Canada will play in their first Men’s World Cup in 36 years, after beating Jamaica 4-0.
Kyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan put Canada 2-0 up at half-time before Junior Howlett and an own goal sealed the victory in Toronto.
Their last World Cup appearance came was in 1986 in Mexico, where they finished bottom of their group without scoring.
Les Rouges have been the standout team in the CONCACAF section and their participation in Qatar had long seemed a formality.
The Maple Leafs have suffered just one defeat in the third and final round of CONCACAF qualifying, form which has seen them beat both the United States and Mexico at home and draw away to their two biggest qualification rivals.
They climbed up to 33rd last month when the most recent world rankings were announced, making it the highest Canada have ever been on the FIFA ladder.
Canada boss John Herdman later said his team are “only getting started” after they ended the country’s 36-year wait to get back to the World Cup.
The head coach is an Englishman, but he has a tight bond with Canada having previously led the women’s team with distinction.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I’ve been preaching this belief, but when it finally happens I’m speechless.
“Canadians… we’ve won Champions League finals, we’ve got a kid [Alphonso Davies] playing in Bayern Munich, and we’ve got Canadians playing at all levels in Europe, and we’ve got Canadians going to a World Cup.
“We’re a football country, that’s all we ever wanted. We wanted that respect. We wanted people to believe we were a football country, and we’ve proved it.
“We’re coming, we’re only getting started here. What a privilege it has been as a coach. I’m proud for all of these people here.”
