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Match Preview
- Group B's second fixture sees co-hosts Canada welcome Asian champions Qatar to Vancouver. With Canada having faced Bosnia and Qatar having met Switzerland in the opening round, both teams cannot afford to drop points in their bid for the Round of 16. Canada, in their third World Cup after 1986 and 2022, are chasing their first ever knockout stage appearance.
- Captain Alphonso Davies (25, Bayern Munich) starts on the bench, with his deployment closely watched. The left-sided global star with 58 caps and 15 goals could be held back by Marsch as a game-changing substitute. The veteran Richie Laryea (31, Toronto FC, 75 caps) starts at left-back in his place.
- Canada's front two features all-time top scorer Jonathan David (26, Juventus, 39 international goals) alongside Southampton's Cyle Larin (31, 30 goals, second in history). Their combined 69 international goals face the test of Qatar's 35-year-old veteran CB pairing of Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.
- Qatar's main weapon is left winger Akram Afif (29, Al-Sadd). The 2024 Asian Footballer of the Year, who won MVP and top scorer (8 goals) at the 2023 Asian Cup, has 39 goals in 124 caps. Facing him is Canada's right-back Alistair Johnston (27, Celtic, 58 caps), whose defensive abilities honed in the Scottish Premiership will be tested.
- The midfield battle features Canada's Stephen Eustáquio (29, LAFC, ex-Porto) against Qatar's 36-year-old veteran Abdulaziz Hatem (Al-Rayyan captain, 117 caps, 11 goals). Eustáquio played over 150 matches for Porto including Champions League and Europa League, while Hatem won the 2019 Asian Cup and played at the 2022 World Cup.
- Qatar are led by Julen Lopetegui (former Real Madrid boss, Europa League winner with Sevilla), appointed in 2025 for his first AFC role. Canada have Jesse Marsch (ex-RB Leipzig, Leeds) since May 2024, who guided them to the 2024 Copa América semi-finals (4th place). Both managers bring strong European pedigrees and tactical sophistication.
- Vancouver provides a complete home advantage for Canada, who also play their third group match against Switzerland here on June 24. Backed by fervent home support, they target back-to-back group wins. Qatar desperately seek their first World Cup victory after the humiliation of three defeats and zero goals as 2022 hosts.