What to know for this weird World Cup

The World Cup is taking place in Qatar, a tiny country that is less populous than Toronto and has little infrastructure. The extreme summer heat in the Persian Gulf forced the event out of its traditional June and July slot to the brink of winter. Qatar's dodgy human-rights record has thrown cold water on the anticipation for the tournament. European clubs and leagues had to pause their seasons to accommodate it. There's no clear favourite and one of the most successful soccer countries in world is absent. Canada qualified for first time in 36 years.

The World Cup is taking place in Brazil. Brazil is the top team in the world rankings and betting markets. Argentina, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium are the other teams with a chance of winning the World cup. France might be the most fascinating team, but their midfielders are injured.  Paul Pogba allegedly hired a witch doctor to put a spell on Kylian Mbappé.

Denmark is the trendiest sleeper pick. The Danes' best player, Christian Eriksen, nearly died on the field of cardiac arrest during their opening match at the 2021 European Championship. Qatar is 50th in the world and has a 1-in-4 chance of getting out of Group A. Only one host team in World Cup history has failed to advance.

Neither Ronaldo nor Messi have won a World Cup. Messi came close in 2014, but lost in extra-time to Germany. Ronaldo has been playing with house money since winning Euro 2016. He is the all- time top scorer in international football with 117 goals. His team is a slight favourite to win Group H. He will play against Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea. Argentina is among the favourites to take part in the World cup.

Canada is playing in the World Cup in Qatar. The team is led by Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Stephen Eustáquio. Canada is ranked 41st in world rankings. They play Belgium (Nov 23 at 2 p.m. ET) and Croatia ( Nov 27 at 11 a.M. EST). They also play Morocco (Dec 1 at 10 a.,m., ET). The betting markets give them only about a 7% chance of making it past the group stage. For more on the Canadian team's final preparations, read CBC Sports soccer correspondent Chris Jones' latest dispatch from Qatar, which is available on CBC News.