Switzerland legend Ricardo Rodriguez says winning the Group B final against Canada in Vancouver on Wednesday must be part of the plan if Nati is to go all the way in this championship.
After conceding an equaliser in injury time in the surprising 1-1 draw with Qatar, Murat Yakin’s side swept Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in a game where all five goals came after the 73rd minute.
On our Live service you can follow all the World Cup matches
Read: England escaped red card and penalty! “Was VAR looking for a cup of coffee?”
“We want first place,” Rodriguez told Blick. His 1289 World Cup minutes are the most of any player in Swiss 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,” he says.
Co-host Canada finished strongly in the 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, before continuing the momentum 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 and we have to highlight the success in this moment,” argued head coach Jesse Marsch, who is talking about a team where the margin of victory allows them to win the group with a draw against Switzerland.
“We stay on the ground and don’t run too far ahead. I will make sure that the team is ready in every way to focus, concentrate and compete to win the group – and really set the stage for success in this tournament,” says Marsch.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, who both have one point, meet at the same time in the final round of Group B matches. With their group rivals on four points each, that game will decide third place – unless a significant goal difference change were to turn everything upside down.
World Cup 2026: Team news for Switzerland vs Canada
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 fully participated on Monday, according to Sportsnet.
Centre-back Moise Bombito returned from injury as a substitute against Qatar and could be in contention to start, having replaced the short-loaded 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 on matchday two.
Ruben Vargas was replaced by Fabian Rieder against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before coming on for the striker with 19 minutes remaining.
Switzerland vs Canada: Predicted line-ups for the 2026 World Cup
Switzerland starting eleven (4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel – Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez – Michel Aebischer, Granit Xhaka – Fabian Rieder, Remo Freuler, Dan Ndoye – Breel Embolo
Canada’s starting eleven (4-3-3): Maxime Crepeau – Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea – Tajon Buchanan, Nathan Saliba, Stephen Eustaquio – Ali Ahmed, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin
Where to watch Switzerland vs. Canada: TV channel and live online streams
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 21:00 Norwegian time (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT). In the UK, the fight will be broadcast live on ITV1.
Streaming is available via ITV’s website and the ITVX app, which is available on a wide range of devices for viewing on the go.
World Cup 2026: Switzerland vs Canada stats
- 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 and is one of five players to score multiple goals in both the 2022 and Euro 2024 qualifiers, 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 game in World Cup history was a 7–5 loss for Switzerland 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 also part of Canada’s squad in the 2022 playoffs, 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 their second-best goalscorer of all time with 32 goals in 92 games, although the Southampton striker hadn’t scored since October 2024 before the playoffs started.
World Cup 2026: Prediction for Switzerland vs. Canada
Switzerland 3–1 Canada
Marsch says Canada are at their best when they are in the lead, 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. Victory would be a strong signal from their co-hosts, who are likely to have a much tougher time against opponents familiar with the knockout phase of major championships.
SpaceX’s Record-Breaking IPO: A Giant Bubble Built on Promises, Lawbreaks, and the Laws of Physics
