Friday June 12, 2026
- Toronto stadium 10pm [EAT]
Co-hosts Canada take to action on match day of the Fifa 2026 World Cup aiming to emulate Mexico who beat South Africa in their opening match.
Canada, in Group B take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto stadium
Canada are here because they are hosts while Bosnia overcame much fancied Italy on penalties in the qualifiers to reach only their second World Cup.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch admits there could be nervousness but for a nation that has been at two previous world cups, they will be favourites playing in front of their home fans.
“I don’t think I will get nervous. My job is to prepare the players, giving them the best opportunity to go out and be free, know their roles, and be themselves,” Marsch told the press.
“And I think we’ve accomplished that here. This team has always performed well since I’ve been here, and I think that’s because of their quality, their character and the clarity they have on the pitch,” he further stressed.
His counterpart Sergej Barbarez admits the underdog status but wants his team to earn respect by showing confidence on the pitch.
“We are a small country. This is our second ever World Cup, and for sure we are sort of an underdog in many of the matches ahead,” said Sergej.
“It’s one of the opening games, which is of course for us a tremendous honor, and we really want to show our best to the whole of the world. We really want to be the team that earns respect, and we can only do that by showing what we know on the pitch,” he added.
In the same group, Switzerland and Qatar will face off on Saturday.
How to watch
All 104 matches will be live on DStv on four dedicated FIFA World Cup Channels in multiple languages. The Channels are FIFA World Cup Central (Channel 222), FIFA World Cup Extra (Channel 223), FIFA World Cup Pass (Channel 225), and FIFA World Cup Swahili (Channel 224).
