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The Canadian men’s national soccer team will be ranked 41 in the world heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this November.
Canada moved up two spots in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings released Thursday, sitting at 41 between Scotland (40) and Norway (42). Canada moved up two spots from its 43 ranking in June and August, but are down eight places since achieving its highest-ever ranking of 33 in February, after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Canada finished first in the final Concacaf qualifying group for the World Cup ahead of Mexico and the United States, but are currently ranked fourth in the region. Mexico is ranked 13, the United States is 16, and Costa Rica, who also qualified for the World Cup through an intercontinental playoff win against New Zealand, is ranked 31.
Drawn into Group F at the World Cup, Canada opens the 32-team tournament on Nov. 23 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar against No. 2 Belgium. Canada faces Croatia (ranked 12), on Nov. 27 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, and concludes the group stage against Morocco (ranked 22) on Dec. 1 at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
The top two teams following the group stage advance to the round of 16. The latest odds of Canada advancing, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, is +300, behind Morocco (+200), Croatia, (-200) and Belgium (-900).
Canada’s odds to win the World Cup are +2,000. Brazil is favoured to win its sixth World Cup at +450, followed by France (+600), Argentina (+700), England (+700), Spain (+800), Germany (+1000), the Netherlands (+1200), Portugal (+1200), Belgium (+1400), and Denmark (+2800).
The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins on Nov. 20, with the hosts Qatar facing Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
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