Canada drops in rankings, can expect tougher grouping in Friday's World Cup draw

It's about to get very real for the Canadian men's soccer team. 

Friday's draw in Doha will determine Canada's opening-round opponents for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which runs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 in Qatar. 

Canada clinched its first World Cup berth since 1986 (it's only previous tournament appearance) following a 4-0 win over Jamaica in Toronto on Sunday. The Reds closed out their qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss in Panama on Wednesday, a result that still allowed them to finish in first place in CONCACAF qualifying with an 8-2-4 record. 

But while they finished atop their region, Canada dropped five spots in the world rankings released Thursday, from No. 33 to No. 38. That means Canada is grouped with the lowest-ranked teams for the draw, which increases the likelihood of facing two of the top 10 teams in the world in their opening stage.

Canadian coach John Herdman, however, didn't seem too concerned with the outcome of the draw, saying Canada's performance means not too many nations will be eager to face Canada in Qatar. 

"When you look at the campaign, when you look at 20 games, and a team that has finished on top of Mexico and USA, I think it has to turn heads," Herdman told reporters after the loss in Panama. 

WATCH | Canada drops final qualifier vs. Panama:

The 32 World Cup teams have been divided into four pots based on the latest FIFA world rankings that were released on Thursday. The draw on Friday will divide the 32 teams into eight first-round groups at the World Cup.

Pot 1 consists of the hosts Qatar and the top seven ranked teams. Pot 2 contains the eight teams ranked 9-16, and teams ranked 17-24 are in Pot 3. Pot 4 has the five lowest-ranked teams — which includes Canada — along with