Canada and Qatar lock horns on matchday two at BC Place in Vancouver on June 19, with the chance to seize the initiative and take a step into the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup.
Both sides are sitting on one point after drawing their opening matches. Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina thanks to Cyle Larin’s 78th-minute equaliser from the bench, while Qatar snatched a point against Switzerland in added time when Miro Muheim scored an own goal.
Canada secured their first-ever World Cup point last week, and Jesse Marsch will want his side to build on that with an aggressive approach against Qatar. On the other hand, Qatar weathered a crazy storm of Switzerland attacks throughout the game. They limited the Swiss to a single penalty before going forward and equalising deep in injury time. Julen Lopetegui’s side will have to be braver on and off the ball to get a positive result against Canada.
Both nations enter the contest looking to record their first-ever victory in a World Cup finals tournament.
Canada vs Qatar
Team News
Alphonso Davies missed the World Cup opener with a hamstring injury, but coach Jesse Marsch has confirmed that he will be available to face Qatar. This means Marsch will have a fully fit squad to pick his best XI on Thursday.
Julen Lopetegui also has a clean bill of health as far as Qatar’s squad is concerned. How the Spanish tactician gets the right mix in his XI this time around will be interesting to watch.
Canada vs Qatar
Predicted Lineups
Predicted Canada lineup (4-4-2): Maxime Crepeau; Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Richie Laryea; Tajon Buchanan, Ismael Kone, Stephen Eustaquio, Ali Ahmed; Cyle Larin, Jonathan David
Predicted Qatar lineup (4-3-3): Mahmud Abunada; Ayoub Al-Oui, Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Homam Ahmed; Jassem Gaber, Issa Laye, Ahmed Fathy; Akram Afif, Yusuf Abdurisag, Edmilson Junior
Canada vs Qatar
Odds
As per Kalshi, Canada are the overwhelming favourites to win this contest. They have a 76% chance of winning, while there is a 17% chance of the game ending in a draw. Qatar have been given a measly 9% chance to upset the co-hosts.
Despite struggling to make much of an impact in the opener, Jonathan David enters as the favourite to score anytime during the match at 49%. Additionally, Larin, who scored as a substitute against Bosnia, sits at 33% to score anytime. For Qatar, Akram Afif is favoured to get on the scoresheet. His odds stand at 12%.
Canada vs Qatar
Prediction
Canada were unfortunate not to take all three points against Bosnia. They had to settle for a draw, but the overall play from the co-hosts was exciting. Marsch could start Larin up top with David to cause problems for the shaky Qatari defence.
Qatar cannot commit the same mistakes they made against Switzerland, and thanks to an inspired performance from goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada, they managed to pinch a point eventually. Lopetegui must encourage his side to play a bit more expansively and take risks to make life difficult for the co-hosts.
Even if the Arabian nation improves and shows more attacking thrust, we expect Canada to get their first win of the competition with David breaking his duck.
