Canada vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Everything you need to know

World Cup - Grp. B

BC Place Vancouver

Canada vs Qatar will kick off on 18 Jun 2026 at 18:00 EST and 22:00 GMT.

Canada vs Qatar: Match context

Co-hosts Canada, ranked 30th in the world by FIFA, opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia. Meanwhile, Qatar claimed a dramatic 1-1 draw against Switzerland with a 94th-minute equaliser. Group B could potentially be one of the most tightly contested at the World Cup.

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Who are Canada's coach and key players?

Canada coach Jesse Marsch, formerly with Leeds United, will lean heavily on the quality and experience of Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, who recently returned from a long injury layoff in their Champions League semi-final thriller against PSG in May. Also, look out for Sassuolo midfielder Ismael Kone and Juventus attacker Jonathan David.

The Canadian Men's National Team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times in their history, namely in 1986, 2022 and now 2026. Davies scored the nation's first-ever World Cup goal in a match against Croatia in 2022. Now 52, coach Marsch can point to a stellar playing career, where he played 14 seasons in the United States MLS in the 90s and 00s. He also earned two caps for the USMNT.

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Who are Qatar's key players, and who is their coach?

Al Sadd playmaker Akram Afif is the most glamorous name in the Qatar squad. He'll use his flair and inventiveness to serve up chances for the national team's all-time leading scorer. The Al Duhail marksman has scored in the Asian Cup, Copa América, and Gold Cup and will hope to ruffle some feathers for Julen Lopetegui's side.

Following World Cup qualification, Qatar turned to experienced Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui to lead the team into the tournament. The former Spain, Sevilla, and Real Madrid manager inherited a squad eager to erase the memories of their difficult 2022 World Cup campaign, where they became the first host nation to lose all three group-stage matches.

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Canada's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Dayne St Clair (Inter Miami), Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Crystal Palace).

Defenders: Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Derek Cornelius (Marseille), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire), Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham), Moise Bombito (Nice), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough).

Midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio (Porto), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC), Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Liam Millar (Hull City), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Jacob Shaffelburg (Toronto), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto).

Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal), Promise David (Union SG).

Qatar's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Salah Zakaria (Al-Duhail), Mahmoud Abunada (Al Rayyan), Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd)

Defenders: Hashmi Hussein (Al Arabi), Ayoub Alawi (Al Gharafa), Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Issa Laaye (Al Arabi), Lucas Mendes (Al-Wakrah), Sultan Al-Brake (Al-Duhail), Homam Al-Amin (Cultural Leonesa)

Midfielders: Mohammed Al-Manai (Al Shamal), Jassem Jaber (Al Arabi), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Ahmed Fathi (Al Arabi), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan), Assim Madibo (Al-Wakrah)

Forwards: Tahseen Mohammed (Al-Duhail), Edmilson Junior (Al-Duhail), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Mohammed Muntari (Al Gharafa), Youssef Abdulrazzaq (Al-Wakrah), Ahmed Alaa (Al Rayyan), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd), Ahmed Al-Janahi (Al Gharafa).

Team news & squads

Canada vs Qatar Probable lineups

Canada

CAN

Formation

Qatar

QAT

Qatar

QAT

Manager

• J. Marsch

Canada are managed by Jesse Marsch, though no confirmed injury or suspension information is currently available for this fixture. No probable starting lineup has been confirmed at this stage. Updates will be added closer to kick-off.

Qatar are led by head coach Julen Lopetegui, with no injury or suspension data confirmed at the time of publication. A projected XI has not yet been released. Further team news will be updated as it becomes available.

Form

Head-to-Head Record

CAN

Last match

QAT

1

Win

0

Draws

0

Wins

• Qatar

  0

  -

  2

  Canada

2

Goals scored

0

Games over 2.5 goals

0/1

Both teams scored

0/1

The only previous meeting between these two sides in the available data came in a friendly on September 23, 2022, when Canada won 2-0 away in Qatar. That result represents Canada's sole recorded head-to-head victory over their Group B opponents.

Standings

In Group B, Canada currently sit second and Qatar are third after the opening round of fixtures.