The most recent edition of FIFA’s world rankings has exponentially raised the stakes for Canada’s match vs. the US at BMO Field on Oct. 15.
Thanks to a disappointing 2-0 loss to the 167th-ranked Bermudan side on Sept. 8, Canada’s CONCACAF rivals Panama dropped from 74th to 77th in the world rankings. Similarly, El Salvador slumped four spots from 68th to 72nd following a 1-0 defeat against the Dominican Republic (ranked 155th) two days later.
Meanwhile, Canada rose to 75th in the world and more importantly seventh in the CONCACAF region as a result of two consecutive clean-sheet victories (6-0 and 1-0) over Cuba in their opening two matches of the CONCACAF Nations League.