The country is gearing up to see if the Canadians can overcome the Swiss to make history yet again at the 2026 World Cup.
With anticipation building, FIFA is celebrating the tight game with a one-day event on the grounds of Lansdowne Park. It’s a free opportunity to experience the excitement of the World Cup alongside fans from the nation’s capital.
The game gets underway at 3:00 p.m.
The gates will open to people at 2:00 p.m. For those hoping to continue the soccer viewing, the event will also air the Scotland vs. Brazil game that starts at 6:00 p.m.
Activities featuring the Russell Raiders, OFC Surad and Ottawa Gloucester will be happening, alongside music, food and “shared moments of national pride.”
Home-field advantage on the line for Canada
For the third time, Canada faces the biggest and most important match in its history when it takes on Switzerland at BC Place.
The Canadians haven’t officially clinched a berth in the knockout round, but they are virtually assured a spot in the round of 32. All that’s left to determine is where that match will take place.
Canada and Switzerland are tied atop Group B with four points apiece, but Canada sits in first based on a superior goal difference (plus-six versus plus-three). Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar each have one point.
A win or draw against the Swiss means the Canadians win the group, and they will play their round of 32 game in Vancouver — a potential round of 16 contest would also be staged at BC Place. If Switzerland wins and Canada advances as a second- or third-place team, it will play all of its knockout games in the United States, instantly losing its home advantage. That’s why this match vs. Switzerland has such massive implications for Canada.
Canada’s opening match vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, which ended in a 1-1 draw, was aptly described in the buildup as the biggest game ever in the team’s history. The same descriptor was then applied to the Canadians’ second Group B match vs. Qatar in Vancouver, and they responded with a 6-0 destruction job in recording their first-ever World Cup victory.
With files from Sportsnet’s John Molinaro.
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