Canadian men shifting World Cup qualifying

The Canadian men’s soccer team will join the Raptors and Blue Jays in

Florida next month.

Canada Soccer announced Tuesday that Canada, ranked 73rd in the world, will shift its first home game in World Cup qualifying to Orlando’s Exploria Stadium — on March 25 against No.

169 Bermuda — due to pandemicrelated travel restrictions.

The game will be considered a home match in a neutral venue. There will be no fans allowed in the stands.

After facing Bermuda, Canada has two away matches — March 28 at the 193rd-ranked Cayman Islands and June 5 at No. 200 Aruba.

Canada’s other home game in the first qualifying round is June 8 against No. 141 Suriname.

Peter Montopoli, general secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association, said no decision has been made yet on the site for the Suriname matchup.

“We’re going to continue to work with our provincial and Public Health Canada authorities for the best venue for us for June,” he said in an interview. “No decisions have been made.”