Canada face Qatar in Vancouver with wide-open Group B in focus at World Cup
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Vancouver, Canada – June 13, 2026 General view of the giant ball near BC Place during the match REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
VANCOUVER, June 16 : Canada and Qatar meet on Thursday with Group B finely poised, setting up a compelling clash in Vancouver where victory would allow either side to claim three vital points and break ahead in the World Cup standings.
Co-hosts Canada arrive following a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto and can expect strong backing once again in Vancouver, having enjoyed vocal home support in their opener in the normally ice hockey-mad nation.
Qatar, hosts in 2022, also began with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland in California.
BC Place stadium has already shown its appetite for the tournament, drawing a strong crowd for Australia’s 2-0 win over Turkey, and is expected to provide a vibrant backdrop as the home side chase victory.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Despite still searching for their first World Cup win, Canada will start as favourites. Forward Jonathan David, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, will be keen to make a greater impact after substitute Cyle Larin struck in the opener.
The fitness of captain and left-back Alphonso Davies remains a concern for Canada due to a hamstring problem, leaving coach Jesse Marsch with a key selection decision.
Defender Joel Waterman will also hope to feature. He remained on the bench in the opening match, but a game in his home city would carry special significance.
For Qatar, the pursuit of World Cup credibility has been difficult. The team entered this tournament without a win in six matches across the 1986 and 2022 editions.
However, they have already improved on their 2022 campaign – when they finished bottom without a point – and now have an opportunity to build momentum with another positive result.
“The group is wide open,” Waterman told reporters. “We want to top the group. The focus has never changed for us.
“It’s a big game on Thursday to beat Qatar and then we’ve got to try and beat Switzerland as well. We’re going to try and pick up the six points and go on to the next round.”
Source: Reuters
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
