Severe thunderstorms, 15 cm of snow: Canadian weather forecast highlights
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
The 2022 men's FIFA World Cup is over.
It was a tournament for the ages capped off with one of the best finals in any sport. Now it's time to look back on all the teams and how well they really performed over the course of the past month.
CTVNews.ca's power rankings take into account the strength of the group, the advantages gained from when teams faced opponents -- for example, playing a second-string team because said team has already clinched qualification into the next round -- as well as the balance of play in each match.
Manager Lionel Scaloni showed flexibility in both tactical and personnel decisions to make Argentina the team of the tournament. Overall, they have been unbeaten in 42 of 43 matches with the lone blemish coming against Saudi Arabia.
France have delivered a resounding statement on its depth, overcoming the losses of Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, and N'Golo Kante among others to get to the final. Their resilience to come back both in regulation and extra time against Argentina spoke to the togetherness of the group.
An agonizing exit but England fans can take heart in arguably their best World Cup campaign in terms of performance since winning it all in 1966. They were equals with France and even dominated for periods in a match worthy of a final. Harry Kane now joins Frank Lampard, David Beckham, and Wayne Rooney in England's list of infamous "what if" moments after missing what would have been the tying penalty against France in the quarterfinals.
The best defence in the competition never trailed entering the semifinal. They were fairly dynamic in creating chances going forward as well but lacked ruthless finishing. Morocco's run has shone a bright light on African soccer and will surely provide inspiration for generations to come to Arab nations as well.
It still feels a bit strange they didn't play the semifinal after that Neymar goal against Croatia. Alas, one moment of naivety let Croatia in through the backdoor and penalties become anyone's guess.
The Dutch haven't lost a World Cup match inside 120 minutes since the 2010 final extra time defeat to Spain. They must, however, learn to be braver in the biggest matches as that 2010 final, the 2014 semis that went to penalties, and now the 2022 quarters are all matches where they failed to showcase the attacking flair many associate them with.
For a nation with four million people, the last two World Cup results have been a staggering accomplishment. It's also true, though, that the only teams they outplayed over seven matches were Canada and then Morocco with third place at stake and key figures Noussair Mazraoui, Romain Saiss and Nayef Aguerd all missing for the Atlas Lions.
Japan was disappointed to have not made its first ever quarterfinals. They looked the part in wins over Germany and Spain but lacked conviction after Croatia equalized in the Round of 16.
After beating Costa Rica 7-0 and leading Germany 1-0 heading into the 80th minute, Spain looked like one of the teams to beat. There are always criticisms of Tiki-taka's true value in the final third and those voices will only grow stronger with their toothless attacks thereafter.
Portugal's campaign started with plenty of Cristiano Ronaldo drama due to his Piers Morgan interview trashing Manchester United. It then ended much the same after he was dropped from the starting XI following his frustrations with being substituted off against South Korea. He has helped create special memories for the national team over the last 18 years but it was also good to see their future is in good hands with the likes of Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos coming to the fore.
It was certainly strange to see a Swiss side known for organization and structure capitulate the way it did against Portugal after a strong group phase that included wins over Serbia and Cameroon and a narrow loss to Brazil. The flu virus that hit their camp had to have been at least somewhat of a factor.
Germany had one shaky stretch too many and the most costly one came in its first group match against Japan. They were poor in 2018 but have reason to feel unlucky about Qatar as no team had more expected goals (xG) in the group stage than the four-time champion.
Australia bounced back superbly from France's thrashing in the first match. They so very nearly forced extra time against Argentina in the Round of 16 and can be very proud of that after knocking off Denmark and Tunisia.
The U.S. held its own in a fairly lighter group earned through their high FIFA ranking but looked out of their depth against the Netherlands.
Despite losing superstar Sadio Mane just before the tournament, the Lions of Teranga put on a solid display to emerge out of Group A ahead of Ecuador. After missing a golden chance to take the lead against England, their World Cup dreams fell apart fairly quickly in the Round of 16.
