The Canada men's national team has broken into the top 50 in FIFA's world rankings, moving from No. 72 at the start of 2021 to No. 48 after going unbeaten in three World Cup Qualifying matches over the October international break.
It's the first time since 1997 that Canada have been ranked in the top 50 when Les Rouges climbed as high as 46th. The program's all-time highest FIFA ranking was in 1996 when they made it to the No. 40 spot.
The US men's national team remained at No. 13 in the latest rankings, with Mexico (No. 8) and Costa Rica (No. 45) the other Concacaf teams that placed ahead of Canada.
It's more evidence of the recent ascent of head coach John Herdman's group, as they've been steadily climbing thanks to an 11-2-4 record in 2021 that has also seen them outscore opponents 52-10.
Canada are in the midst of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying, where they sit at third place in the Octagonal standings behind the US and Mexico. Should they qualify for Qatar 2022, they would become the first Canadian team to make the World Cup since 1986.
They're led by world-class left back/winger Alphonso Davies, a Vancouver Whitecaps FC product and current Bayern Munich star who's arguably the top player in Concacaf.
