What’s at stake as qualifying resumes

The eight stadiums are ready in Qatar and World Cup tickets have been on sale for a week. Now the mission to snap up the remaining tournament slots resumes. Here’s a look at the final stages of qualifying for the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 tournament: CONCACAF Canada, which leads the eight-team group with 16 points, is seeking its first World Cup appearance since 1986 and plays four of six remaining matches on the road — with games at Honduras and El Salvador in this window between a home meeting with the United States on Sunday in Hamilton. The U.S., with 15 points, hosts El Salvador and Honduras on either side of the Canada match.

Mexico and Panama have 14 points each, followed by Costa Rica (nine), Jamaica (seven), El Salvador (six) and Honduras (three). The top three teams qualify and fourth team advances to a playoff against the Oceania champion, likely against New Zealand.

The Canadians, who trained Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are missing Bayern Munich star fullback Alphonso Davies. He has been sidelined by myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after testing positive for COVID-19. South America Seven countries are still in contention to join Brazil and Argentina in Qatar. Third-place Ecuador will edge closer to one of the four direct-qualification spots Thursday by beating Brazil, which won’t be playing Neymar. Peru and Colombia are both six points behind Ecuador going into their clash on Friday of fourth and fifth.

Sitting a further point down is Chile, which hosts Lionel Messirested Argentina on Thursday, and Uruguay, which plays at ninth-place Paraguay in Diego Alonso’s first match as coach following Óscar Tabárez’s firing.

Asia Iran will qualify for a third World Cup in a row by beating Iraq on Thursday. South Korea, which is without the injured Son Heung-min, could also seal a spot from Group A from its doubleheader over the next week — against Lebanon and Syria — before the two remaining qualifiers in March.

But after featuring at four consecutive World Cups, Australia’s qualification from the other group is in the balance after three matches without a win. If the Socceroos miss out on the two automatic qualification places by finishing third in Group B, they would have to contest a playoff against the third-place team from Group A — currently the United Arab Emirates — to advance to intercontinental playoffs against South American opposition in June. Africa With the continent currently staging the African Cup of Nations, Africa’s five World Cup representatives won’t be settled until the playoffs in March featuring the 10 group winners.

Europe It’s a couple of weeks off now for European teams, with their playoffs not until March to determine the last three of the continent’s entry of 13 nations for Qatar. Italy and Portugal, the current and previous European champions, are in the same qualifying playoff bracket, meaning at least one will fail to qualify.