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    • Viewer's guide for this year's World Cup in Qatar

    FILE - Branding is displayed near the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre where soccer World Cup draw will be held, in Doha, Qatar, on March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File) FILE - Branding is displayed near the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre where soccer World Cup draw will be held, in Doha, Qatar, on March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
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    A last chance for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kylian Mbappe back on the biggest stage of all. Brazil bidding for a record-extending sixth title.

    One of the most eagerly anticipated World Cups in memory -- as much for off-the-field reasons as those on it -- is just around the corner in Qatar and excitement is building after the qualification period was wrapped.

    Thirty-two teams, 64 matches, 28 days. The first World Cup in the Middle East.

    The tournament starts on Nov. 21 and the final is set for Dec. 18.

    Here's a few things to watch when the tournament gets going in the smallest country ever to host a World Cup:

    TOP TEAMS

    Brazil (No. 1 in FIFA ranking). Neymar, Vinicius Junior and the rest of the flair-filled Selecao are peaking at the right time. Is a first World Cup title since 2002 on the horizon?

    Belgium (No. 2). The "Golden Generation" is gradually breaking up but there's still Kevin De Bruyne leading the Belgian charge.

    Argentina (No. 3). No World Cup title since the days of the great Diego Maradona. This will be the first World Cup since his death in November 2020 and Argentina is improving, with Messi still at its core.

    France (No. 4). The defending champions. Still the country with the most depth to its squad. Now with Mbappe AND Karim Benzema leading the attack. No team has retained its World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.

    England (No. 5). Semifinalist at the World Cup in 2018, finalist at the European Championship in 2021. Soccer's most underperforming national team is trending in the right direction.

    BIG STARS

    Lionel Messi, Argentina. The seven-time world player of the year might have been saving his 35-year-old legs for one last push at a World Cup winner's medal that, to many, would solidify him as soccer's greatest player.

    Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal. He has won the European Championship but the leading scorer in men's international soccer hasn't played in a World Cup final, let alone won one. He's 37 years old now -- make the most of him while you can.

    Kylian Mbappe, France. The star of the last World Cup at the age of 19 and he is only getting better. The speedy striker could match Brazil great Pele in being a champion at his first two World Cups.

    Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium. Widely regarded as the world's best midfielder, his driving runs are among the best sights in soccer. Belgium just has to hope he arrives healthy.

    Neymar, Brazil. Increasingly overshadowed by Mbappe and Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, still the main man for Brazil. Watch out for tricks and flicks, and some histrionics, too.

    HOW IT WORKS

    Get ready for a feast of soccer. There are eight groups of four teams, with the top two advancing to the 16-team knockout stage.

    There will be four games back-to-back per day -- yes, four! -- for each of the first two sets of group games, then simultaneous kickoffs for the last two games in each group.

    There'll be no break for the knockout stage, which begins the day after the group stage ends. The first day without soccer comes on Dec. 7 -- the 17th day of competition.

    MUST-SEE GAMES

    Senegal vs. Netherlands, Nov. 21. The first match of the tournament and always a date to save on the calendar. With Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk on the field, it's an interesting one, too.

    Argentina vs. Mexico, Nov. 26. The first of the big continental rivalries in the group stage, with Messi potentially sealing his and Argentina's spot in the last 16.

    Spain vs. Germany, Nov. 27. Surely there can't have been many bigger group-stage matches than this at a World Cup? Two recent champions, two giants of European and world soccer.

    Iran vs. United States, Nov. 29. It has been labeled as " The Mother of All Games Part II." Just like at the World Cup in 1998, the two countries will meet in the group stage in a politically charged matchup. Diplomatic relations have yet to be restored between the nations since being severed in 1980.

    Ghana vs. Uruguay, Dec. 2. Anyone remember the night of July 2, 2010? In the last minute of extra time in a World Cup quarterfinal match between Uruguay and Ghana, Luis Suarez deliberately stopped the ball with his hand on the goalline, got sent off, only for Ghana to miss the penalty and lose in a shootout as Suarez celebrated on the sideline. Revenge would be sweet for Ghana.

    UPCOMING FRIENDLIES

    With this World Cup taking place in the middle of many countries' domestic seasons, there will not be the usual pre-tournament build-up of friendlies.

    Indeed, for the European countries, the Nations League qualifiers taking place from Sept. 22-27 will represent the teams' final matches before the World Cup.

    Among the big games are Italy vs. England (Sept. 23), Netherlands vs. Belgium (Sept. 25), England vs. Germany (Sept. 26), and Portugal vs. Spain (Sept. 27).

    The United States will play Japan on Sept. 23 and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27, with both friendlies taking place in Europe.

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    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

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    • Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

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    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

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    • Emergency crews responded to a call for a collision involving a pedestrian on Princess Louise Drive at Hauteview Crescent just before 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

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      High temperatures have been trending in Montreal this season, but that could soon come to an end.

    • Montreal Mayor Val茅rie Plante says she will quit municipal politics after serving the final year of her second term, which comes to an end in November 2025.

    • An Edmonton tow truck operator has been charged after police say he refused to release a vehicle to its owner.

    • The City of Edmonton has a long road ahead to replace aging ice arenas as demand for ice time increases.

    • The leader of Alberta's Official Opposition rolled up his sleeves for his COVID-19 and flu shots today, opting to receive them in front of media because he's concerned about vaccine uptake.

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • A volunteer treasurer is facing charges after funds went missing from Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston鈥檚 riding.

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    • A sentencing hearing is set to begin today for a Manitoba man who admitted to killing his common-law partner and their two young children.

    • A 59-year-old man has died following a crash involving three vehicles that started after a tire fell off a car on the Trans-Canada Highway Wednesday morning in the RM of Tache.

    • Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal is defending his conduct and disagreeing with a recent report from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) 鈥 which found he broke rules that prohibit MLAs from being involved with government contracts.

    • Southey RCMP say drivers should expect delays on Highway 6 Wednesday night after a serious crash.

    • Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.

    • Corrections Service Canada has confirmed a women鈥檚 prison in Kitchener is in lockdown.

    • The race to form government is heating up ahead of the provincial election on Monday. Both the Saskatchewan NDP and the Saskatchewan Party feel they have the momentum as each leader has been focusing on different areas of the province as the campaign trail nears its end.

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    • Officials at the Hospice of Windsor-Essex are calling this years fundraising total, "astonishing." The face to Face Campaign wrapped up on Sept. 30, brining in a total of $111,203.00.

    • In the Town of Tecumseh, residents and athletes alike are facing a pickleball problem that may prove costly.

    • As hospitals elsewhere in Ontario reintroduce mask mandates due to rising respiratory illnesses, Windsor hospitals are taking a more measured approach.

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.

    • A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.

    • As part of anniversary celebrations, the City of Lethbridge is inviting the community to see VisitLethbridge.com Arena like they never have before.

    • The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    N.L.

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