FIFA announces procedures for 2022 World Cup draw

FIFA announced the procedures for the 2022 World Cup draw on Tuesday, with Canada still having an opportunity to move up in the men’s world rankings and improve its placement before the event takes place in Doha on April 1.

The World Cup draw will air live on TSN at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT.

Canada’s men, just one win away from clinching their first World Cup berth in 36 years, will face Costa Rica in San Jose on Thursday.

The Canadians currently sit 33rd in the world and first in CONCACAF qualifying, four points ahead of Mexico and the United States. If Canada can hold on to first in its region it has a better chance of obtaining a higher seed in the World Cup draw.

FIFA will place the 32 qualified nations inside four pots of eight, based on their world ranking on March 31. The four exceptions are hosts and No. 52-ranked Qatar, which will be placed in Pot 1, and three playoff winners, which won’t be decided until June. Those three countries will be placed in Pot 4.

After Qatar, Pot 1 will include the seven highest-ranked countries in the world. Pot 2 will include the eighth to 15th ranked teams of the 32 participants. Pot 3 will include countries ranked 16 to 23. Pot 4 will include countries ranked 24 to 28 and three playoff winners.

Those playoff teams include teams from Asia, North America, Oceania, and South America, and the final UEFA playoff spot. As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, UEFA and FIFA decided to move Ukraine and Scotland’s playoff to June. The winner of that European playoff will face either Austria or Wales to decide the final European berth.

Canada does not outrank any of the 15 nations that have already qualified, including No. 1 Belgium, No. 3 and defending champions France, and No. 29 South