Canada is in the World Cup. Here's what you need to know to cheer along

With less than two weeks until kickoff at the FIFA World Cup, Canada's national men's team is putting the final touches on its preparations for a tournament 36 years in the making.

The team has only ever qualified once before — back in 1986 — which means a whole new generation of supporters are now gearing up to cheer for the national squad as they head into the world's top soccer tournament.

To help Canadians understand the path to the cup, and who might eventually win, CBC News has prepared a guide for bandwagon fans, with everything you need to know about the beautiful game — and Canada's chances.

Do you have a question about the World Cup? Send it to us at ask@cbc.ca

The World Cup takes place every four years. Canada is one of 32 teams who are participating after qualifying in their continental federation's tournament.

Qatar is hosting this year's tournament (it's controversial — more on that later) and will kick off the opening match against Ecuador on Nov. 20. 

The World Cup final takes place on Dec. 18, with the winner taking home the FIFA World Cup trophy.

In case you were wondering, there's also a Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand next July — and Canada will be playing.

First, the group stage: The teams are separated into eight groups of four, and will play each team in their own group once. There will be four matches each day over a 12-day period.

In this stage, a win is worth three points, a draw worth one and a loss earns zero points. The top two teams from each group — that is, the teams with the most "points" — will advance to the knockout round.The knockout round: The remaining 16 teams will play against different groups (for instance, the top team in group A will play the second-top team in group B).  Each losing team is eliminated from the tournament until the semifinals, when there are four teams left. Two will advance to the final, while the remaining two will play for third place.

Canada is in group F, so will play Belgium (Nov. 23), Croatia (Nov. 27) and Morocco (Dec. 1) in the group stage.

For the soccer uninitiated, that's three tough match-ups: Belgium is currently second in FIFA's men's rankings, Croatia lost the 2018 World Cup final to France, and Morocco was undefeated in their World Cup qualifying run.

Experts say probably not — but don't let that get you down.

Remember: this is Canada's second ever World Cup. In 1986, the team lost all three games, without scoring a single goal.