The next two World Cup Group B matches will be played on Thursday: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at 12:00 p.m. and Canada vs. Qatar at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific time). When the final whistle blows on the second match, the Canadian Men’s National Team (CanMNT) should be atop Group B.

Cyle Larin’s tying goal in Toronto last Friday came as a relief because Bosnia had played most of the match with a 1–0 lead. The final score of 1–1 earned the CanMNT their first-ever World Cup point, but it was nevertheless bittersweet. The home side dominated the match, saw Jonathan David miss a golden opportunity to score, saw Bosnia’s captain smash a clearance off his team’s own crossbar, and dropped the two additional points that would have come with a win.

The following day, Switzerland took wastefulness to the next level at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. They held 70% possession against Qatar while completing 93% of their passes, and they attempted a whopping 27 shots. But they managed to net only one goal, a penalty kick.

In the 94th minute, the Swiss were punished with a Qatari header into the top corner of their net, a shocking ending to a lopsided match. The 1–1 draw means all four teams in Group B have identical results: one draw, one goal scored, one goal conceded.

This shock has increased Canada’s chances of winning Group B, which coach Jesse Marsch has openly stated as their objective. Topping the group would elevate Canada’s reputation in world football, and it would allow the team to stay with home crowds in Vancouver for the round of 32 and, if necessary, the round of 16.

Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Switzerland (19th in the FIFA rankings) is a heavy favourite against Bosnia (63rd). Despite their misstep against Qatar, the Swiss deserve to be included among the tournament’s dark horses, alongside teams such as Colombia, Senegal, Japan, and Norway.

The dynamic Swiss offence is capable of much more than they brought against Qatar. In 2025 and 2026, they scored four goals in five separate victories, against Mexico, the United States, Kosovo, Sweden, and Jordan.

However, breaking through Bosnia’s brick-wall defence will not be easy. The Balkan side has not conceded more than one goal in any of their last eight matches, and they have faced some strong opponents in that undefeated span: Romania, Austria, Wales, Italy, and Canada. Their FIFA ranking of 63rd does not do justice to their current form.

Although Switzerland has the ability to run up the score against many opponents, the Swiss–Bosnian encounter is likely to be low-scoring. The most commonly predicted score is 1–0 for Switzerland, and the second-most common prediction is a 1–1 draw.

Canada vs. Qatar

Canada (32nd) and Qatar (49th) are much closer in the FIFA rankings, but this match also has a clear favourite: the CanMNT. In addition to playing at home, the Canadians’ recent results have been much better than those of the Qataris. The Elo ratings, which place Canada 33rd in the world and Qatar 90th, paint a more accurate picture of current form. The most commonly predicted score is 2–0 for Canada, and such a multi-goal victory could be the key to realizing Marsch’s ambition of topping this deadlocked group.

Canada can get a clean sheet against Qatar. Over the past year, they have blanked ten sides — including Colombia, who have a scorching attack — and all of those clean sheets were achieved without star defenders Moïse Bombito and Alphonso Davies. The 20-year-old centre-back Luc de Fougerolles has been growing in stature with each match he plays.

A bigger question is whether Canada can bag two or more goals on Thursday. They have averaged just 0.9 goals in their last ten matches, and Jonathan David’s big miss against Bosnia suggested that their top goal scorer is still trying to regain his confidence.

However, Cyle Larin’s goal just two minutes after entering as a sub showed he has brought his killer instinct from his club season with Southampton to the World Cup. Larin seems likely to replace Tani Oluwaseyi in Canada’s starting eleven. Promise David, who assisted Larin’s goal, continues to work wonders off the bench.

The improving health of Ali Ahmed gives Canada a boost. If he is fully fit, he will probably replace Liam Millar as the starting left winger thanks to his outstanding sub appearance against Bosnia. The attacking guile of Ahmed and central midfielder Ismaël Koné could provide the service needed for Canada’s strikers to score multiple goals.

The leakiness of Qatar’s defence is another crucial factor. In 2025 and 2026, they have conceded three or more goals in matches against teams that are not exactly world-beaters: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, the Italian club Udinese, Russia, and Tunisia.

Paths to First Place

A realistic goal for the CanMNT in their last two matches of Group B is to defeat Qatar and draw with Switzerland. Such a finish would set up two likely scenarios.

Scenario 1: If the Swiss finish with a win (against Bosnia) and a draw (against Canada), the group winner will be Canada or Switzerland — whoever has the better goal difference.

Scenario 2: If the Bosnians finish with a draw (against Switzerland) and a win (against Qatar), the group winner will be Canada or Bosnia — whoever has the better goal difference.

Of course, there has already been a big surprise in Group B, and more surprises could be in store for matchdays 2 and 3. What the CanMNT know for sure is that Thursday’s match against Qatar presents an opportunity for the decisive win they want and are more than capable of earning at a raucous BC Place. Their last match at BC Place was a 6–0 rout of Honduras at last summer’s Gold Cup.