This weekend, the first qualifying tournament for the WFC 2022 in Zürich and Winterthur took place. USA and Canada faced each other for two matches in Fort Worth, Texas. Canada qualified for the WFC 2022 thanks to an aggregate score of 8:5.
The TCU Center in Fort Worth, Texas, was all about floorball this weekend. In addition to various tournaments and national team gatherings of USA Floorball, the qualifying tournament Americas also took place. USA and Canada competed in two games and fought for the qualification for the World Championship 2022 in Zurich and Winterthur.
As a novelty, these games were played in a new format with three thirds of 15 minutes each. The first game between the two teams started very evenly. It was not until the second period that Canada scored a double goal within a short time. The USA was able to respond and tie the game at 2-1, but it was not enough. Canada scored two more goals in the last period and the first game ended 4:1 in favor of Canada.
Canada under pressure in second leg
In the second leg, Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead after just a few minutes. But the USA didn’t let that rattle them and evened the score at 3-3 within 90 seconds in the middle period. In the last period, the USA even took a 4:3 lead and Canada started to flounder a bit. The qualification of the Canadians, which was already believed to be secure, was now suddenly on shaky legs again, as the USA exerted great pressure on the Canadian goal. However, the USA did not manage to score the necessary two or three goals anymore and thus Canada qualified for the World Floorball Championships 2022 in Switzerland with an aggregate score of 8:5.
Tournament MVP of the USA Dario Feusi, a Swiss with an American passport, is proud of the performance of his team: “It was certainly the best floorball that has been played in America so far. It wasn’t enough for us to qualify, but both teams did a great job.” On the other hand, tournament MVP of Canada Matthew Smith is already looking ahead, “On our way to Switzerland, we get to play top nations at the World Games first, we want to use that to prepare for the WFC 2022 so we can make it to the top 10.”
Group ballot set for June 8
The draw for the 2022 World Cup groups is set for June 8. By that time, all qualifying tournaments will have been played and it will be clear which teams have qualified. Details of the draw will be announced at a later date.
