Jesse Marsch wants his Canada side to be "aggressive, confident, powerful." On home soil, in front of packed red-clad crowds, they'll need to be all three — and then some. For the third time in their history, Canada are at a World Cup. They've never made it past the group stage. That changes now, or it doesn't change at all.
The group itself is winnable. Bosnia and Herzegovina are ranked 66th in the world, Qatar 56th. Canada sit at 30. Switzerland, ranked 19th, are the class of the group — but even they've never gone beyond the quarterfinals, and their last appearance at that stage was 1954. This isn't a group of world-beaters. It's a group where Canada should be collecting points.
Davies, David, and the weight of expectation
Alphonso Davies scored Canada's first-ever World Cup goal four years ago in Qatar — a consolation in a 4-1 thrashing by Croatia that said everything about where the team was at. That was then. Davies now plays Champions League football at Bayern Munich. Jonathan David leads the line from Juventus. Cyle Larin is at Southampton. The talent has genuinely matured.
The question is whether Marsch can translate that into results. His style — high press, vertical, physically demanding — suits the players he has. But Canada's 2022 tournament was a reality check, finishing bottom of their group without a win. Marsch has had time to build. The opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto is the kind of game they absolutely must not drop.
The rest of the group
Switzerland are the trickiest read. Granit Xhaka, now at Sunderland, brings 140-plus caps worth of experience. Under Murat Yakin they didn't concede a single goal in qualifying — just two across six matches. Then they leaked four to Germany in a March friendly. Make of that what you will, but Switzerland at tournament level tend to be far more disciplined than in warmups.
Qatar are here again largely by virtue of co-hosting the expanded tournament. Julen Lopetegui has taken charge, bringing genuine coaching pedigree after his West Ham stint, and striker Almoez Ali's 55 international goals deserve respect. But a squad almost entirely drawn from the domestic Qatar Stars League will struggle to match Canada or Switzerland physically.
Bosnia are the wildcard — and a dangerous one. Knocking out Italy in a penalty shootout on March 31 wasn't a fluke; Italy were poor throughout the playoffs and Bosnia were ruthless. The caveat: Edin Dzeko, their all-time top scorer with 73 goals in 148 appearances, injured his shoulder in that very match. The 40-year-old Schalke striker being fit and available is far from guaranteed. If he's limited, Bosnia lose their most threatening outlet.
Canada open at -odds favourites to progress, and on paper that's justified. But they've been here before — in 1986 they played three, lost three, scored zero. The home crowds and the squad depth make this genuinely different. Whether Marsch has built a team that handles pressure or one that crumbles under it, Group B will answer that question quickly.
