Preview: Canada vs Qatar - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams still seeking their first World Cup victories will square off in Group B action on Thursday as co-hosts Canada welcome Qatar to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.

Both sides came from a goal down to pick up 1-1 draws in their opening World Cup 2026 outings, with the Canadians earning a point against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the 2022 hosts of this tournament collecting that same result versus Switzerland, as all four teams in the group are tied after matchday one.

Match preview

For the first time at a World Cup, Canada have some big expectations, and that seemed to weigh heavily on the team throughout their opener in Toronto.

Jesse Marsch’s men looked tense and uneasy for long stretches of that match, particularly in the attacking third, where their touches and final balls were often lacking in quality.

Marsh, who became the first manager from the United States to coach another nation in the finals last week, has some tough decisions to make ahead of Thursday, most notably what to do about his captain, Alphonso Davies.

The greatest Canadian export missed the team's opener with a hamstring injury, but his presence in this match could be pivotal to a Canadian team that stand to benefit from his experience in big games.

In their seven World Cup matches played, Canada have given up the opening goal six times, with last Friday’s draw being the only instance in which they found an equalising strike.

Les Rouges have lost two of their last three international affairs against Asian sides, but defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 in their penultimate friendly before this competition began.

They have only faced Qatar once before, beating them 2-0 in a friendly played in Austria in September of 2022, thanks to a pair of goals in the opening half.

Right until the bitter end, Qatar pushed hard in their first match and were rewarded with an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to collect a point.

Their only goal was the third-latest in a World Cup group stage outing, with the only two goals ever scored by Qatar in this competition occurring in the final 45 minutes of play.

Pegged as the team with the worst odds to advance out of Group B in our World Cup betting strategy, Julen Lopetegui’s side were under huge pressure throughout their match against the Swiss, but managed to hang around and keep it close despite conceding 10 shots on target.

The Maroon One are on a seven-match winless run heading into this game, netting a goal or fewer on each of those occasions.

On Thursday, the reigning two-time Asian champions can claim their first victory against a CONCACAF team since beating Mexico 1-0 in the group stage of the 2023 Gold Cup.

That was the last time they won a match on North American soil, while their only game this year against a CONCACAF opponent ended in a 0-0 draw versus El Salvador.

Qatar have failed to win their last two games when scoring the opening goal, drawing 1-1 with Syria and losing in a friendly to Zimbabwe 2-1 despite netting after only nine minutes in that instance.

Canada World Cup form:

Canada form (all competitions):

Qatar World Cup form:

Qatar form (all competitions):

Team News

The status of Davies remains up in the air as he hopes to feature at BC Place, home of the Vancouver Whitecaps, his first senior club, while Moise Bombito is doubtful due to a left tibia injury.

Cyle Larin and Jonathan Osorio remain tied for second in all-time caps at 91, with the former scoring the equaliser against the Bosnians a couple of minutes after replacing Tani Oluwaseyi who started alongside Jonathan David.

Several Canadians will be familiar with the artificial turf at BC Place, with Davies, Maxime Crepeau, Ali Ahmed, Niko Sigur, Richie Laryea, Derek Cornelius and Jayden Nelson all previously featuring for the Whitecaps at the youth or senior level.

The opening match for Qatar was a big one for Pedro Miguel or Ro-Ro, who played the full 90 minutes and collected his 100th senior cap, while Almoez Ali can surpass Sebastian Soria for seventh in all-time appearances should he see the field on Thursday.

Ahmed Fathy can reach the half-century mark for appearances in this upcoming fixture, while the top goalscorer at the 2023 Asian Cup, Akram Afif is seeking his first goal in a World Cup match.

An own-goal from Miro Muheim rescued them a point on matchday one against the Swiss, while Mahmoud Abunada was spectacular between the sticks, stopping nine targeted efforts to give his side a chance to equalise in the latter stages.

Canada possible starting lineup:

Crepeau; Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea; Buchanan, Eustaquio, Kone, Millar; J. David, Larin

Qatar possible starting lineup:

Abunada; Al-Oui, Miguel, Khoukhi, H. Ahmed; Gaber, Laye; Junior, Madibo, Afif; Ali

We say: Canada 2-0 Qatar

Canada know they were not at their best in their opener, but having gotten that out of the way, we expect them to be much freer while showing their true qualities regardless of Davies’ status.

Expect the ball to travel much faster at BC Place, which should benefit the youthful, speedy Canadians, who have won their last two matches in Vancouver by a combined score of 10-0.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.