Canada make their official 2026 World Cup debut on Friday when they square off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the last teams to qualify for this 48-team edition of the World Cup when they managed to kick Italy out of World Cup qualifying in the playoff final in March. American manager Jesse Marsch will lead the Canadian team in their first-ever home-soil tournament, as they’re co-hosting this edition with the United States and Mexico. The rest of Group B consists of Qatar and Switzerland , meaning MArsch’s side have a good chance to advance if they get off on the right foot. Then, later on Friday, it will be the United States men’s national team’s turn when they take on Paraguay.
This marks Canada’s third appearance at a World Cup, following their previous participations in 1986 and 2022. It is also the first time the Canadians have qualified for consecutive editions of the tournament, even if this time they automatically qualified as hosts. Meanwhile, Edin Dzeko and Sead Kolasinac are the only members of the current Bosnia and Herzegovina squad who featured in the nation’s sole previous World Cup campaign, when they made their tournament debut in 2014.
It’s not clear whether Canadian captain and Bayern Munich winger Alphonso Davies will be able to be part of the squad due to his physical issues, as Davies has recently been pessimistic about the chances of being part of the opener against Bosnia. The seven-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich made history at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by scoring Canada’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal just 68 seconds into their match against Croatia.
There will definitely be more pressure on Canada and Marsch this time, as they are among the three nations hosting the tournament this summer. The opening game against Bosnia, which will be played at the BMO Field in Toronto, is a lifetime opportunity for Canada to score their first points at the World Cup, after a record of six defeats in six matches between the 1986 and 2022 editions.
How to watch Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date: Friday, June 12 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: BMO Field — Toronto, Canada
TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Canada -120; Draw +265; Bosnia +370
Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina predicted starting lineups
Canada: Maxime Crepeau; Alistair Johnston, Joel Waterman, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea; Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Liam Millar; Jonathan David, Cyle Larin.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nikola Vasilj; Amar Dedic, Nikola Katic, Tarik Muharemovic, Sead Kolasinac; Esmir Bajraktarevic, Benjamin Tahirovic, Ivan Basic, Amar Memic; Ermedin Demirovic, Edin Dzeko.
Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina pick, prediction
It will be the opening game of one of the three host national teams of the World Cup. There will be pressure and Bosnia shouldn’t be underestimated at all. Pick: Canada 2, Bosnia 1.
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Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.
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