Canada is preparing to face Qatar in the second game of the year FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 as both countries battle it out in hopes of their first win of the tournament.
The game is also the first for the Canadian team to play at BC Place in Vancouver and the second to take place at the stadium.
Canada scored a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 June, the first point recorded in a FIFA Men’s World Cup tournament. Qatar also recorded a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on 13 June.
All four countries have a point in Group B, which is currently one of the most contested in the World Cup.
To advance from Group B, Canada must finish in the top two in their group to automatically advance to the knockout stages. The third-placed team can also advance if they finish among the eight best third-placed teams in all 12 groups. This path depends on points, goal difference and results in other groups. Canada’s match against Switzerland on June 24 is expected to be the decider of the group.
Canada and Qatar have faced each other once before, with Canada securing a 2-0 win in a friendly played in Austria in September 2022 thanks to two goals from Cyle Larin and Jonathan David. The win is Canada’s only against any of its Group B opponents.
What can Canada improve on?
Canada had nine corners in the first half of its opening game, the most of any team before halftime in a FIFA World Cup match, but failed to convert on any of those opportunities.
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“I’m disappointed with the first half,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said after the game. “I just felt we were tentative. We didn’t play as aggressively as I would have liked.”
Canada also recorded 61 percent possession against Bosnia and Herzegovina, its highest possession percentage in a FIFA World Cup match.
Additionally, in seven World Cup games, Canada has conceded the opening goal six times, with last Friday’s tie the only time they found an equalizer, which came from Larin in the 79th minute.
“For me, there are some things we can definitely do better, for sure, but for me, it’s the mentality and the grit,” Marsch continued.
“We want to make sure that the team is equipped from the beginning for all these games to understand the plan, the group plan and the opponent, and what their plan might be, but at the end, to really go after the game and represent what we wanted to be.
“We did that in the second half, not the first half, and that was the difference for us that day.”
Marsch also has a decision to make about what to do with his captain, Alphonso Davies, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury but has not completely ruled out playing in the tournament.
Kickoff is set for Thursday at 6:00 PM ET.
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