A look at Canada’s Group B opponents at next summer’s World Cup:
Switzerland
Rank: No. 17.
Qualifying: The Swiss topped their group in European qualifying at 4-0-2, finishing above Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden while outscoring the opposition 14-2.
Coach: Murat Yakin.
Players: Breel Embolo (Rennes, France) led the team with four goals in qualifying. The Swiss captain is veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka, whose club resume includes Germany’s Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, and England’s Arsenal and Sunderland.
Against Canada: The teams have met just once with Canada winning 3-1 in a May 2002 friendly in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
History: The Swiss are no strangers to the World Cup, having made 12 previous trips to the tournament. They made the quarterfinals in 1934, 1938 and 1954 and, more recently, made the round of 16 in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
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Qatar
Rank: No. 51.
Qualifying: Qatar topped its group with a 5-0-1 record, finishing above Kuwait, India and Afghanistan while outscoring the opposition 18-3.
Coach: Spain’s Julen Lopetegui was put in charge in May. Lopetegui led Spain to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but was fired on the eve of the tournament after news broke he had agreed take over Real Madrid after the tournament. He went on to coach Spain’s Sevilla and England’s Wolves and West Ham before joining Qatar.
Players: Captain Hassan Al-Haydos, a veteran forward who plays for Al-Sadd Sports Club in Doha, came out of international retirement to rejoin the team for qualifying. Forward Almoez Ali, who plays for Al-Duhail SC, scored seven goals for Qatar in qualifying — tied with South Korea’s Son Heung-min for the lead. Winger Akram Afif (Al Sadd) was named AFC Player of the Year in 2019 and 2023,
Against Canada: The teams have met just once with Canada winning a friendly 2-0 in September 2022 in Vienna in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup.
History: Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, finishing bottom of Group A after losing to Ecuador (2-0), Senegal (3-1) and the Netherlands (2-0).
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Team No. 4
Canada’s other opponent will come from one of No. 12 Italy, No. 32 Wales, No. 69 Northern Ireland and No. 71 Bosnia and Herzegovina. The four will take part in a March European playoff with Italy facing Northern Ireland and Wales playing Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winners will then meet to decide who joins Canada in Group B.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.
The Canadian Press
