The World Cup starts on Thursday, beginning what will be the largest iteration of a hugely popular global event. This time, there are 104 matches with 48 countries competing across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. And the Canadian team will be making its third ever appearance at the World Cup, competing in Group B and playing its initial games in Toronto and Vancouver.

But can this team advance to the knockout rounds? Especially since Canada has never won a World Cup game before? Neil Davidson is a sportswriter at The Globe who will be covering his seventh World Cup this tournament. He explains Canada’s chances, lays out which young players may become international superstars and how a dog named Pickles plays a key role in World Cup history.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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