Team Canada secured a valuable point against Bosnia on matchday 1. That result has Canada second in Group B behind Switzerland, but all teams are on 1 point each and there’s everything to play for when Canada hosts Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday. We take a look at the predicted lineups and team news.
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Canada vs Qatar
Date: Thursday, June 18th, 2026
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver
Kick Off: 18:00 local time in Vancouver
Referee: Cristian Marcelo Garay Reyes
Current Odds: Canada 1.33, Draw 5.50, Qatar 10.00
Canada Team News
There’s one clear piece of news that matters for Team Canada, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is available for selection on matchday 2 against Qatar. It appears Davies has recovered enough from his hamstring injury to get minutes in the Qatar match, but the question remains whether he will be a starter, or playing a substitute role.
Manager Jesse Marsch said, “He’ll be available tomorrow, and we’ll see how the match goes, and then make a decision on how we would choose to use (him),”
After a nervy opener against Bosnia, Canada hopes to settle and secure three points in front of a home crowd vs Qatar. The Canadian side had their chances on matchday 1,but were frustrated by poor finishing until Cyle Larin came off the bench and leveled the match in the second half.
A win for Canada would see them secure qualification for the knockout phase of the tournament. With Davies expected to begin from the bench, Larin moving into the starting striker role would be the only major XI change for Canada, as CB Alfie Jones has still come up injured, and Moise Bombito is also not expected to play in that same position,
Qatar Team News
Qatar are buzzing after a great goalkeeping performance and a very late equalizer helped them draw Switzerland in a surprise matchday 1 result. The squad is fit and there are not expected to be major changes to the XI, though attacker Almoez Ali could feature.
Manager Julen Lopetegui said “pressure is not on his mind” as he prepares Qatar for matchday 2. Having setup defensively against the Swiss, Qatar would likely employ a similar 4-3-3 setup against Canada.
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Canada Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)
GK; Maxime Crepeau
Defenders: Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea
Midfield: Tajon Buchanan, Ismael Kone, Stephen Eustaquio, Liam Millar
Forwards: Jonathan David, Cyle Larin
Qatar Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)
GK: Meshaal Ibrahim Abunada
Defenders: Ayoub Al Oui, Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Homam Al-Amin
Midfield: Jassem Gaber Abdulsallam, Assim Madibo, Issa Laye
Forwards: Edmilson Junior, Yusuf Abdurisag, Akram Afif
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
