the Maple Leaf representatives take to the world stage, they have a chance to rehearse and fix a few things. For the most part, the internationals have not played together since June.

“During this camp we focused on two or three things where we felt we could take a step forward to lay the groundwork and have less to do when we get to Qatar,” Herdman said .

The coach believes Canada have the potential to surprise big sides with the right preparation. Jonathan David feels he and his team-mates shouldn’t approach these friendlies any differently. Every achievement counts.

“I don’t think the preparation should be any different. We set up a game with the intention of winning it and that’s how it should always be, so nothing should change,” said the Ontarian, who plays in Lille, France.

Remember Canada inherited a difficult group at the World Cup. Belgium, Croatia and Morocco will be their opponents in the early stages.