Two teams still seeking their first World Cup victories will square off in Group B action on Thursday as co-hosts Canada welcome Qatar to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
Both sides came from a goal down to pick up 1-1 draws in their opening World Cup 2026 outings, with the Canadians earning a point against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the 2022 hosts of this tournament collecting that same result versus Switzerland, as all four teams in the group are tied after matchday one.
For the first time at a World Cup, Canada have some big expectations, and that seemed to weigh heavily on the team throughout their opener in Toronto.
Jesse Marsch’s men looked tense and uneasy for long stretches of that match, particularly in the attacking third, where their touches and final balls were often lacking in quality.
Marsh, who became the first manager from the United States to coach another nation in the finals last week, has some tough decisions to make ahead of Thursday, most notably what to do about his captain, Alphonso Davies.
The greatest Canadian export missed the team’s opener with a hamstring injury, but his presence in this match could be pivotal to a Canadian team that stand to benefit from his experience in big games.
In their seven World Cup matches played, Canada have given up the opening goal six times, with last Friday’s draw being the only instance in which they found an equalising strike.
Les Rouges have lost two of their last three international affairs against Asian sides, but defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 in their penultimate friendly before this competition began.
They have only faced Qatar once before, beating them 2-0 in a friendly played in Austria in September of 2022, thanks to a pair of goals in the opening half.
Canada know they were not at their best in their opener, but having gotten that out of the way, we expect them to be much freer while showing their true qualities regardless of Davies’ status.
Expect the ball to travel much faster at BC Place, which should benefit the youthful, speedy Canadians, who have won their last two matches in Vancouver by a combined score of 10-0.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
