Canada opened 2026 FIFA World Cup play on home soil at BMO Field on Friday, clashing with late European qualifiers and Group B foe Bosnia & Herzegovina toward a 1–1 result.
The Toronto match brought incredible fanfare, seeing performances from the likes of celebrities Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara, among others, even prior to kick off. Over 43,000 passionate fans—including Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds—packed the stadium. The vast majority formed a sea of bright red in support of the home team.
Despite desperately vying for that first-ever victory at soccer’s most prestigious tournament, Canada had to settle for the draw and will seek a better showing against remaining Group B opponents Qatar and Switzerland for the hope of a historic knockout stage run this summer.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s three takeaways from the match.
Set Piece Struggles
On the defensive side of the ball, Canada needs to improve its positioning, marking and overall anticipation on set pieces. The team looked reactive as opposed to proactive in many of those moments.
The most obvious example of the host’s shortcomings was Bosnia & Herzegovina’s goal in the 21st minute off of a corner kick, to open the scoring. Amar Memic delivered a near-post in-swinger, which Canada seemed utterly unprepared for. Sead Kolasinac easily beat Tani Oluwaseyi to the floating ball, as Canada’s striker sorely mistimed its descent. Kolasinac then flicked the ball behind him to teammate Jovo Lukic, who Richie Laryea was weakly and distractedly marking from behind. Lukic easily overpowered Canada’s left back for a header goal.
Although Bosnia & Herzegovina’s roster includes many of the most physically-imposing players at the World Cup, countries with much more skill will also have no problem capitalizing on a flat-footed Canada in these set pieces moments. The Canucks need to go back to the drawing board to come up with a viable solution.
Canada Couldn’t Finish
Whether it speaks to the nerves of the Canadians, who were participating for just the third time ever in soccer’s grandest showcase, or a broader problem, the squad simply could not finish on Friday.
The sequence of frustrations was ignited by striker Jonathan David’s blatant miss in the 17th minute, taking a shot—or rather, a rolling pass—from just outside the six-yard box straight to goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj in the center of the frame. The missed opportunity sent manager Jesse Marsch into a blind rage on the sidelines. That was David’s only shot on target all game.
Oluwaseyi, likewise, struggled to finish his chances, with just one shot on target and an expected goals (xG) of 0.15, raising the broader question: why didn’t Cyle Larin and Promise David come onto the pitch sooner? Promise David substituted on for David in the 61st minute, while Larin came on 15 minutes later.
Ismaël Koné did his part in the midfield, creating several key opportunities by attacking the empty half-spaces between Bosnia & Herzegovina’s midfielders and defenders, but it was to no avail. Either his through balls were picked off or the strikers struggled to get a quality shot out of the opportunities.
Canada finally broke through in the 79th minute, though, with a brilliant shot from Larin, just three minutes after the 31-year-old Southampton striker substituted onto the pitch, evidently determined to do something about the mounting frustration. It was once again Koné that instigated the attack, finding Promise David just inside the box, who’s sweeping flick set Larin up for a first-time, powerful finish into the right-hand side of the net.
The Wait Continues...
Canada mounted an impressive attempt at victory in the remaining minutes following Larin’s equalizer, forcing Bosnia & Herzegovina on its back-heels while Canada become even more aggressive in its press; however, it was to no avail. The hosts walked away with a draw, still waiting for that first victory at the World Cup, having lost all six of its previous matches across the 1986 and 2022 editions of the tournament.
The Canucks will need at least one victory against Qatar or Switzerland to advance out of the group stage. The team now turns its attentions to Qatar, who it faces next Thursday at BC Place in Vancouver.
