As the Canadian men's soccer team gears up for the World Cup, here's how things stand in qualifying

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With World Cup qualifying winding down and Canada preparing to co-host the planet's most popular sporting event in less than seven months, the men's national soccer team plays its final match of the year tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET against Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

This is Canada's second friendly against a South American opponent in six days. Last Thursday night in Toronto, the 28th-ranked Canadians held No. 23 Ecuador to a scoreless draw despite playing shorthanded for nearly the entire match after Ali Ahmed received a red card in the sixth minute.

Tonight's game against 50th-ranked Venezuela was somewhat in doubt amid the threat of a U.S. military attack on Venezuela, but the teams will indeed square off for the first time since Canada defeated La Vinotinto on penalties in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals.

English-born defender Alfie Jones is expected to make his debut for Canada tonight. The towering 28-year-old centre back, who plays for Middlesbrough in the second tier of England's pro soccer system, was recruited to switch nationalities by head coach Jesse Marsch on the recommendation of winger Liam Millar, who played with Jones at Hull City. Jones, whose only connection to his new country was through an Alberta-born grandmother who moved back to England as a teenager, set foot in Canada for the first time last week with the intention of playing against Ecuador, but a delay in his citizenship ceremony prevented him from suiting up.

Jones' arrival will help shore up a Canadian defence corps that's been decimated by injuries. Moise Bombito is out until