Canadian men slip two places to No. 50 in latest FIFA rankings, Argentina still No. 1

Canada fell two places to No. 50, sandwiched between Greece and Cameroon, in the latest FIFA world rankings.

The drop came despite the fact that the Canadian men had not played since the previous batch of rankings. But nine of the top 10 CONCACAF teams fell in the new rankings, with only Mexico staying put at No. 15, as teams in other confederations rose up the ranks.

The U.S., which tops CONCACAF countries, slipped one rung to No. 13. Canada stands fourth in the region, behind Panama which fell three spots to No. 48.

Trinidad and Tobago, the team Canada plays next month in a Copa America playoff, was unchanged at No. 96.

It's Canada's lowest position since December 2022 when it was No. 53.

There was no change in the top 10 with Argentina continuing to lead the way ahead of France, England, Belgium and Brazil. The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia rounded out the top 10.

There was movement elsewhere thanks to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup.

The Ivory Coast rose 10 places to No. 39 after winning the continental title on home soil. Runner-up Nigeria moved up 14 places to No. 28 while Angola, beaten by the Super Eagles in the quarterfinals, jumped 24 places to No. 93 to make the biggest move in the new rankings.

Two-time Asian Cup winners Qatar vaulted 21 spots to No. 37 after defending its continental crown. Runner-up Jordan (No. 70, up 17) also rose up the rankings, as did Thailand (No. 101, up 12) after reaching the final 16.

Senegal (No. 17, up three) and Tajikistan (No. 99, up seven) joined Qatar in reaching career-best rankings.

Other top performers were Equatorial Guinea (No. 79, up nine), South Africa (No. 58, up eight), Cabo Verde (No. 65, up eight), Namibia (No. 107th, up eight) and Mali (No. 47, up four).

The Olympic champion Canadian women are ranked 10th in the world.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2024