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BuckeyenACCland wrote:

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How is Canada the #1 seed in the Junior World Championship Football tourney?

" IFAF confirmed that Canada holds the No. 1 seed and that the United States will be ranked No. 2. Mexico will hold the third seed and Japan will be ranked fourth. The seeding will keep those four nations apart during the first round of competition, which kicks off in Canton on Saturday, June 27.

Reigning European junior champion Germany is ranked fifth, followed by continental neighbors Sweden in the sixth slot and France in seventh, while Oceania representative New Zealand is the eighth seed.

"The seeding is determined by three main factors, and we feel the eight competing nations have been fairly allocated their ranking," IFAF President Tommy Wiking said. "The IFAF Executive Committee considered each country's performance in previous international junior competition, the size of a country's domestic junior American football program and the number of years that program has been in place.

"We felt that Canada's exceptional record in international junior competition during recent years warranted the top seed. The United States is recognized as the home of the sport and has a strong junior program with the biggest number of youngsters playing the game nationwide.

"Mexico and Japan have both been successful on the international stage, while the order of the three EFAF (European Federation of American Football) teams reflects their placing at the European Junior Championship last summer. As a newcomer to this level of competition, New Zealand has been allocated the eighth seed." "