Group B is all square as Canada and Switzerland hunt a first World Cup win
Nobody has won a game in Group B yet. Switzerland take on Bosnia and Canada host Qatar on Thursday night, and a single victory would finally separate four teams still locked together on a point each.
Jun 18, 2026
Group B at the World Cup has served up four teams, four draws and not one winner. Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland all walked away from their opening games with a single point, and on Thursday night across the United States and Canada the group plays its second round of fixtures with the table still showing nothing between the four of them.
Switzerland meet Bosnia and Herzegovina first, kicking off at 12:30am IST on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Canada then host Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver, a game that starts at 3:30am IST. A win in either match would push a side clear at the top. Another set of draws would leave the group as tangled as ever going into the final round.
Switzerland want a reward for all that pressure
Of the four, Switzerland have the most reason to feel short-changed. They controlled their opener against Qatar and piled up 26 shots, more than they have managed in any World Cup game in decades, yet came away with a draw. Breel Embolo’s first-half penalty was the only goal they could find, and Boualem Khoukhi’s stoppage-time header for Qatar turned two points into one. For all that territory and all those attempts, the Swiss are still looking for a cutting edge.
Bosnia will be happy to be written off. Jovo Lukic’s header put them ahead of Canada before they were pegged back late, and a team that takes the lead against the co-hosts on the road clearly has something about it. If Switzerland are wasteful again, Bosnia have the bite to make them pay.
Canada lean on home comfort
Canada arguably hold the kindest hand. The co-hosts also fell behind in their opener, only for Cyle Larin to level soon after coming off the bench, and Jesse Marsch’s side will back themselves to land a first win against the team most pundits rate the outsiders of the group. A full house at BC Place should help carry them.
Qatar, though, turn up with belief. The point they grabbed against Switzerland was the first they have ever taken at a World Cup, snatched in the final seconds, and a side playing with house money against the hosts can be an uncomfortable opponent. There is an Indian subplot here too: Qatar ended India’s own World Cup dream two years ago, beating Igor Stimac’s side 2-1 in qualifying in June 2024, the comeback sparked by an equaliser that replays showed should never have counted.
Why a win matters more than usual
The expanded 48-team World Cup sends the top two from every group into the round of 32, plus the eight best third-placed sides, so even a draw keeps all four Group B teams alive for now. But the scramble for third can come down to a single goal of net difference, which is exactly why three points on Thursday would be worth more than the obvious. Whoever breaks the deadlock first takes hold of a group nobody has managed to grab yet.