Canada forward Tajon Buchanan (17) control the ball under pressure from Trinidad and Tobago defender Andre Raymond (6) in the second half of a CONCACAF Nations League play-in soccer match, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. Canada moved up one place to No. 49 in the latest FIFA men's rankings.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Julio Cortez
Canada has moved up one place to No. 49 in the latest FIFA men’s rankings, jumping over Greece.
FIFA says there were 174 matches played in the recent international window. Canada played just one of those, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 on March 23 in Frisco, Texas, in a key Copa America playoff.
The Soca Warriors dropped two places to No. 98 with the loss.
Argentina continues to top the rankings ahead of France. Belgium climbed one spot to No. 3, dropping England to No. 4. Brazil remained fifth with Portugal moving up one place to No. 6 and the Netherlands down one spot to seventh. Spain, Italy and Croatia held on to their positions to complete the top 10.
The U.S. moved up two places to No. 11 after defeating Mexico 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League final. Colombia also rose two spots to No. 12, dropping Morocco one rung to No. 13. Mexico climbed one place to No. 14 while Uruguay dropped four places to No. 15.
Canada remains fourth among CONCACAF teams, behind the U.S., Mexico and No. 45 Panama.
Ukraine (No. 22, up two), Poland (No. 28, up two), Czechia (No. 36, up four), Palestine (No. 93rd, up four) and Kyrgyz Republic (No. 100, up four) were all on the move among the top 100 teams.
The biggest changes came outside the top 100, however.
Libya (No. 114, up six) and Afghanistan (No. 151, up seven) both moved up the table. But the most progress came from No. 134 Indonesia, which climbed eight places on the back of two victories over Vietnam in World Cup qualifying.
Vietnam plummeted 10 places to No. 115.
Qatar (No. 34, up three) and Comoros (No. 117, up four) have reached their highest-ever position in the ranking.
The next edition of the rankings will be published June 20.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2024