Showed their potential when outplaying the Netherlands for a draw but couldn't come up with the goods in a do-or-die clash against Senegal.
It's truly the end of an era as 37-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has surely played his last World Cup. Mexico were unlucky to be eliminated because they scored one less goal than Poland.
Poland's World Cup campaign was quite poor on the whole but was dragged forward by the heroics of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Their midfield was virtually non-existent in terms of creation in the opposing half and left superstar Robert Lewandowski largely isolated.
Saudi followed up its shock win over Argentina with a strong first half performance against Poland but conceded against the run of play. Still, they earned a penalty a few minutes later but Poland's Szczesny made a spectacular double-save to not only deny the penalty attempt but the rebound as well. Saudi never recovered.
If Romelu Lukaku buried one of his two huge chances against Croatia in the group stage, second-ranked Belgium potentially could have avoided a disastrous early exit. Margins. Roberto Martinez wasn't brave enough in his team selection and it was costly, relying on veterans in favour of younger, more in-form players.
It was too little, too late for Uruguay as they scored their only goals of the tournament in their final group stage match against Ghana. Missed chances against both South Korea and Portugal came back to haunt them.
Narrowly lost to Portugal 3-2 but wrestled back fate with a 3-2 win over South Korea. With destiny in their own hands, the Black Stars fell apart against Uruguay after a groundhog day experience of missing a penalty against them.
South Korea are an example of how much the order of when you play your group opponents matters. The stoppage time winner against Portugal made for great theatre, but it was also made possible by Portugal having already clinched a place in the next round and playing a second-string side as a result. The Koreans crashed back down to earth against Brazil.
Cameroon will rue their dominant first half display against Switzerland that provided no payoff. An impressive comeback from 3-1 down to draw against Serbia and a win over Brazil's 'B' team were of little consequence as a result.
Expectations were high for a Serbia side that finished undefeated and top of a World Cup qualifying group that included Portugal but it was far too indisciplined defensively.
Tunisia's win over France was a special moment, but also came against a second-string Les Bleus. The hard work of a point against Denmark was undone by a loss to Australia.
Quite easily the biggest disappointment of the tournament after reaching the semifinals of the European Championships last year.
Inexperience cost Canada dearly. A great performance against Belgium brought zero points and a strong second half against Morocco left them inches from a first men's World Cup point. Plenty of lessons to be learned from what happened in between.
The hammering against England made their task of qualifying extremely challenging but a win over Wales gave them hope. They lacked belief against the U.S., though, playing for a draw and ended up with a deserved loss.
11 goals conceded to Spain and Germany and the win over Japan came completely against the run of play.
Wales came in looking to make Gareth Bale's last World Cup a memorable one but after squeaking out a point against the U.S., was outplayed by both Iran and England.
They came, they saw, they meekly surrendered.
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church's ban on gay priests.
Peak tick season is only just beginning but reports of bites – and tick-borne illnesses – are already higher than normal in Ontario.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Public Safety Canada lacked a system for tracking who received and read specific intelligence on foreign interference, creating 'unacceptable gaps in accountability,' the national spy watchdog has found.
Emergency services in the town of Rigaud, Que. are investigating after a tornado touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m.
A man who assaulted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in 2022 will have another day in court on Tuesday after the federal judge overseeing the case failed to allow him to speak during his sentencing hearing earlier this month.
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
An airline pilot got quite a show on May 11 while flying from San Francisco to Lisbon when a solar storm caused stunning auroras.
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
A Winnipeg pinball wizard is heading to the granddaddy of them all – the IFPA World Pinball Championship.
It’s the chance of a lifetime for a group of Ottawa athletes who are getting ready to represent Team Canada at the World Junior Ultimate championships in the United Kingdom.
Parishioners at Holy Trinity Anglican Church are praying for a monetary miracle, as their historic place of worship could collapse at any moment.
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.