Canada v Qatar prediction, lineups & tips: World Cup 2026 Group B

Canada arrive at BC Place having already learned a harsh lesson about wasted chances at the FIFA World Cup 2026. A dominant 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto, 61% possession, 13 shots, 1.23 expected goals, left Jesse Marsch's side level with every other team in Group B after one match. Thursday's game against Qatar is, in blunt terms, the one they cannot afford to drop.

Group B is as open as any in the tournament. Switzerland sit top on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with Qatar, while Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina are also on one point apiece. All four sides have played one game.

For Canada, the co-hosts, the arithmetic is straightforward. Win here and they move to four points with a favourable final fixture against Switzerland still to come, almost certainly enough to advance. Draw or lose, and the pressure on that Switzerland game becomes enormous. Stand-in captain Stephen Eustáquio spelled it out at a press conference on Tuesday: "This is a matter of life or death for us. When we're competing, we're not just here to spend our time, we want to win, we want to make history."

Qatar's situation is only marginally less pressing. The 2022 hosts lost all three of their group games on home soil and scored just one goal across that campaign. They have qualified for this tournament under their own steam and earned a creditable 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Matchday 1, rescuing a point via a 94th-minute own goal after surviving a barrage that produced 3.2 xG against them. A point from this game would represent genuine progress; three points would transform their tournament.

Canada's opener highlighted both the quality and the frustration in Marsch's squad. They created enough to win but converted just one of their 13 attempts, with Jonathan David particularly wasteful. Cyle Larin came off the bench to score the equaliser with a fine 78th-minute strike and will push for a start in Vancouver.

Qatar were outplayed by Switzerland for much of their game in Santa Clara, facing 26 attacks that generated 3.2 xG, yet Mahmoud Abunada produced a outstanding display in goal, stopping nine targeted efforts, to keep them in contention before Miro Muheim's own goal rescued a draw. Julen Lopetegui made second-half adjustments, pushing the backline higher and asking his midfield to press more aggressively, and his side finished the stronger. Akram Afif, top scorer at the 2023 Asian Cup, remains without a World Cup goal but is the one player in Qatar's side with the craft to hurt Canada on the counter.

After Canada's draw with Bosnia, Marsch was candid about his side's profligacy. "I told them we've got to learn these lessons and we've got to learn them quick," he said. "We still have everything in hand, but we have to make sure the next performance is a reflection and a learning point from what we did today."

Marsch had previously set out his ambitions for the group with characteristic directness, telling GiveMeSport: "We want to win the group. For a country that has never won a World Cup game or even a point, that is a crazy statement, but I think, internally, our expectations are that at home we can be the aggressor against whoever we play."

Canada v Qatar kicks off at 23:00 BST on Thursday 18 June 2026 at BC Place, Vancouver. The match is available live on ITV1 in the UK, with a stream via the ITV website and ITVX. Coverage is also available on BBC iPlayer for radio commentary.