Canada gains for CONCACAF hexagonal qualifying berth

Published

Canada moved into sixth place among CONCACAF nations in the FIFA rankings, putting it on track to compete for a World Cup berth in the North and Central American and Caribbean region.

Following a 2-0 victory over the United States in a CONCACAF Nations League match at Toronto, Canada rose six places to 69th in the world, passing El Salvador, which fell from 72nd to 73rd. The Canadians play the U.S. again on Nov. 15 at Orlando, Florida.

The top six CONCACAF teams in next June's rankings will play for three World Cup berths during qualifying from September 2020 through September 2021, known as the hexagonal. All the other teams in the region will compete for the right to meet the fourth-place team in the hex in a playoff. The playoff winner will play a nation from another region for a spot in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Mexico leads the region and moved up one place to 11th in the world, according to September rankings announced Thursday. The U.S. dropped two spots to 23rd and is followed in the region by Jamaica (45), Costa Rica (47) and Honduras (63).

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