Canadian men's soccer team falls 1 spot to No. 44 in latest FIFA rankings

Despite not having played since early July, Canada dropped one spot to No. 44 in the new FIFA world rankings released Thursday.

The Canadian men started the year in 53rd place before working their way up to No. 43 in July following the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Canada remains third in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, behind the 11th-ranked Americans and No. 12 Mexico.

The Canadians' highest-ever ranking is No. 33, reached in February 2022 during their impressive World Cup qualifying run.

World Cup champion Argentina remains No. 1, followed by France, Brazil, England, Belgium, Croatia and the Netherlands. Portugal swapped places with Italy, which was held to a 1-1 draw away to No. 66 North Macedonia in a EURO 2024 qualifier, to move up one place to No. 8 with Spain completing the top 10.

Morocco climbed one spot to No. 13, meaning all three of Canada's opponents at last year's World Cup in Qatar now rank in the top 13 of the world.

There were 159 internationals played in September.

WATCH | CBC Sports speaks with Canadian men's interim coach Biello: