Ricardo Rodriguez, Swiss football owner, says that a group win in the B-final against Canada in Vancouver must be the goal – if Switzerland are to have ambitions to go all the way in the World Cup.
After conceding an equaliser in injury time in the surprising 1-1 draw with Qatar, Murat Yakin’s men rose with a bang as they crushed Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in a game where all five goals came after the 73rd minute.
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“We want first place,” Rodriguez told Blick. His 1289 World Cup minutes are the most of any Swiss player in history.
“If you want to be world champion, you have to be able to beat all teams. I just try to enjoy every game and play like it was my last World Cup game.
Co-host Canada finished strongly with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before following up by crushing Qatar 6-0 – with a hat-trick from the country’s all-time top scorer Jonathan David.
“This is not a normal moment for the country. We have to highlight the success in this moment,” says head coach Jesse Marsch about a team that wins the group with a draw against Switzerland by a margin of victory.
“We stay on the ground and don’t run too far ahead. I’m going to make sure the team is ready to focus, concentrate, and compete to win the group – and set the stage for success in this tournament.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, both with one point, meet at the same time in the final group stage. With their group rivals on four points each, that game will decide third place – unless a huge goal difference change were to turn everything upside down.
Team News: Injuries & Returns
Canada’s Ismael Kone has undergone surgery for a broken leg that the midfielder suffered against Qatar. Nathan Saliba, who scored with a free-kick after replacing Kone in that game, could start this time.
One of Kone’s other potential replacements – Stephen Eustaquio with 58 caps – missed the media part of training on Sunday, but participated fully on Monday, according to Sportsnet.
Centre-back Moise Bombito returned from injury as a substitute against Qatar and could be in contention for a starting spot, having replaced yellow-card-laden Derek Cornelius at half-time.
Captain Alphonso Davies could make a comeback after a hamstring injury.
Rodriguez shares the record of 14 playoff games for Switzerland with Granit Xhaka, but the left-back did not complete 90 minutes in a World Cup match for the first time when he was substituted in the second leg.
Ruben Vargas was replaced by Fabian Rieder against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before coming on for the striker with 19 minutes remaining.
Predicted line-ups
Switzerland (4-2-3-1): Kobel – Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez – Aebischer, Xhaka – Rieder, Freuler, Ndoye – Embolo
Canada (4-3-3): Crepeau – Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea – Buchanan, Saliba, Eustaquio – Ahmed, David, Larin
How to Watch Switzerland vs Canada
Kick-off on Wednesday at 21:00 Norwegian time. In the UK, the fight will be broadcast live on ITV1. Streaming is available via ITV’s website and the ITVX app.
Key figures for Switzerland vs. Canada
- Switzerland are one of two European teams – along with France – to have reached the knockout stages of each of the last six major international tournaments (World Cup and European Championship).
- Murat Yakin’s side conceded a total of two goals in qualifying – after conceding 14 goals in six games in the previous Nations League season.
- Breel Embolo was Switzerland’s top scorer in qualifying with four goals. He is one of five players to have scored in both the 2022 and Euro 2024 World Cups, along with Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug and Cody Gakpo.
- Ricardo Rodriguez is in his fourth World Cup and has started every single game in six different championships.
- The highest-scoring World Cup match ever was Switzerland’s 7–5 loss to Austria in the quarter-finals on 26 June 1954 – also the last World Cup match with two hat-tricks (Josef Hugi for Switzerland, Theodor Wagner for Austria).
- Canada is unbeaten in ten games (six wins, four draws) since a 1-0 loss at home to Australia in October 2025.
- Defender Joel Waterman was in Canada’s squad in 2022, but did not play – nor has he played in this championship.
- With 42 goals in 79 games, Juventus striker David Canada is the all-time top scorer.
- David scored six goals in 2025 – his highest calendar year for the national team since 2021 (7). He had one shot on goal during his 192 minutes at the 2022 World Cup.
- Larin is the second-best goalscorer of all time with 32 goals in 92 games, but the Southampton striker hadn’t scored since October 2024 before the playoffs started.
Prediction: Switzerland vs. Canada
Switzerland 3–1 Canada
Marsch says Canada are at their best when leading – which is unfortunate for the Rouge boss, as Switzerland have not trailed in any of their last 11 official matches since a late 3-2 defeat to Spain in 2024 (in which they equalised twice).
A win would be a powerful statement from their co-hosts Canada, but they will probably face much tougher opposition against a team that is used to knockout phases in major championships.
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