The players make their way out of the tunnel \u2013 the full squads have emerged. Looks a gorgeous day in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n The BBC coverage has cut away from Bubl\u00e9. I. Am. Fuming.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s Bubl\u00e9. This is what we\u2019ve been waiting for. Go on, my son.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rebekah Voss writes in:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe first World Cup game I remember was a minor game that you probably haven\u2019t heard of \u2026 this casual affair between Brazil and Germany in 2014. I was nine at the time and hadn\u2019t heard of soccer before (look, I\u2019m from a rather rural area of America, okay?) and I was starstruck. Thomas M\u00fcller and Toni Kroos made scoring look so easy and Manuel Neuer was just fantastic. I thought he was a god out there. My classmates and I played soccer sometimes during recess and I opted goalie each time. I wasn\u2019t half bad at it, seeing as I\u2019m a head taller than most. It was my dream when I was younger of one day meeting Manuel Neuer and blowing him away with my goalie skills. Funny what kids think of, right?<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve grown through the years, I\u2019ve become an avid fan of the beautiful game. I follow every Bayern game and I\u2019ve got a couple of M\u00fcller shirts \u2014 my prized possession is my 2014 World Cup kit with M\u00fcller on the back. I\u2019m dreaming of getting a Neuer shirt one day if I can find one for cheap enough.<\/p>\n All of this to say is, I was originally so excited when I first heard the World Cup was coming to America. Arrowhead Stadium\u2019s only five-ish hours from my place and I was set on getting to go there. But the prices made it impossible to justify, and honestly, looking at the state of our country and all of the idiocy and callous cruelty that Trump and his henchmen are causing, I\u2019m rather glad I\u2019m not contributing to this bread and circus. But I have this silly little dream that maybe my countrymen will get their heads out of the dirt and see the beauty of this sport \u2013 and the beauty of other people who may not look or talk or think exactly as they do, but are still human beings with a capacity for creativity and kindness and all the little things that make us human. Funny what kids think of, right?<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Still no sign of Bubl\u00e9, worryingly, though no doubt he\u2019s saving himself for the grandest and glitziest of entrances. Freed from Desire is blaring for now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Away from football, another World Cup<\/a> has kicked off in England:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Juventus\u2019 Jonathan David is up front for Canada<\/a> and their record goalscorer with 39 in 77 games:<\/p>\n Jonathan David <\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n This Today in Focus ep is worth a listen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Alphonso Davies, still on the mend, wasn\u2019t expected to be in Canada\u2019s XI for their opener. Bosnia\u2019s biggest name, Edin Dzeko, is on the bench.<\/p>\n Edin Dzeko<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Forget the World Cup<\/a> just for a sec \u2026 some news from Scotland. <\/p>\n Share<\/a>The teams<\/p>\n Canada: Cr\u00e9peau, Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea, Buchanan, Kon\u00e9, Eust\u00e1quio, Millar, Jonathan David, Oluwaseyi<\/p>\n Subs: St. Clair, Goodman, Jones, Waterman, Choini\u00e8re, Larin, Shaffelburg, Bombito, Davies, Ahmed, Osorio, Sigur, Promise, Saliba, Nelson<\/p>\n Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Dedic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac, Bajraktarevic, Basic, Tahirovic, Memic, Demirovic, Lukic<\/p>\n Subs: Jurkas, Zlomislic, Mujakic, Hadzikadunic, Gigovic, Bazdar, Dzeko, Sunjic, Hadziahmetovic, Burnic, Alajbegovic, Radeljic, Tabakovic, Malic, Mahmic<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A fair few empty seats for this ceremony \u2026. though we\u2019re still waiting for Bubl\u00e9.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Miss yesterday\u2019s opening ceremony? Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ve got another in the works. Yep, Michael Bubl\u00e9 is one of several performers about to grace the Toronto Stadium.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Partey to miss Ghana’s World Cup opener after Canada visa refused<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more on that breaking story:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Athletic is reporting that Thomas Partey will not play in Ghana\u2019s opening game after his visa application to Canada<\/a> was refused. The Black Stars face Panama next week in Toronto before playing England in Boston and Croatia in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> It is a brilliant atmosphere at Toronto Stadium, with Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/a> supporters drinking in the occasion. Canada fans marched to the ground en masse, some high-fiving the Bosnian supporters who got stuck amid the traffic, flares and chants the order of the day. It was a sticky morning in the city, with no discernible evidence of a historic match taking place, but that has all changed with a couple of hours until kick-off. There was an a cappella version of O Canada, of course. There is pedigree among the media corps, too, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Owen Hargreaves, who was born in Calgary, both in the building. There were suggestions in Bosnian media that they may have more fans in attendance, but Jesse Marsch was in no doubt on the eve of the game. \u201cThat stadium is going to be red, not blue,\u201d he said, matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n Members of the Voyageurs, Canada\u2019s national team supporters, march toward Toronto Stadium. Photograph: Jon Blacker\/The Canadian Press\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.08 EDT<\/p>\n All you need to know about the two sides:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what Jesse Marsch has had to say in the buildup, heralding the multiculturalism of his squad. Welcome words from the former Leeds manager.<\/p>\n double quotation markFrom the moment I stepped into the environment with this team, I was incredibly impressed by how much they loved each other, how much they were drawn to each other and how much, even though there were differences, their back stories had similarities: first and second-generation Canadian, Portuguese, French, Jamaican, Colombian, Scottish \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Mexico\u2019s had its turn; off we roll to Canada, hosting the men\u2019s World Cup for the very first time. That\u2019s history already guaranteed<\/a> but Jesse Marsch will want more from the day, particularly when he\u2019s assembled a team that reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica and have lost just one game in normal time in the last year. A point would be significant for Canada \u2013 they\u2019ve played six World Cup games and lost them all \u2013 but this really is their time to make a splash and get to the knockouts.<\/p>\n Up first: Edin Dzeko\u2019s Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yep, he\u2019s still knocking them in at 40<\/a>, part of the side that ground their way through the qualifying playoffs, breaking Welsh and Italian hearts, back at the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. Time to ruin the Toronto party, too? We\u2019ll see at 3pm local time. Or 8pm in BST money (5am Saturday AEST).<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ben_Fisher.png\")
Ben Fisher<\/p>\nBen Fisher<\/p>\n