After anticipation had been building for months, the stage was finally set. On Friday, June 12 in Toronto, history was made for Canada. With Canada hosting the event for the first time, the FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies kicked off the country’s first match. Fans from across the country had the chance to watch the team play on Canadian soil against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a truly special moment for Canadian soccer fans.
The game against Bosnia was a story of firsts. Not only was it Canada’s first time as the host, but it was also their first time participating in consecutive World Cups, having qualified four years prior playing in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Led by head coach Jesse Marsch, Canada — also known as Les Rouges — received a favourable draw ahead of this World Cup. Placed in Group B alongside Bosnia, Switzerland and Qatar, they have a solid chance of winning the group, or at least making it into the knockout round.
In the last World Cup, Canada went 0–3 against harsh opponents, including two countries that went on to be semifinalists in Morocco and Croatia. While a tough draw doomed them in 2022, Canada has never been a strong contender in the World Cup. Across their two previous appearances in 1986 and in 2022, they’ve lost all six of their games. But for this World Cup, momentum seems to be building for Canada.
Les Rouges have been climbing up the rankings since their last appearance on the world stage, sitting at a decent mark as No. 30 before their first World Cup match. The rest of their group should be within reach. Bosnia and Qatar are ranked much lower than Canada, both below No. 50. Although they still have to face the tough Switzerland, who are ranked at No. 19, with their team’s improvement and the home crowd behind them, Canada has a good chance to do well in the group stage.
However, the path through the World Cup will still be a tricky one for Canada. Their team is dealing with injuries — worst of all, the loss of their captain Alphonso Davies. Davies was out for the first game against Bosnia, as he has been dealing with nagging injuries after an ACL tear in 2025, including a hamstring ailment that continues to ail him.
This is a huge setback for Canada, as Davies — at only 25 years old — is potentially the best men’s soccer player to ever come out of Canada. He made all the difference for Canada in the last World Cup, scoring Canada’s first ever World Cup goal in their second group stage game against Croatia. Canada needs his scoring again if they hope to succeed offensively in this World Cup. Thankfully for Canada, Marsch expects him to contribute shortly in the tournament. They’ll hope it’s as soon as possible.
Bosnia’s journey to the World Cup looked much different from Canada’s. While Canada automatically qualified as a host alongside Mexico and the United States, no one even expected Bosnia to be here. This is only their second appearance at the World Cup, with their first being at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Despite being officially ranked No. 71 at the time — nearly 60 spots below their opponent, Italy, who was No. 13 — Bosnia showed true grit in the qualification game, winning it in a shootout to punch their ticket to the World Cup and eliminate the four-time World Cup champions.
No matter how they got to this stage, every team and player feels the magic and the pressure of playing in the World Cup. Representing their country, their hope is to leave everything they have on the field. Unfortunately for Les Rouges, in this first match, Canada couldn’t quite step up to the pressure.
While Canada was seeking its first win at the World Cup — and for Bosnia, their second — they’d have to settle for a tie.
The match started out rocky for Canada. While Les Rouges seemed to come out strong by earning a corner in the first minute, they played the ball short, close to the ground and could not do much with it. This marked the first of many Canadian opportunities lost.
Canada was missing some tenacity on offence, but overall, they kept calm and collected early. To reset, they played back to veteran keeper Maxime Crépeau, using him early on when they had the time. Crépeau is one of three keepers on the Canada roster vying for the starting position. After just missing out on the 2022 World Cup due to injury, he is back with team Canada and getting his chance. But while Crépeau could temporarily keep Canada steady while they struggled on offence, there was only so much he could do.
The game pivoted when Alastair Johnston slide-tackled Bosnia’s Amir Memic on a breakaway. This gave Canada a yellow early, starting a concerning trend of giving up free kicks to Bosnia, three in the first 11 minutes.
It was a sign of things to come. Les Rouges finally gave up one too many, as another free kick was exactly the set piece Bosnia needed. The free kick set up a corner, and with a beautifully placed ball right to the net, Jovo Lukic was able to get a quick header to tap it into the net. This marked Lukic’s first international goal and set Canada down 1–0 after the first 20 minutes.
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, this early goal shot them through the roof. At least based on FIFA rankings, this game was Canada’s best chance for a win in the tournament — what would be their first-ever — but it was not trending that way. They were falling under the pressure.
Yet, while they were down, they pushed back after that Bosnia tally. They completely dominated possession after the first goal, but could not find the back of the net. Tani Oluwaseyi got a wide open look at the net as he shook off his defender in the box — but he placed the shot wide. Canada continued to earn opportunities, being given many chances to set up something from the corner, with nine in the first half.
But they couldn’t convert. Without being able to get on the board, Les Rouges went into halftime trailing in their opening match on home soil. Fans and players alike were feeling the frustration.
To start the second half, Canada had to change something, and they had only two choices. They could use the goal down as a chip on their shoulder, or let it be the nail in their coffin. They chose the former.
Canada came out with some much-needed offensive aggressiveness and had a close chance with a beautiful shot that soared past the keeper, headed right for the back of the net. Bosnia foiled this opportunity, however, deflecting it up off the goal post to bounce out.
They had to be careful to not be over-aggressive, though. On the other end of the field, Canada was tested defensively as Crépeau faced his own close chance with Bosnia set on the charge. As Crépeau came out to challenge the player, he was just able to get his foot on the ball to stop another goal.
Although Canada came out having shaken off the nerves, they still continued to not be able to score. They had chance after chance, but nothing was converting.
At least not until the 76th minute when Cyle Larin, an Ontario native, subbed into the game.
Only about a minute after Larin came on the field, Canada set up a beautiful offensive play. With a push to the net they placed good touches up the field, and once into the box, they connected with Larin. Larin’s shot was precise. Even as a Bosnian player jumped in front to block it, he was helpless. The match was even. A veteran player had stepped onto the field and almost instantaneously made his mark.
Canada fans and players had newfound fire, and with limited time left in the game, they tried to ride the momentum for that elusive first win. They continued to press — with Larin getting another shot in nearly the same spot he had scored in — but Les Rouges couldn’t find the net again. Yet, after trailing for most of the game, Canada could be happy to walk away with a draw as time ran out.
In a day of historic firsts, Canada added one more to the ledger, earning their first-ever point at a World Cup. Although they hit some bumps along the way, Canada showed signs of life at the end, as Larin’s play made all the difference. It was a glimpse of what this team is capable of as they continue to set their sights high, especially if Davies returns for their next game.
Having finally beaten their losing curse, Canada set themselves up as possible contenders for the top of their Group with this result. The other game of Group B between Switzerland and Qatar was another 1–1 draw, so the group is level and up for grabs. Every match and every point counts, and for Canada, that means they are still in it.
Next, Canada will head to the second host city of Vancouver to play Qatar on June 18. With Switzerland looming as their toughest remaining opponent, Canada will have to show up like the team in the second half of this one to be ready to hit the ground running. A win against Qatar will go a long way to making it out of their group alive. There is no telling exactly how long Canada’s run in the World Cup will be, so they’ll have to make every moment count.
