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

World Cup - Grp. B

BC Place Vancouver

Switzerland vs Canada will kick off on 24 Jun 2026 at 15:00 EST and 19:00 GMT.

How does World Cup Group B stand?

Switzerland's campaign got off to an unspectacular start with a 1-1 draw against Qatar, but they produced a dominant display against Bosnia, winning 4-1. 20-year-old Johan Manzambi starred off the bench with a brace, another substitute, Ruben Vargas, was also on the score sheet, as was skipper Granit Xhaka.

Co-hosts Canada, ranked 30th in the world by FIFA, opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and then followed that with a 6-0 thumping of nine-man Qatar. Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies missed Canada's opener and was an unused substitute here. These two teams will likely slug things out for the top spot in Group B

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Likely Switzerland XI vs Canada

Kobel; Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Aebischer, Xhaka, Freuler; Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas.

Likely Canada XI vs Switzerland

Crepeau; Johnson, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea; Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Millar; David, Oluwaseyi.

Swiss key players and coaching approach

51-year-old Murat Yakin takes charge of the Swiss side, boasting considerable experience as a club manager in his native Switzerland. Skipper Granit Xhaka has starred for Sunderland this term, steering them to Premier League safety with time to spare in their first season back. The ex-Arsenal and Leverkusen man is the fulcrum of the side, guiding them, improbably, to Europa League football next season. This will be Xhaka's fourth appearance at a World Cup.

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer and central defender Manual Akanji form the defensive core, while Breel Embolo provides unpredictability in attack. Switzerland has qualified for the FIFA World Cup 13 times. In 2006, they earned the dubious honour of becoming the only team in history to be eliminated from a World Cup without conceding a single goal.

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Canadian key players and coaching approach

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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Switzerland's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Marvin Keller (Young Boys), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient).

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Aurele Amenda (Eintracht Frankfurt), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Luca Jaquez (VfB Stuttgart), Miro Muheim (Hamburg), Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (Mainz).

Midfielders: Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Ardon Jashari (AC Milan), Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), Fabian Rieder (Augsburg), Djibril Sow, Ruben Vargas (both Sevilla), Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), Denis Zakaria (Monaco).

Attackers: Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Breel Embolo (Stade Rennais), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Noah Okafor (Leeds United).

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).

Team news & squads

Switzerland vs Canada Probable lineups

Switzerland

SUI

Formation

Canada

CAN

Canada

CAN

Manager

• M. Yakin

Switzerland are managed by Murat Yakin. No injuries or suspensions have been confirmed ahead of this fixture, and no probable starting lineup has been released at this stage. Further team news will be added closer to kick-off.

Canada is led by head coach Jesse Marsch. As with Switzerland, no injury or suspension information is currently confirmed, and no projected XI has been announced. Updates will be provided as the match approaches.

Form

Switzerland head into this fixture with a mixed run of results across their last five games, recording one win, three draws, and one defeat. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 draw with Qatar at the World Cup on June 13, a match they dominated before conceding a 94th-minute own goal. Prior to the tournament, they drew 1-1 with Australia on June 6 and beat Jordan 4-1 on May 31. They drew 0-0 with Norway in March before suffering a 3-4 defeat to Germany, a result that exposed some vulnerability at the back. Switzerland scored six goals and conceded seven across those five matches.

Canada arrive with a similarly unsettled recent record: one win, three draws, and one defeat from their last five. Their most recent game ended in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup on June 12. Before that, they drew 1-1 with Ireland on June 5 and beat Uzbekistan 2-0 on June 2. A goalless draw with Tunisia in April preceded a 2-2 draw with Iceland in March. Canada scored six goals and conceded four across that five-game run.

Head-to-Head Record

SUI

Last match

CAN

0

Wins

0

Draws

1

Win

• Switzerland

  1

  -

  3

  Canada

1

Goals scored

3

Games over 2.5 goals

1/1

Both teams scored

1/1

The head-to-head record between these two nations is extremely limited in the available data, with just one previous meeting on record. That encounter came in a friendly on May 15, 2002, when Canada won 3-1 away in Switzerland. The Vancouver fixture will represent just the second recorded meeting between the two sides.

Standings

In Group B, Switzerland currently sit first and Canada are second ahead of the final round of fixtures.